About Us:
Good Business Lab is an independent, non-profit labor innovation company. We use rigorous academic research to prove that worker well-being programs have business impacts. We develop market-ready, scalable interventions that benefit both workers and businesses. Our goal is to disrupt the traditional notion of business and show that worker well-being can be a good business practice.
The founders of the lab are Ach Adhvaryu - Professor of Economics and Director of 21st Century India Center at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, UC San Diego (www.achadhvaryu.com), Anant Ahuja-head of Organization Development at Shahi Exports Pvt. Ltd., and Anant Nyshadham- Assistant Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan (www.anantnyshadham.com).
Duration of Work: Full-time (Minimum 12 month commitment)
Remuneration: 9-13 LPA
Location: Delhi/Bangalore (remote/hybrid/ frequent travel required)
Start Date: At earliest convenience
Role Summary:
Good Business Lab (GBL) develops programs that build the business case for worker well-being. Our projects aim to generate evidence on a variety of topics ranging from enhancing workers' migration experience and mental health through a ‘buddy system’ to unlocking women’s economic participation in the auto industry through coalition building and an industry-wide gender charter. We also implement evidence-based solutions, such as providing soft skills training to promote growth opportunities for blue-collar workers and deploying GBL’s effective grievance redressal system for workers in manufacturing settings.
We have also been building a portfolio of diverse projects focused on issues at the intersection of climate action and worker wellbeing, women in the emerging platform economy, and the nutrition requirements of workers in the garment industry, among other critical issues.
As we grow, we are looking for a Senior Partnerships Associate who will be part of the Private Sector Engagement team. This individual will help secure new partnerships, deepen existing relationships, and create tailored engagement strategies that align business goals with social impact. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in business development, partnership management, and corporate social responsibility (CSR), with a passion for driving social change through private sector engagement.
Qualifications & Experience
(The areas of knowledge and expertise that matter most for this role):
Experience and education: 2+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, corporate sustainability, or similar roles. A combination of formal education and professional experience will be considered.
Skills:
- Exceptional communication skills, including crafting compelling proposals and delivering persuasive presentations.
- Strong business acumen, with the ability to understand corporate needs and align them with social impact objectives.
- Strong problem-solving and organizational skills, along with attention to detail.
- Ability to prioritize and work under pressure to meet tight deadlines.
- Demonstrated organizational and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Ability to work independently and proactively.
- Ability to network and build strategic connections at events/conferences.
- An interest in GBL’s mission and thematic areas of work.
- (Bonus) Prior experience in building partnerships with the private sector
- (Bonus) A network in different sectors of India's manufacturing industry
Also, we know it’s tough, but please try to avoid the confidence gap. You don’t have to match all the listed requirements exactly to be considered for this role.
Roles & Responsibilities
(Areas that will play to your strength and all the responsibilities we will trust you with)?:
Partnership Outreach and Development
- Actively contribute to the growth of the private sector engagement team by following a systematic, process-driven approach to partner outreach and relationship management.
- Identify and source opportunities to partner with the private sector in diverse industries and ensure regular documentation in records and logs.
- Identify, source, and partner with civil society organizations to further private-sector engagement through multi-stakeholder partnerships.
- Conduct background research on organizations we can partner with (for projects, new opportunities, and otherwise across industries and geographies).
- Lead discussions and negotiations to formalize partnership agreements, ensuring mutual benefit. Liaise with GBL’s legal counsel as needed for the same.
Partnership Management
- Maintain strong, ongoing relationships with partners by being a consistent point of contact.
- Persistently build and scope opportunities with existing and potential partners.
- Deepen relationships with existing partners. Work closely with various internal marketing, fundraising, and delivery teams for successful partnership management.
- Coordinate and prepare policy memos, concept notes, proposals, presentations, and other targeted communication materials for meetings and other internal/external stakeholder engagements.
- Gather and analyze feedback from partners to improve the partnership and adapt strategies.
Policy Monitoring and Industry Engagement
- Monitor policy and business developments affecting GBL’s focus areas, especially in the sustainability space, regularly, and share updates with the team. Understand various frameworks and compliances affecting businesses’ role in human rights and sustainable supply chains. For example, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD principles and guidelines, etc.
- Represent GBL at forums, conferences, and gatherings and leverage the same to disseminate GBL’s work and identify new partnership opportunities.
- Perform other related work as needed, for example, learning and building on sectoral knowledge of different industries, quickly adapting to the changing and evolving landscape of business and human rights.
What should you be comfortable with?
- A dynamic environment with competing priorities.
- Working independently in a team with shared responsibilities.
- Independently coordinating with coworkers to accomplish goals.
- Being resourceful in new environments and scenarios.
- Comfortable with working with a global team and maintaining a flexible schedule to account for the same.
- Problem-solving in high-pressure environments.
- Frequent travel to attend events, meet with potential donors etc. (including occasional international travel)
Perks of working with us
There are plenty of benefits at GBL, here are some examples:
- Flexible leave policy: Time away from work can be extremely helpful for maintaining a healthy work/life balance. GBL encourages managers and leadership to set the example by taking time off when needed and ensuring their team members do the same. We don't have a strict limit on paid leaves, only suggested ( extremely liberal) averages.
- Flexible working hours: We recognize that a better work-life balance can improve employee motivation, performance, and productivity, and reduce stress. The basis of our norms pertaining to this is a system of trust in each other and our common goals.
- Training and Development: GBL team members can set aside 10% of their work time / around 4 hours a week, to improve their skills/knowledge on a subject that they think will help them perform their job better. We encourage all employees to focus both on technical and soft skills. We also facilitate employee mentorship programs.
- GBL Care Systems: As an organization, we are committed to ensuring the well-being of our team members and creating a thriving work environment- because that gives us, together, the best chance at achieving our shared mission and sparking joy at work. We do this by partnering with organizations such as The Mindclan, Therapize, among others, for workshops and other wellbeing-related initiatives.
- Growth-oriented review policy: To foster collaboration, we have adopted regular reviews and check-ins among team members. We see a manager's role beyond what is expected from them by conventional management thinkers. Apart from delivering high-quality work, managers are responsible for the holistic development of their team members. This can be achieved through practices inspired from coaching philosophy.
Recent projects and blog posts
To acclimatize yourself with some of our work, you can read our blog posts on Medium, and also go through our LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The process
We are glad you’re interested in applying for this role!
After each step, we decide whether to invite you to the next one. Our interview process for this role has the following steps:
- CV screening - This may involve a quick under 20-minute check-in with our People team to understand your background in brief and answer any questions you might have early on.
- Take-home assignment
- First-Round Interview with Manager(s) and Team Lead (1 hour)
- Final Interview with Head of Growth (1 hour)
Our commitment to diversity:
GBL is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, physical disability, or length of time spent unemployed. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We offer traditional monetary workplace benefits such as insurance and travel allowance. We are a young and growing company making us the ideal ground for team members to experiment, take on dynamic roles, and grow with us. We focus on happiness, output, and quality of work.If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know during the recruiting process.
Note: By clicking on the 'apply for this job' button, you confirm that you understand and accept GBL’s Privacy Policy. You also understand that GBL has zero-tolerance against sexual harassment/ exploitation /abuse/misconduct ("SEA"). You confirm and declare that you have never been convicted by any court of law and/or you have never been subjected to any sanctions or inquiry or proceedings (be it disciplinary, administrative, civil, or criminal) arising from an investigation in relation to sexual harassment/abuse/misconduct or left employment pending investigation and refused to cooperate in such an investigation.
