About ISDM
The Indian School of Development Management pioneers a transformative approach to management, envisioning a world that is
just, equitable, and sustainable. Established in 2016, it serves as a foundational hub for cultivating a robust ecosystem and a cadre of skilled professionals dedicated to advancing social change globally.
Driven by the conviction that the social sector plays a pivotal role in addressing humanity's most pressing challenges, the school operates on the premise that effective management is essential for achieving significant impact. By nurturing talent in Development Management tailored to the unique needs of the social sector, the school aims to catalyze sustainable socio-economic and ecological progress on a large scale.
Recognizing the power of institutions to shape professional ecosystems, the school aims to establish itself as a beacon of excellence in higher education. Through this, it seeks to lay the groundwork for a thriving community of practitioners dedicated to driving positive change in society.
Over the years, the Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) has garnered validation, support, and funding from esteemed individuals and organizations. While numerous programs worldwide aim to cultivate management capabilities for the social sector, they often reside within larger university ecosystems or business schools, where they may receive lesser attention compared to mainstream programs. ISDM stands out as the sole institution globally dedicated to fostering a comprehensive ecosystem for Development Management, focusing on pioneering work in critical areas.
ISDM's Initiatives Encompass
- Knowledge Creation: Establishing a Global Knowledge Hub to create, disseminate, and institutionalize contextual knowledge on building, leading, and managing social purpose organizations, networks, and platforms.
- Talent Nurturing: Offering the Post Graduate Program in Development Management (PGP-DM) to attract and develop top-tier talent capable of addressing management challenges within the sector.
- Capacity Building: Providing Strategic Capacity Building programs to enhance individual and institutional capacities in development management, thereby fostering sustainable and scalable social impact.
ISDM has successfully completed its Proof of Concept Phase and is now set for expansion over the next five years. Key achievements include high placement rates for PGP-DM graduates and plans for increased batch sizes, a new campus, international partnerships, and accreditation. The institute is also conducting research and establishing Centers of Excellence in various areas of social impact. Additionally, it offers programs for professionals and resources for grassroots organizations. Know More at www.isdm.org.in.
ISDM invites individuals who share its vision to join in creating a dynamic, catalytic ecosystem and positioning India as a thought leader in Development Management, ultimately enabling sustainable social impact at scale.
About The Role
The Centre for Data Science and Social Impact (CDSSI), housed within the Global Knowledge Hub (GKH) at ISDM, seeks an Associate / Senior Associate (Communications). This role requires exceptional writing and editorial skills to transform technical research into ready-to-publish narratives in various formats, including social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube), blogs, and knowledge collaterals emerging from research projects.
You will own our social media and website, track performance metrics, and anchor end-to-end event communications. A high-ownership professional, you will help coordinate between researchers, designers, and external vendors to ensure all materials and knowledge artefacts are of a high quality. Proficiency in design/CMS tools, the ability to think strategically, and the agility to context-switch with minimal supervision are vital. If you blend creative flair with operational discipline and ethical AI use, join us in Bangalore to drive data-driven social change.
Must-have
Key Responsibilities
- Visibility, Brand & Digital Presence
- Platform Management: Own the Centre's digital estate, from webpages to microsites, and social handles. Ensure content is fresh, relevant, SEO-friendly, and optimised for engagement.
- Campaign Management: Design and run targeted digital campaigns (organic & paid) to amplify CDSSI's voice in the development ecosystem. Spot trends and opportunities on social media in line with project goals.
- Alignment: Coordinate with ISDM's central Communications team to ensure all Centre outputs align with institutional branding and narrative guidelines.
- Editorial & Content Stewardship
- Making Knowledge Accessible: Convert dense research reports, toolkits, and case studies into accessible formats (blogs, op-eds, explainer videos, infographics) tailored for diverse audiences. Develop knowledge products such as flyers, reports, and presentations.
- Quality Control: Serve as the first line of defence for quality. This includes writing, proofreading, editing, and restructuring copy to make it error-free and tonally consistent before it moves to the next step.
- Events & Stakeholder Engagement
- Convenings: Anchor the communications for convenings and workshops. This includes writing content and briefing the design team to design collaterals, managing live social coverage, and drafting post-event content across online and offline media.
- Measurement, Learning & Operations
- Analytics: Track metrics rigorously (reach, engagement, adoption) and update internal reporting documents.
- Feedback Loops: Don't just report numbers; interpret them. Create feedback loops with the research and Comms team to refine future content strategies.
- Admin & Operations: Help coordinate with external vendors and provide support for troubleshooting technical issues. Maintain and update knowledge repositories.
Good To Have
- Adoption Pathways: Work on reach but also prioritise adoption. Help map and segment audiences (funders, SPOs, policymakers) and tailor dissemination strategies to ensure our research and other offerings drive change on the ground.
- PR & Partnerships: Coordinate and collaborate with PR, design, and video editing partners to secure media coverage and build alliances with relevant media networks.
- Co-Creation: Work with researchers and Centre Leads to write articles and opinion pieces.
Qualifications & Experience
- Education: A Master's degree is preferred in fields such as communications, journalism, English language or literature, social sciences, or allied fields.
- Experience: Minimum 3-6 years of full-time experience in:
- Communication and copywriting in long and short-form (social media etc).
- Creating high-quality, short-form audio-visual content and social media content.
- Content writing for newsletters, reports, mailers, presentations.
- Communications for online and offline events.
- Familiarity with APA 7th Edition, Chicago Manual Style, and other established publishing guidelines.
- Familiarity with visualising and co-producing research-derived products.
- Tech Savvy: Practical proficiency with design tools (Canva, Adobe), social media platforms (LinkedIn, Twitter/X, YouTube, Instagram), collaboration platforms (Google Workspace), CMS/Social tools for posting and analysis (WordPress, Hootsuite, Zoho Campaigns), AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Notebook LLM, Perplexity AI etc).
Key Attributes
- High Ownership & Bias for Action: You are solution-focused. You drive your function with minimal supervision and manage your own to-do lists effectively.
- Dependability: You are organised, deadline-driven, and pay attention to detail. When you do something, it is done on time and done well.
- Agility & Context-Switching: You are comfortable with an environment that demands quick decision-making. You can move from proofreading a technical report to managing a live event crisis to working with designers on a social media creative in the same afternoon, without losing your cool.
- Editorial Proficiency: Exceptional command of English, with the ability to translate heavy knowledge artifacts into engaging communication pieces for stakeholders.
- Visual Sensibility: You understand good design and know what makes a good creative, video, or podcast from both a brand and audience perspective.
- Ethical AI Mindset: You are comfortable using AI to augment your efficiency, but understand the need for human oversight, rigorous fact-checking, and transparency and ethics in disclosing your use of AI.
- Collaboration: Ability to uphold transparency and accountability to work with a hybrid team.
ISDM is an equal opportunity organization with a particular emphasis on affirmative action. The culture of the organization is one of professionalism while also one that greatly values relationships. 
