Program Associate- Climate CoE

N S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore's climate-focused hub, seeks a hands-on professional to run day-to-day climate program operations. You will ensure cohorts move smoothly, mentors arrive prepared, and data stays current for audits and reports.

You will engage founders, coordinate a 250+ mentor network, track venture metrics, and support outreach, events, and policy-relevant research in climate-tech across India.

Qualifications

• Clear and careful writing, and confident verbal communication.
• Strong command of spreadsheets and attention to detail with numbers.
• Hands-on familiarity with AI productivity tools (this is a must).
• The discipline to run many small moving parts without dropping any and the maturity to work with senior leaders, corporate partners and founders.

Responsibilities

• Cohort operations: run the program calendar end to end, including application intake, screening logistics, selection panels, workshops, mentor sessions, field visits and demo days.
• Founder engagement: be the first point of contact for startups in the cohort and run regular check-ins.
• Mentor coordination: match founders with mentors from the 250+ network, schedule sessions and record feedback and outcomes.
• Venture data and M&E: keep venture metrics trackers current, run surveys, and turn data into insights for reviews and partner reports.
• Budgets and compliance: track program spend against budget, raise purchase orders, process vendor payments and keep documentation for audits.
• Reporting and communications: draft first versions of partner updates, impact stories, case studies and social media content.
• Research: support climate sector briefs, market maps, and policy scans.
• Outreach and events: help bring in strong applicants through ecosystem outreach and events.
• Better ways of working: use AI and no-code tools to automate trackers and SOPs.

Skills

Clear writing

Verbal communication

Attention to numbers

Project coordination

Education

Graduate degree in any discipline

Postgraduate degree in management or sustainability (plus)

Tools

Excel

AI productivity tools

Job description

• Industry Nonprofit Charitable Organizations
• Work Experience 2-4 years
• Country India
• Postal Code 560076

Job Description

Who we are

The N.S. Raghavan Centre forEntrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL) is IIM Bangalore's startup hub and incubationcentre, structured as a Section 8 not-for-profit. Its mission is to supportventures that can create significant economic and societal impact. Thisfinancial year alone, NSRCEL has engaged with 1,106 ventures through 13 programtracks across 82 towns in India.

NSRCEL is supported by theDepartment of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Electronics andInformation Technology, and partners with corporates and foundations to supportidea-stage and early-revenue entrepreneurs in climate-tech, women entrepreneurshipand social impact.

About the Climate Centre ofExcellence

The Climate Centre of Excellence(Climate CoE) is NSRCEL's climate vertical. It runs a five-pillar platform(Incubation, Capital, Research, Policy and Global Innovation) and works with100+ climate startups every year across multiple corporate-sponsored programs,backed by a network of 250+ mentors.

The CoE works with corporatepartners such as Maruti Suzuki, Hindustan Unilever and Pernod Ricard IndiaFoundation, and with institutional partners such as KREDL, IISc and UNSW.Through its Sunrise Sectors work, it also tracks emerging sectors to shape whereNSRCEL incubates next.

The role

You will run the day-to-dayoperations of one or more climate programs. Your work keeps a cohort moving:founders know what is next, mentors turn up prepared, data is current and everyrupee is accounted for. It is a hands-on role and a good way into climate-techand the Indian startup ecosystem.

What you will do

• Cohortoperations: Run theprogram calendar end to end, including application intake, screening logistics,selection panels, workshops, mentor sessions, field visits and demo days.
• Founderengagement: Be thefirst point of contact for startups in the cohort. Run regular check-ins, logwhat they need and route it to the right person.
• Mentorcoordination: Matchfounders with mentors from the 250+ network, schedule sessions and recordfeedback and outcomes.
• Venturedata and M&E: Keepventure metrics trackers current, run monitoring and evaluation surveys, andturn the data into clear insights for internal reviews and partner reports.
• Budgetsand compliance: Trackprogram spend against budget, raise purchase orders, process vendor paymentsand keep the documentation that utilisation certificates and audits need.
• Reportingand communications: Draftfirst versions of partner updates, impact stories, case studies and socialmedia content.
• Research: Support desk research for climatesector briefs and the Sunrise Sectors initiative, including market maps,startup landscapes and policy scans.
• Outreachand events: Helpbring in strong applicants through ecosystem outreach, info sessions, campusand community events.
• Betterways of working: Use AIand no-code tools to automate trackers, reports and repetitive tasks, anddocument what works as SOPs.

What success looks like in yourfirst year

• At least one program cycle run end to endwith no missed partner milestones.
• Venture data and financial records that arecurrent, accurate and ready for audit at any time.
• Founders and mentors who would describe theprogram as well run.
• Ownership of at least one workstream of yourown, such as mentor operations, an event series or a reporting process.

Requirements

What you will need to bring tothe table

• 1–3 years of experience at an incubator oraccelerator, VC, CSR team, consulting firm, climate or sustainabilityorganisation, or a startup.
• A graduate degree in any discipline. Apostgraduate degree in management, sustainability, engineering or a relatedfield is a plus.
• Clear, careful writing and confident verbalcommunication.
• Strong command of spreadsheets and attentionto detail with numbers.
• Hands-on familiarity with AI productivitytools (this is a must).
• The discipline to run many small moving partswithout dropping any, and the maturity to work with senior leaders, corporatepartners and founders.

What will set you apart

• Real interest in climate-tech, whetherenergy, mobility, agriculture, circularity, water or climate finance.
• Experience running events or communities, orhaving worked at or founded a startup.
• Comfort with travel to meet founders andpartners.