Lead Network Policy

The Role This role will be responsible for shaping and supporting policy and regulatory frameworks impacting digital commerce in India, while driving ONDC’s engagement with government and regulatory stakeholders.

The individual will work closely with ministries, regulators, and public institutions to enable policy alignment, support regulatory development, and strengthen ONDC’s positioning within the evolving digital commerce ecosystem.

Additionally, the role will contribute to the techno-legal framework for network governance, including the design of systems and mechanisms to monitor and ensure policy compliance across the network.

This position sits at the intersection of public policy, regulatory affairs, and government engagement, requiring both strategic thinking and execution capability.

What You'll Own

• Government & Policy Engagement: engage with government entities and regulatory bodies on matters related to digital commerce and network-based platforms.
• Build and manage relationships with key policymakers, ministries, and regulatory stakeholders; represent ONDC in policy forums, consultations, working groups, and government discussions.
• Policy & Regulatory Development: track and interpret developments across e-commerce policy, digital trade, competition, and data governance frameworks — including the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act and related rules.
• Contribute to policy notes, consultation responses, discussion papers, and regulatory submissions; support the development of policy recommendations relevant to ONDC.
• Work on key themes such as platform neutrality, interoperability, digital inclusion, and network governance.
• Research & Policy Analysis: conduct in-depth policy research, regulatory analysis, and impact assessments; develop briefing notes, policy papers, and executive presentations for leadership and external stakeholders.
• Prepare management reports and information packs — in particular for regulator meetings, internal reviews, and committee presentations — ensuring timely and accurate reporting.
• Stakeholder & Ecosystem Management: engage with industry bodies, think tanks, research institutions, and ecosystem participants; collaborate closely with legal, operations, technology, and leadership.
• Capability Building: deliver training sessions and regulatory updates to product teams and the wider business, and build scalable processes, templates, and documentation for the team as it grows.

What Success Looks Like You become ONDC’s trusted voice on policy — tracking regulatory change before it lands, translating it into practical guidance for the business, and representing ONDC credibly with ministries, regulators, and institutions.

What We're Looking For

• 8+ years in public policy, regulatory affairs, or government engagement — preferably in digital, technology, or e-commerce sectors.
• Strong understanding of India’s regulatory landscape, policy-making processes, and frameworks including the DPDP Act.
• Excellent research, writing, stakeholder management, and communication skills, with the ability to translate policy into actionable frameworks.
• Comfortable working in a cross-functional, high-impact environment, with strong interpersonal skills for internal and external stakeholder collaboration.