Professional Experience:
Rupak Kumar Nayak is a dynamic and results-oriented development professional with over 17 years of extensive experience spanning government, corporate, and non-profit sectors. He has demonstrated consistent leadership in managing large-scale development programs and public policy initiatives, with a strong focus on inclusive urban development, sustainable livelihoods, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and governance reforms.
Rupak has played a key role in designing and implementing impactful programs across thematic areas such as affordable housing, WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene), land rights (including the Forest Rights Act and land acquisition processes), women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship promotion, immunization, and nutrition. His work has contributed significantly to the transformation of vulnerable communities, particularly in underserved and tribal regions.
One of his most notable contributions includes supporting the implementation of Jaga Mission, Odisha’s flagship urban slum upgradation program, aimed at transforming informal settlements into liveable habitats through tenure security and access to basic services. He also worked on decentralised sanitation models, inclusive municipal service delivery, and livelihood strengthening through community-based institutions.
Rupak has collaborated extensively with various departments of the Government of Odisha, including Housing & Urban Development, Revenue & Disaster Management, Women & Child Development, and Rural Development. He has provided technical and programmatic support in areas like land titling, FRA convergence, urban governance, child and maternal health, and self-help group (SHG) capacity building.
His experience spans several leading development and consulting organizations, including Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Tata Steel Foundation, Tata Trusts, Ernst & Young (EY), Janaagraha, Landesa, UNDP, and WORLP. In these roles, he has led program strategy, business development, donor engagement, and field implementation across multiple states.
Rupak brings strong capabilities in program design and management, proposal development, stakeholder coordination, training and capacity building, research, and documentation. He has contributed to the development of competitive proposals for institutional donors, philanthropic foundations, and government partnerships, ensuring alignment with sectoral priorities and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). His ability to build cross-sectoral partnerships has helped leverage resources and scale innovations.
He has successfully mobilized and nurtured grassroots institutions such as farmer producer organizations (FPOs), SHGs, and community-based organizations (CBOs), while promoting micro-enterprises and sustainable economic models. Rupak has also coordinated emergency relief and rehabilitation efforts, and driven awareness and advocacy campaigns on environment, health, and governance.
With a commitment to participatory development and policy impact, he brings a balance of ground-level understanding and strategic systems thinking. His work is marked by a strong orientation toward social justice, community empowerment, and institutional strengthening.
Rupak continues to contribute to impactful development outcomes through collaborative leadership, innovation, and a deep commitment to inclusive growth and sustainability.