External Consultant

Position:  External Consultant - Open Digital Infrastructure

Employment Type - Part time ( 2.5 days)

Location:  Gurgaon/ Bangalore( Preferred)

About Sattva

We  Partner  to deliver social impact at scale

Sattva Consulting is a global impact consulting firm from India. Since 2009 we have been engaging with communities, business and government to achieve societal impact at scale. 

We believe that Civil society, Business and Government all have a critical role to play in building an equitable and sustainable world, and we actively partner with all stakeholders to enable impact through our advisory & orchestration services, knowledge and data platforms which we have built as public goods for the ecosystem and collaborative solutions and partnerships. 

Our teams are based in India, Singapore, Denmark and UK, but as a global organization our work has spanned 25 countries and 5 continents. For more information, please visit:

About the Water Data Exchange (WDE)

The Water Data Exchange (WDE) is an initiative to create an open digital infrastructure that enables access to credible, granular, and actionable water intelligence. WDE will unlock value across key use cases—such as water numeracy for farmers, risk forecasting for industries, and basin-level collaboration—by integrating diverse data sources and enabling an open infrastructure for the ecosystem to contribute, consume and collaborate on data and water intelligence. The program aims to impact 20 million households over five years on water security, through collaboration with government, corporate, civil society, and research stakeholders.

The Opportunity

As a project Lead, you will anchor the Water Data Exchange initiative—responsible for strategy, growth & sustainability, ecosystem orchestration and program delivery. You will lead cross-functional teams, work closely with governments, companies, civil society organisations and philanthropic partners to guide the WDE’s scaling journey from pilot to population-level adoption. This is a unique opportunity to shape a digital public good at the intersection of water sustainability, data, and technology.

For this role,  we are looking for a freelancer for a part-time commitment to this project.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Steer 

• Take accountability towards building Water Data Exchange as a population scale infrastructure to enable water security through distributed water intelligence 

• Own and refine the strategic roadmap for WDE building on emerging trends and ecosystem initiatives towards at scale impact. 

• Co-create use cases that will help unlock the value of water data and intelligence towards solving needs and challenges of key stakeholders in a manner that is technically feasible and financially viable. 

• Establish partnership models with various types of stakeholders that will create win-win opportunities for different stakeholders to collaborate on WDE 

2. Business and Team Leadership

• Lead the business and financial performance of the WDE initiative, including fundraising, budgeting, and funder management to ensure long-term sustainability and impact

• Manage and mentor a high-performing, cross-functional team comprising program managers, technologists, domain experts, and advisors. Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and empathy.

• Represent WDE at high-level forums, publications, and thought leadership events towards evangelising more stakeholders to build on WDE 

3. Program and Delivery Ownership

• Drive planning and execution of WDE’s phased roadmap including pilots, tech development, ecosystem engagement, and state-level implementation.

• Ensure successful delivery of high-quality, on-time, on-budget milestones across workstreams (tech, partnerships, MLE, communications).

• Lead risk management, learning cycles, and documentation to drive continuous improvement.

3. Ecosystem Orchestration

• Cultivate relationships with key actors including government agencies (e.g. Jal Shakti, NITI Aayog), philanthropic funders, corporates, NGOs, research institutions, and community champions.

• Engage companies to become Water Data Champions and be associated with the Water Data Exchange towards water stewardship

• Orchestrate and participate in coalitions of like-minded organisations that are looking to solve the water security challenge 

• Build social capital for WDE by championing collaborative, transparent, and mission-aligned governance structure

Ideal Candidate Profile

Must-Have:

• At least 12+ years of experience in consulting, product management, large-scale program execution, or ecosystem building roles

• Strong entrepreneurial mindset with experience in 0 to 1 journeys and building social and financial capital around new initiatives. 

• Proven experience managing multi-stakeholder initiatives with strong systems thinking and solution design capabilities.

• Excellent communication, facilitation, and partnership skills; ability to work with senior government officials, corporate leaders, and grassroots actors alike.

• Demonstrated ability to lead high-performing teams and deliver high-quality outcomes in complex environments.

Good-to-Have:

• Technical understanding of water data, digital public infrastructure (e.g., ONDC, AA, UEI), or open protocol ecosystems.

• Experience in public-private partnerships, open innovation networks, or environmental intelligence platforms.

• Background in engineering, sustainability, public policy, or data science.

Why Join Sattva and WDE

• Be at the forefront of shaping a national public good with potential for global replication.

• Work with a purpose-driven, interdisciplinary team solving complex societal challenges.

• Learn, grow, and influence key national missions through data and systems change.

• Build relationships with the most credible and committed actors across the public, private, and social sectors.

How to Prepare?

This is your opportunity to showcase not only your qualifications but also your unique personality and passion for making a meaningful impact. Approach your application with intentionality, ensuring that each word reflects your commitment to excellence and aligns seamlessly with the values of Sattva.

Sattva is an equal opportunity  employer and considers qualified applicants regardless of race, religion, caste, creed, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or any other legally protected and/or marginalized characteristics. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are essential to our business and we foster an environment of respect and a culture that celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. We are committed to providing all employees with education, training, and development opportunities to create a workplace where everyone feels safe, respected, and included.

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