Program Associate – WIN Grants Platform Operations in New Delhi | Wadhwani Foundation

aikyam; New Delhi; On-site; INR 700,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Wadhwani Foundation in New Delhi seeks a Program Associate to support the WIN Grants Platform operations. The role focuses on coordinating with researchers, reviewers, and partners, maintaining platform data, and ensuring grant processes run smoothly in a fast-paced environment.

The candidate should have 2–5 years of relevant experience, strong organizational skills, and a proactive, detail-oriented approach to programme operations within an innovation ecosystem.

Qualifications

• First class bachelor’s degree in science, technology, management, computer science, IT or related subject.
• 2–5 years of experience in research, innovation, programme or project management or grants management.
• Strong coordination and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience with Salesforce CRM or similar platform preferred.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with Salesforce implementation team to build and run the WIN Grants Management Platform.
• Act as day-to-day administrator of the grants platform: user administration, access management, config, data management.
• Manage user accounts, access rights, profiles and routine admin tasks.
• Support system testing and user acceptance testing; help implement improvements.
• Monitor platform usage and coordinate with tech team to fix issues.
• Onboard WIN staff, Centres of Excellence, researchers, experts and partners.

Skills

Coordination

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Time management

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in science, technology, management, CS or IT

Tools

Salesforce CRM

Job description

Program Associate – WIN Grants Platform Operations in New Delhi | Wadhwani Foundation

Wadhwani Foundation works to build opportunity through education, skilling, entrepreneurship and innovation across India. Its Wadhwani Innovation Network, known as WIN, exists to speed up research translation, taking work that begins in a laboratory and helping it become something people can actually use. WIN focuses on emerging fields such as artificial intelligence including generative AI, semiconductor technology, quantum and advanced computing, bioengineering and healthtech, space technology, biotechnology and synthetic biology. In its first phase, WIN has partnered with leading academic and research institutions including IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IISc Bangalore, IIT Hyderabad and C-CAMP to set up Centres of Excellence. This role sits within the WIN programme team, which runs the grant making and day to day operations that keep these partnerships moving.

Role

The Program Associate supports the daily running of the WIN initiative and is the main person keeping its grants management platform working well for everyone who uses it. You will coordinate with Centres of Excellence, researchers, experts, reviewers, institutional partners and internal teams, track projects and grants, keep programme information current, and help with reports and documentation. The work suits someone organised, proactive and detail minded who enjoys a busy environment with many different people to serve, and who is genuinely interested in research, innovation and technology ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Salesforce implementation team so the WIN Grants Management Platform is built and run in line with WIN's grant making processes.
• Act as the day to day administrator of the grants platform, covering user administration, access management, configuration support and data management.
• Manage user accounts, access rights, profiles and other routine administration tasks.
• Support system testing and user acceptance testing, and help put improvements into place.
• Monitor how the platform is working and how it is being used, and coordinate with the technical team to fix problems.
• Onboard WIN staff, Centres of Excellence, researchers, experts, reviewers and other partners onto the platform.
• Provide first level support to users and resolve routine platform questions.
• Track user issues, spot problems that keep coming back, and suggest better ways of working.
• Write and maintain user guides, FAQs, standard operating procedures and training material.
• Support periodic reviews of platform features and recommend improvements as WIN's needs change.
• Coordinate with researchers, reviewers, institutional partners and internal teams on programme activities.
• Track projects and grants, keep programme information accurate, and help prepare reports and documentation.

Requirements

• A first class bachelor's degree in science, technology, management, computer science, IT or a related subject from a recognised institution or university.
• 2 to 5 years of relevant experience in research, innovation, entrepreneurship, programme or project management, grants management, research administration or a related area.
• Strong coordination and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills.
• Good organisational, follow up and time management skills.
• Comfortable working in a busy environment with many different partners and teams.
• Careful attention to detail and a proactive way of working.
• Experience in project management is preferred.
• An understanding of research, innovation, startup or entrepreneurship ecosystems is preferred.
• Experience working with academic or research institutions, government programmes, incubators, accelerators or philanthropic organisations is preferred.
• Exposure to Salesforce CRM or other digital programme or grants management platforms is preferred.
• Experience in programme coordination, stakeholder management, reporting, documentation and operations is preferred.
• Willingness to be based in New Delhi.
• Full time role reporting to the Programme Manager, WIN.
• Close working relationships with India's leading research institutions, including the IITs, IISc and C-CAMP.
• Hands on experience with a Salesforce based grants management platform and the grant making process behind it.
• Exposure to emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, bioengineering and space technology.
• A mission driven team working to turn Indian research into real world innovation.

Salesforce CRM administration Grants management Stakeholder coordination Process documentation and SOPs User support and troubleshooting