About the Centre

NCAER has recently established the Centre for Health Economics (CHE). The Centre seeks to address the need for a dedicated institution that provides thought leadership and evidence-based policy guidance at the intersection of public health, health economics, and innovation within India’s health ecosystem.

CHE plans to lead strategic initiatives on a range of pressing health and economic challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration with government, industry, academia, implementing organizations, civil society, and regional, global, and multilateral institutions. Working within a strong cross-disciplinary environment, CHE aims to position NCAER as a national and regional leader in public health policy, health economics, and health systems research.

NCAER is seeking candidates who can help shape, support, and implement the Centre’s strategic vision in alignment with NCAER’s mission and India’s evolving health and economic priorities. Successful candidates will be passionate about addressing complex healthcare and public policy challenges through strategic thinking, rigorous analytics, and supporting evidence-based research.

The role offers the opportunity to engage closely with a breadth and depth of stakeholders, while contributing to research that informs health policy in India and beyond.

Position Overview

The successful candidate will provide strategic and technical support to the Director in establishing CHE as a leading policy and research centre at the intersection of public health, health economics, regulation, innovation, and health systems strengthening. The role will involve advising on the Centre’s strategic positioning, helping define a focused and actionable research agenda, and supporting the development of policy-relevant evidence that informs decision-making at national, regional, and global levels.

Key Responsibilities may include and are not limited to:

  • Draft, review, and provide technical inputs for flagship reports, policy briefs, consultation papers, and stakeholder engagement strategies to ensure analytical rigor, policy relevance, and clear communication.
  • Support the development of the Centre’s short-, medium-, and long-term strategic roadmap, identifying a focused set of high-impact policy priorities through which CHE can influence national and state-level policy and contribute to regional and global best practices.
  • Provide technical guidance on the design and implementation of research assessing the efficiency, quality, sustainability, and equity of India’s healthcare system, with particular emphasis on health economics and public health policy.
  • Identify emerging policy challenges related to demographics, pharmaceutical and healthcare industry dynamics, environmental health, pandemic preparedness, the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, and evolving financing needs, and translate these into actionable research priorities.
  • Contribute to the development of a robust evidence base on priority themes identified by the Director and advisory board, which may include health workforce, digital health, emerging and chronic disease, environmental health, pharmaceutical value chain, pandemic preparedness, to support policy reform.
  • Identify opportunities for resource mobilization, partnerships, and institutional development, helping position CHE as a leading voice on health policy and reform in India and internationally.
  • Support the Director with related activities, including presentations, briefing notes, speeches, stakeholder communications, meeting materials, and other strategic and operational tasks as required.

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

  • Ph.D. or Master’s degree in International Relations, Health Economics, Public Health, Health Policy, Economics, Public Policy, Healthcare Management, Medicine, Nursing, Epidemiology, or a related discipline.
  • Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience in health economics, public health policy, health systems research, healthcare regulation, or related fields, preferably in leading research institutions, think tanks, government agencies, international organizations, NGO, or development sector organizations.
  • Demonstrated expertise in designing, leading, and reviewing policy-relevant research, with a strong track record of producing high-quality reports, policy briefs, publications, and evidence-based recommendations for policymakers.
  • Deep understanding of India’s healthcare ecosystem, including financing, service delivery, systems strengthening, regulation, pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors, and emerging public health challenges.
  • Excellent analytical, writing, communication, and leadership skills, with the ability to translate complex evidence into actionable policy recommendations, mentor research teams, and contribute to resource mobilization and partnerships.
  • Experience with engaging and coordinating an array of stakeholders and inter-disciplinary teams with multiple interests to achieve consensus and common ground.

Appointment Term

Applicants should send a letter describing their past experience and their interest, a detailed CV, and the names of three professional references. The appointment will be on a renewable, 3-year contract. Applications will be reviewed as they are received. For fullest consideration, please apply by June 25, 2026.

Please send your application by email at hr@ncaer.org , noting “Senior Fellow-CHE” in the subject line.

Compensation
A salary that is commensurate with market and experience of the selected candidate.

 About NCAER

NCAER is India’s oldest and largest national, non-profit, independent economic research institute. Since 1956, NCAER has contributed high-quality research to shape policy decisions in India. It is among the few think tanks globally that have strong field data collection capabilities for national surveys; and its research covers a spectrum of policy-focused applied research in economics, from macroeconomics to poverty and infrastructure.

NCAER offers a vibrant, dynamic academic environment with both world-class faculty and physical infrastructure. If you’re stuck with a writer’s block, a stroll around our campus might be the antidote. If you want to unwind, there will always be someone willing to play a game of table tennis or badminton.

Join a visionary team that values research excellence, collaboration, and professional growth. NCAER offers a stimulating work environment where your research ideas can make a real difference.

NCAER is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences.