Senior Program Manager Rural Innovation & Ecosystem Development

Selco Foundation; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,500,000 - 7,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Selco Foundation in Bengaluru seeks a Senior Program Manager to lead efforts identifying and strengthening mission-driven organizations working on sustainable livelihoods, decentralized energy access, climate resilience, and community-centered development across underserved regions of India.

The role blends strategic thinking, ecosystem engagement, field immersion, and partnerships to support grassroots initiatives and scale impact while aligning with program objectives and funding requirements.

Qualifications

• 8- 10 years of professional experience in social entrepreneurship support, incubators, accelerators, impact investment, climate initiatives, or ecosystem-building initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience engaging directly with grassroots organizations and entrepreneurs in rural or semi-urban settings.
• Strong understanding of organizational assessment across strategy, governance, financial health, leadership, and social impact dimensions.
• Proven ability to build and sustain relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience preparing strategic notes, reports, and stakeholder presentations.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively across rural and semi-urban regions of India.

Responsibilities

• Innovation Ecosystem Development: Identify and engage with mission-driven organisations, innovators, and community-led initiatives.
• Innovation Ecosystem Development: Build strategic relationships with incubators, accelerators, civil society organisations, academic institutions, networks, and ecosystem partners.
• Innovation Ecosystem Development: Lead field engagements to understand local challenges, opportunities, and emerging models of innovation.
• Innovation Ecosystem Development: Support organizations in articulating their growth pathways, operational priorities, and resource requirements.
• Organizational Strengthening Strategic Support: Assess organizations through field insights, operational analysis, financial understanding, leadership assessment, and social impact considerations.
• Organizational Strengthening Strategic Support: Support organizations in strengthening strategy, governance, operations, partnerships, and long-term sustainability.
• Organizational Strengthening Strategic Support: Design and facilitate tailored support pathways for organizations at different stages of growth.
• Organizational Strengthening Strategic Support: Build and manage long-term relationships with partner organizations and ecosystem stakeholders.
• Research, Learning Ecosystem Insights: Conduct research on rural livelihoods, decentralized energy systems, climate resilience, local economies, and inclusive development approaches.
• Research, Learning Ecosystem Insights: Generate insights on emerging models that strengthen community-centered innovation and sustainable development.
• Research, Learning Ecosystem Insights: Document case studies, field learnings, and ecosystem trends.
• Research, Learning Ecosystem Insights: Contribute to thought leadership, convenings, publications, and knowledge-sharing platforms.
• Partnerships Resource Mobilization: Support engagement with organizations, partners, CSR stakeholders, and ecosystem collaborators.
• Partnerships Resource Mobilization: Prepare strategic notes, presentations, learning reports, and stakeholder communications.
• Partnerships Resource Mobilization: Contribute to partnership development and resource mobilization efforts aligned with program objectives.
• Partnerships Resource Mobilization: Build narratives that communicate the value and impact of grassroots innovation.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Job description

Job Summary

The Senior Program Manager will lead efforts to identify, engage, and strengthen mission-driven organizations and innovators working on sustainable livelihoods, decentralized energy access, climate resilience, and community-centered development solutions across underserved regions of India.

The role requires a unique combination of strategic thinking, ecosystem engagement, field immersion, partnership development, and organizational assessment. The individual will work closely with entrepreneurs, community institutions, support organizations, and funding partners to strengthen locally relevant solutions and enable long-term sustainability.

This position is suited for someone who can navigate both grassroots realities and institutional environments, build meaningful partnerships, assess organizational readiness and growth potential, and contribute to the design of inclusive support mechanisms that help promising initiatives scale their impact.

Responsibilities

1. Innovation Ecosystem Development

• Identify and engage with mission-driven organisations, innovators, and community-led initiatives.
• Build strategic relationships with incubators, accelerators, civil society organisations, academic institutions, networks, and ecosystem partners.
• Lead field engagements to understand local challenges, opportunities, and emerging models of innovation.
• Support organizations in articulating their growth pathways, operational priorities, and resource requirements.

2. Organizational Strengthening Strategic Support

• Assess organizations through field insights, operational analysis, financial understanding, leadership assessment, and social impact considerations.
• Support organizations in strengthening strategy, governance, operations, partnerships, and long-term sustainability.
• Design and facilitate tailored support pathways for organizations at different stages of growth.
• Build and manage long-term relationships with partner organizations and ecosystem stakeholders.

3. Research, Learning Ecosystem Insights

• Conduct research on rural livelihoods, decentralized energy systems, climate resilience, local economies, and inclusive development approaches.
• Generate insights on emerging models that strengthen community-centered innovation and sustainable development.
• Document case studies, field learnings, and ecosystem trends.
• Contribute to thought leadership, convenings, publications, and knowledge-sharing platforms.

4. Partnerships Resource Mobilization

• Support engagement with organizations, partners, CSR stakeholders, and ecosystem collaborators.
• Prepare strategic notes, presentations, learning reports, and stakeholder communications.
• Contribute to partnership development and resource mobilization efforts aligned with program objectives.
• Build narratives that communicate the value and impact of grassroots innovation.

Experience and Qualifications

• 8- 10 years of professional experience, with significant exposure to social entrepreneurship support organizations, incubators, accelerators, impact investment, climate initiatives, social innovation platforms, ecosystem-building initiatives, or organizational development programs.
• Demonstrated experience engaging directly with grassroots organizations and entrepreneurs in rural or semi-urban settings.
• Strong understanding of organizational assessment - across strategy, governance, financial health, leadership, and social impact dimensions.
• Proven ability to build and sustain relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience preparing strategic notes, reports, and stakeholder presentations.
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively across rural and semi-urban regions of India.