Associate Manager - Industry Engagement & Work Transition

Quest Alliance; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 670,000 - 803,000; Full time

Job summary

Quest Alliance in Bengaluru, Karnataka is seeking an Associate Manager- Career Transitions to anchor the regional strategy for meaningful work transitions across ITIs and VTIs. The role focuses on building institutional placement systems, industry engagement, and livelihood pathways for youth.

You will develop regional labour market insights, strengthen institutional systems, forge employer and government partnerships, and design sustainable transition models beyond direct placements, while

Qualifications

• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in youth employability, skilling or workforce development.
• Experience in stakeholder management and ecosystem partnerships.
• Strong understanding of regional labour markets and transition ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Anchor regional strategy for Karnataka aligned with labour market realities.
• Strengthen institutional placement systems across ITIs and VTIs.
• Build and maintain employer and ecosystem partnerships; engage government stakeholders.
• Coordinate transition activities and program execution; track progress and outcomes.
• Mentor and coordinate a small team; document learnings and support reporting.

Skills

Strategic planning

Ecosystem building

Stakeholder management

Labour market awareness

Program management

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Masters preferred

Job description

Role Purpose:

The Associate Manager- Career Transitions will anchor the regional strategy for meaningful work transitions across ITIs and VTIs inthe state. The role is designed as a systems and ecosystem-building function focused on strengthening institutional placement systems, industry engagement architecture, and emerging livelihood pathways for youth.

The role will work across the learner transition journey:

Career Exploration Decision Making Career Readiness Work Transition

The position will primarily focus on:

• Regional labour market and ecosystem strategy
• Institutional systems strengthening
• Employer and ecosystem partnerships
• Government and stakeholder engagement
• Building sustainable transition models beyond direct placement activities

While the role will support execution of transition-related activities where required, the primary expectation is to build long-term institutional and ecosystem capacity rather than directly manage day-to-day placement operations.

The role requires a strong balance of strategic thinking, ecosystem engagement, stakeholder management, and regional ownership.

About the Role

The Associate Manager- Career Transitions will anchor the regional strategy for meaningful work transitions across ITIs and VTIs inKarnataka. The role is designed as a systems and ecosystem-building function focused on strengthening institutional placement systems, industry engagement architecture, and emerging livelihood pathways for youth.

The role will work across the learner transition journey:

Career Exploration Decision Making Career Readiness Work Transition

The position will primarily focus on:

• Regional labour market and ecosystem strategy
• Institutional systems strengthening
• Employer and ecosystem partnerships
• Government and stakeholder engagement
• Building sustainable transition models beyond direct placement activities

While the role will support execution of transition-related activities where required, the primary expectation is to build long-term institutional and ecosystem capacity rather than directly manage day-to-day placement operations.

The role requires a strong balance of strategic thinking, ecosystem engagement, stakeholder management, and regional ownership.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Regional Strategy and Ecosystem Development (Primary Responsibility - 35%)

• Anchor the regional work transition strategy for Karnataka aligned with labour market realities and institutional needs.
• Identify emerging employment sectors, industry clusters, green jobs, and entrepreneurship opportunities relevant to youth transitions.
• Build regional pathways for industry engagement, apprenticeships, self-employment, and career transitions.
• Develop long-term employer and ecosystem partnerships to strengthen institutional transition systems.
• Support state and institutional stakeholders in moving from activity-based placements to structured transition systems.
• Contribute to strategic planning, regional reviews, and program design discussions related to meaningful work transitions.

2. Institutional Systems Strengthening (20%)

• Strengthen institutional capacity for placement and career transition systems across ITIs and VTIs.
• Support institutes in developing sustainable placement cells, employer engagement mechanisms, and alumni tracking systems.
• Build the capacity of Placement Officers, trainers, and institutional leadership on transition planning and industry engagement.
• Support adoption of digital systems and data-driven approaches for transition tracking and employer engagement.
• Enable institutions to independently manage placement and transition functions over time.

3. Employer and Stakeholder Engagement (15%)

• Build and maintain relationships with employers, industry bodies, sector skill organizations, and ecosystem actors.
• Facilitate strategic partnerships for apprenticeships, recruitment, exposure opportunities, and emerging livelihood pathways.
• Engage with government stakeholders, NGOs, and regional partners to strengthen ecosystem ownership.
• Represent Quest Alliance in regional ecosystem forums, industry engagements, and stakeholder consultations where required.

4. Transition Activities and Program Execution (20%)

• Support coordination of placement drives, job fairs, industry visits, and transition-related activities in collaboration with institutional stakeholders.
• Provide implementation support for pilot initiatives related to entrepreneurship, green livelihoods, and career transition models.
• Support periodic reviews and tracking of institutional transition activities.
• Ensure timely coordination with internal teams and regional stakeholders for execution priorities.

5. Team Coordination, Learning and Reporting (10%)

• Support associate-level team members, interns, or fellows contributing to transition-related work.
• Document regional learnings, ecosystem insights, and transition models.
• Contribute to reporting, program reviews, and organizational learning systems.
• Ensure adherence to organizational processes and monitoring systems.

Non-Negotiable Skills

• Strategic Ecosystem Building: Ability to build long-term partnerships and transition ecosystems involving industry, institutions, and government stakeholders.
• Labour Market and Regional Understanding: Strong understanding of employment trends, regional industries, and emerging livelihood pathways.
• Institutional Systems Strengthening: Ability to strengthen placement and transition systems within training institutions.
• Stakeholder and Government Engagement: Ability to work across government systems, industry bodies, and multi-stakeholder environments.
• Strategic Program Management: Ability to balance regional ownership, planning, coordination, and execution within complex program environments.

Experience

• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in:
• youth employability
• skilling and vocational education
• workforce development
• industry engagement
• transition or livelihood programs
• Demonstrated experience in:
• stakeholder management
• ecosystem partnerships
• institutional capacity building
• strategic program coordination
• Experience working with government systems, ITIs, VTIs, or workforce ecosystems preferred.

Salary

The pay band for the position starts at Rs. 66,000/- per month (cost to company) ( The salary offered will be commensurate with the experience and expertise of the candidate)

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About Quest

A social impact organization with close to two decades of experience, Quest Alliance works at the intersection of technology and future skills to make learning more equitable and relevant, especially for socially and economically vulnerable learners. The organization influences systems to empower young learners in government high schools and trade and vocational institutes to holistically navigate their education to career transitions.