Program Manager - Innovation Maker Bhavan Foundation

The Convergence Foundation; Mumbai; Hybrid; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Maker Bhavan Foundation seeks a driven Programme Manager for Innovation to own the design, scale, and execution of flagship student challenges Vishwakarma Awards and InventX. You will partner with faculty, lab in‑charges, and senior academic stakeholders, shaping cycles and building repeatable processes for growth across host institutions.

You will also drive partnerships, mentorship, and evaluation, ensuring end‑to‑end delivery from applications to finale while creating pathways into incubation

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of experience in programme management.
• Experience scaling a programme across multiple sites or institutions.
• Experience managing institutional partnerships end to end.
• Prior experience with AICTE or government education bodies is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the conceptualization and design of each programme cycle: themes, formats, timelines, and evaluation criteria.
• Scale Vishwakarma Awards and InventX across multiple host institutions.
• Own day‑to‑day programme management from application launch through to finale.
• Drive student outreach and mobilization across partner institutes and networks.
• Track programme metrics and report progress against targets.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Programme management

Multi-site scaling

Networking

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

MAKER BHAVAN FOUNDATION - A unit of STEM Shiksha Foundation

PROGRAM MANAGER, INNOVATION

Team: Programmes

Experience: 7–10 years

Engagement: Full-time

ABOUT MAKER BHAVAN FOUNDATION

Maker Bhavan Foundation* (MBF) is a non‑profit organisation on a mission to transform India’s 2 million annual engineering graduates from passive learners into confident makers, inventors, and problem‑solvers. We believe India’s path to a $30 trillion economy runs through a generation that builds, not one that simply executes.

Our programmes span 22+ Tinkerers’ Labs (academic makerspaces across India), InventX (a residential invention bootcamp at IITs with 129+ patents filed), and the Vishwakarma Awards (a national hardware innovation challenge). Through Project PRACTICE, in partnership with AICTE, we are scaling this ecosystem to 1,000 colleges and 5 lakh students by 2028.

This is an organisation for people who want their work to matter.

THE ROLE

We are looking for a driven programme leader to own the design, scale, and execution of two of MBF’s flagship student challenges: Vishwakarma Awards and InventX. This is not a purely execution‑focused role. You will shape how each programme cycle is conceptualized, build the institutional partnerships and repeatable processes that let it grow across host institutions, and drive it day to day, from student applications through to finale.

This role is ideal for someone who has run large‑scale student or education programmes before, is energized by working directly with faculty, lab in‑charges, and senior academic stakeholders, and is ready to take end‑to‑end ownership in a fast‑moving, mission‑driven environment. You will also build what happens after the programme ends: a pathway into incubation and industry for the teams worth taking further. You will work closely with MBF’s programme and communications teams, and directly with host institute partners across the country.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Contribute to the conceptualization and design of each programme cycle: themes, formats, timelines, and evaluation criteria, drawing on past‑edition learnings and stakeholder feedback
• Identify gaps in current programme design and execution, and drive the changes needed to strengthen both cycle over cycle
• Scale Vishwakarma Awards and InventX across multiple host institutions, replicating what works and adapting for local context
• Templatize core programme processes, including outreach, onboarding, mentorship, and evaluation, so growth doesn’t mean rebuilding from scratch

2. Institutional Partnerships

• Act as the primary point of contact for institutional stakeholders, including faculty, lab in‑charges, placement and TPO cells, and host institute coordinators
• Own and grow the institutional partnerships that support programme delivery and expansion, including new host institutes and ecosystem partners
• Coordinate with mentors, jury panels, and host institutes on themes, timelines, and evaluation criteria
• Own day‑to‑day programme management for Vishwakarma Awards and InventX, from application launch through to finale
• Drive student outreach and mobilization across partner institutes, Tinkerers’ Lab champions, alumni networks, and other student databases to hit application targets
• Plan and run on‑ground and virtual programme touchpoints, including info sessions, AMAs, deadline pushes, and finale or demo days
• Track programme metrics, including applications, conversions, prototypes, and mentor engagement, and report progress against targets

4. Innovation & Incubation Pipeline

• Design and build an innovation and incubation pipeline for student teams who want to take their prototypes further, by engaging innovation hubs, industry partners, and venture capitalists
• Work with the Communications & Marketing team to align outreach messaging, mailers, and campaign calendars with on‑ground programme reality
• Build and maintain a pipeline of past participants, winners, and mentors as ambassadors for future editions

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Experience & Background

• Engineering degree, or a degree with strong exposure to higher technical education and STEM ecosystems
• 7–10 years of experience in programme management, ideally in student outreach, education, or the innovation ecosystem
• A demonstrated track record of scaling a programme across multiple sites or institutions, not just running one
• Experience managing institutional partnerships end to end, from onboarding a new partner to sustaining and expanding the relationship
• Prior experience working with AICTE, government education bodies, or multi‑institution partnerships is a significant advantage

Skills

• Comfortable managing institutional stakeholders directly, including faculty, lab in‑charges, and senior academic administrators
• Strong programme management instincts: you track multiple cross‑institutional workstreams in parallel and deliver on time
• An existing network within India’s startup ecosystem, such as incubators, industry innovation teams, or early‑stage investors, or a demonstrated ability to build one
• Familiarity with makerspaces, hackathons, fab labs, or hardware prototyping culture is a plus
• Clear written and verbal communication

Mindset & Values

• A genuine ability to engage and motivate engineering students: someone students want to talk to, not just receive a mailer from
• Genuinely motivated by MBF’s mission. You believe the next generation of India’s engineers should build, not just clear exams
• A self‑starter who brings structure to ambiguity and doesn’t wait for a brief to spot a gap in how a programme is run
• Comfortable with pace and pivot: MBF moves fast, and priorities shift with programme cycles

WHAT WE OFFER

• A front‑row seat to one of India’s most ambitious efforts to reshape engineering education
• Direct exposure to leadership, major donors, institutions, policymakers, and industry leaders: a network that compounds quickly
• Real ownership from day one: your programmes, your partnerships, your outcomes
• A small, high‑trust team where your voice shapes organisational decisions, not just programme ones
• Flexible, hybrid working environment with a results‑first culture