Description

Country Director – India (closed for applications)

Contract: Full-time (40 hours per week)

Location / working pattern: India (Pune or Mumbai) / Hybrid

Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer

Salary band: ₹35–45 lakh base variable performance-linked pay

Travel: Regular domestic travel across India, with occasional international travel to TWMP UK and partner regions as required

Life at The Washing Machine Project — meaningful work. Exceptional people.

Handwashing clothes may sound like a simple task, but it poses a significant obstacle to the wellbeing and livelihood of many women worldwide. We recognise that unpaid labour is compromising lives. This needs to change.

We’re The Washing Machine Project (TWMP). Our mission is to empower women to take charge of their lives by providing displaced and low-income communities with accessible, off-grid washing solutions. We create resourceful products and solutions.

Founded by Navjot Sawhney in 2018, TWMP develops extraordinary innovations designed to improve women’s lives. People are at the heart of everything we do, and listening to communities is integral to our work and design process. At TWMP, you’ll be surrounded by people who want to improve everything and everyone around them, passionate about our mission, driven to solve problems, and committed to doing work that matters.

The purpose of the role

The Country Director will lead the establishment, growth, and long-term success of TWMP India, transforming it into a high-performing, mission-led operating entity.

This is a senior leadership role responsible for operationalising TWMP’s India scale strategy; converting demand into deliveries; building strategic partnerships across NGOs, CSR, government, donors, UN agencies and distributors; overseeing product localisation, manufacturing and supply chain excellence; ensuring governance, compliance and financial stewardship; and representing TWMP in India at the highest levels.

This role is critical to TWMP’s global impact, ensuring the organisation can serve Indian communities ethically, sustainably, and at scale.

Who we are looking for

You are a mission-led, commercially astute leader with strong operational depth and the credibility to represent TWMP India externally. You bring strategic clarity and hands-on delivery capability, able to build from the ground up, establish strong systems, and convert complex stakeholder relationships into real-world outcomes.

You’ll be energised by working at the intersection of humanitarian impact, product innovation and operational excellence. You lead with humility, courage and accountability, and you role-model community-first practice and evidence-led decision-making.

Your duties and responsibilities include

Strategic leadership & India market development

• Lead the design and execution of TWMP India’s multi-year strategy aligned with TWMP UK’s global objectives.
• Build a qualified demand pipeline across NGOs, foundations, CSR teams, state agencies, UN bodies, ethical distributors and development coalitions.
• Convert demand into outcomes: MOUs, purchase orders, machine deliveries and impact partnerships.
• Conduct sectoral analysis (humanitarian, WASH, livelihoods, CSR) to identify opportunities and regulatory considerations.
• Represent TWMP India at high-level forums, government meetings, donor events, conferences and media engagements.
• Work closely with TWMP UK R&D to localise TWMP’s product portfolio for Indian cultural and climatic contexts.

Operational leadership & organisational set-up

• Lead the establishment and scale-up of TWMP India’s legal entity, operational systems and governance structures.
• Oversee end-to-end operations including manufacturing, procurement, supply chain, partner delivery, after-sales support, HR, finance and customer care.
• Implement SOPs and operational processes to ensure quality, safety, cost-efficiency and compliance.
• Build, track and optimise operational KPIs across supply chain, production, delivery and field implementation.
• Ensure robust safeguarding, ethical user engagement and community-first implementation standards.

Financial stewardship & Compliance

• Own the India P&L, annual budgeting, forecasting and reporting cadence with TWMP UK.
• Establish strong internal financial controls, audits and risk management processes.
• Ensure compliance with Indian regulations, including statutory labour laws, EHS, GST, procurement, and CSR contracting (and, where relevant, FCRA interfaces via partners).
• Identify cost-saving opportunities, supply chain efficiencies and local manufacturing optimisation.

Partnership development & ecosystem engagement

• Build deep, long-term partnerships with NGOs, government departments, CSR programmes and development actors.
• Co-design implementation plans with partners (last-mile logistics, training, community sensitisation and feedback loops).
• Maintain relationships with local governments, ministries, academic institutions, distributors and policy influencers.
• Ensure TWMP India is a trusted, respected organisation across humanitarian and development networks.

Team leadership & culture building

• Recruit, develop and lead a high-performing multidisciplinary India team as the organisation grows.
• Model TWMP values: humility, courage, evidence-led decisions and community-first design.
• Build a psychologically safe, inclusive, values-aligned culture with clear roles, accountability and progression pathways.
• Promote collaboration and knowledge-sharing with TWMP UK teams.

Essential requirements

• 10–15 years’ progressive leadership experience, with at least 5 years in a senior operational, general management, or country director role.
• Experience leading organisations or large programmes within technical/engineering/manufacturing/humanitarian/development settings.
• Proven ability to build operations from inception to scale.
• Strong strategic planning and execution capability.
• Demonstrated success in building partnerships across NGO, CSR, government or donor sectors.
• Experience managing complex budgets and P&Ls.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with a track record of developing talent and culture.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Fluent in English; proficiency in major Indian language(s) highly desirable.
• Deep cultural fluency and understanding of business environments across India.

Desirable requirements

• Experience working with Section 8 companies, social enterprises, or impact-led organisations.
• Experience with FCRA compliance or donor/government contracting.
• Experience in WASH, livelihoods, humanitarian product deployment, or social impact hardware.
• Exposure to international organisations or matrix reporting environments.

Additional requirements

• Right to work in India.
• Significant domestic travel.
• Some international travel may be required.
• Availability for occasional evening/weekend commitments related to partner engagements or international collaboration.

What you’ll get

We offer a genuinely purpose-led career with a culture built on trust, autonomy and flexibility. We’re an ambitious, growing organisation, and this role is a rare opportunity to shape TWMP’s presence and impact in India at scale, while staying deeply rooted in ethical, community-led practice.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at TWMP. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. This advert is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the role, the general nature, and the level of work performed.

To apply

Please complete the online form to express your interest. Attach your CV, and we recommend including a short cover letter (or equivalent) that demonstrates your fit for this leadership role and your motivation to work at TWMP. Once submitted, you will then receive an email with a link to the application form. 

If you need any support or adjustments in the application process, please contact jo@thewashingmachineproject.org.

The closing date for this application is 8 March 2026.

What you can expect after you’ve applied

Our selection process typically looks like this:

• Complete the application form so that we can learn more about you, your relevant experience and motivation for this role.
• 20–30 minute video call with one of our team.
• 60–75 minute competency-based interview with the hiring team (you may also complete a task/presentation).
• For some positions, an additional interview with senior leadership and profiling

Please note: We kindly request no contact from recruitment agencies or third-party recruiters.

Please note this role has now closed for applications