Associate Director, Global Rural Economy & Development

Position: Associate Director, Global Rural Economy & Development

Team: AI and Digital Transformation

Level and grade: L6 Associate Director

Position type: Full time, permanent

Location: Delhi, India. Remote only in rare exceptions.

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Travel: 20 to 30 percent

Mandate: Associate Director: quality sign-off, a domain budget and a seat at pricing

About Us

APLYD helps governments, multilateral institutions, development finance institutions and foundations use AI in public systems. Most public-sector AI stops at the pilot. Our work is getting it into everyday service delivery and keeping it running once we leave.

Athena Infonomics has done this work for years. In 2026 we set it up as its own company. We cover strategy and readiness, field data and last-mile reach, design and build, evaluation and audit, and scale and production.

440+ engagements

• 240+ global clients
• 85+ specialists
• 7 countries
• 5 continents
  
  

The Role

You lead APLYD's work in the rural economy across all the markets we work in, and you bring in the work: agriculture and food systems, livestock, livelihoods, farmer producer organisations, self-help groups, rural digital platforms and Panchayati Raj institutions. You are responsible for the domain's offer, clients, pricing and quality. You approve every deliverable, proposal and publication in the domain, manage a ring-fenced domain budget, and review the scope and price of every proposal before it is submitted.

You carry a revenue target, and part of your pay is linked to the revenue you originate. Origination credit starts from the first contract you close, the rate increases once you pass target, and there is no cap. In your first year, qualified opportunities you originated that have reached contracting are also credited, because institutional procurement often takes longer than a financial year.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Own institutional opportunities end to end. You take them from the first conversation through problem definition, scoping, proposal, negotiation, contracting and kick-off, then hand over to the delivery team.
• Design the AI concept end to end. You work with senior stakeholders until the problem statement is precise, then work it through to something concrete: what data exists and what does not, which parts need AI and which do not, how it fits the systems already running in that department, who operates it after we leave, and what it costs to keep running. Our engineers build from your concept note and outline architecture.
• Lead the proposals: scope, technical approach, timeline, risk, commercial model and budget. Each one has to work for the institution and for our margins.
• Work the ecosystem. The agriculture and rural development ministries, state departments and livelihood missions, agricultural universities and research bodies, and the funders active in this space all decide and budget differently. Know how each one works.
• Run the pipeline. Keep a clear view of what is live, close what is not progressing, and confirm with engineering, field and evaluation colleagues that what you propose can be delivered. Report progress and risk to the CEO.
• Make sure engagements start well. The client and our delivery team agree on scope, success measures and operating model before work begins, and the institution owns what gets built.
• Approve every deliverable, proposal and publication in the domain, manage the domain budget, and review the scope and price of every proposal before submission.
  
  

Qualifications And Competencies

• 12 to 15 or more years in business development, partnerships or institutional growth across government systems, development organisations or major funders.
• You have taken a new institutional relationship to a signed, funded contract more than once.
• You know the rural economy in India as a working system: agriculture and extension, rural livelihoods, farmer producer organisations and self-help groups, livestock, and the enterprise activity around farming. Depth in agriculture is preferred.
• You know how public systems and large development institutions work: how decisions are made, how procurement runs, where budgets sit, and what makes an institution adopt something new.
• You can design an AI solution end to end for a problem in this domain: data availability, where AI adds value and where it does not, integration, operating model and running cost. You have done this on real systems.
• Enough technical depth to hold a credible conversation about AI and data systems, digital public infrastructure, feasibility and architecture, with engineers on one side and non-technical institutional leaders on the other.
• You structure and write proposals yourself.
• Based in Delhi, with willingness to travel 20 to 30 percent.
  
  

Also useful, though we will not screen on it

• Digital agriculture, agri-tech, farmer advisory systems or rural service delivery platforms.
• Current relationships with government departments, state governments or funders active in India and the Global South.
• Time in an organisation working at the intersection of evidence, technology and public service delivery.
  
  

Additional Requirements

• This position requires successful completion of a reference check and employment verification.
• The successful candidate must not be subject to employment restrictions from a former employer, such as a non-compete, that would prevent performance of the responsibilities described.
• Candidates must declare any current or recent engagement with a government, multilateral or development finance institution that could present a conflict of interest.
  
  

APLYD's Work Culture

At APLYD, we function in an outcomes-based work environment with flexible hours and a high level of autonomy. Professional development and thought leadership are key elements of our business model: we support our team members professional growth through on-the-job training, and we encourage the cultivation of our colleagues personal brands through participation in panels, events, publications, and other thought-leadership opportunities. We embrace a transparent, open work environment with meaningful leadership pathways for those with inventive ideas and initiatives.

APLYD is an Equal Opportunities Employer

APLYD, part of the Athena Infonomics group, is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status.

AI Proficiency and Responsible Use

Proficiency in the responsible and sophisticated use of AI is a mandatory requirement for all roles, across all levels and functions at APLYD and Athena Infonomics.