State Program Manager-MakerGhat Fellowship

MakerGhat; Mumbai; On-site; INR 700,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

MakerGhat is seeking a State Program Manager for the MakerGhat Fellowship in Mumbai. You will anchor a robotics program spanning government schools across Maharashtra, leading a team of Fellows, managing government relationships, logistics, and partnerships, and ensuring delivery from school challenges to international competitions.

The ideal candidate has 3–5+ years in large-scale program management, a technical engineering background in robotics/electronics/mechatronics, and willingness to

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of experience in program management, with multi-district or state-level scope.
• Hands-on familiarity with robotics systems (kits, sensors, microcontrollers) or robotics competitions.
• Strong planning, budgeting, logistics, and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of the MakerGhat Fellowship roadmap across all stages.
• Lead district Fellow teams, orientation, allocation, and implementation planning.
• Manage Government & Partner relationships with State Education Department and schools.
• Oversee technical oversight of kit specs, procurement, and logistics.
• Drive M&E, reporting, and quality with baseline assessments and KPI frameworks.

Skills

Program management

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Planning & budgeting

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering — Robotics/Mechatronics/Electronics

Tools

Robotics kits

Job description

State Program Manager — MakerGhat Fellowship

(3–5+ years of experience)

Based in Mumbai | Extensive state-wide field travel

Job Overview

The State Program Manager will be the operational and technical anchor for MakerGhat Fellowship — A robotics program that takes students from government schools across Maharashtra on a journey from their first robotics challenge to state, national, and international competitions. This role goes beyond program coordination. It requires someone who can run a complex, multi-district operation end to end: managing government relationships, anchoring partnerships with industry experts, overseeing robotics kit procurement and logistics, leading a team of 9 Fellows, and ensuring that every stage — from school-level challenges to the international competition pathway — is delivered on time and to a high technical standard. The ideal candidate combines a strong technical background (robotics, mechanical, electronics, or embedded systems) with proven experience managing large-scale field programs. This is a leadership role that will work closely with the Founders, Curriculum, M&E, and Partnerships teams, and will represent MakerGhat with the State Education Department, district authorities, and academic partners.

About MakerGhat

MakerGhat is an education non-profit looking for audacious and driven individuals to nurture India's youth to become entrepreneurs and leaders. Our team is composed of education and design experts from Stanford and Georgia Tech, non-profit and industry leaders (such as the ex-CEO of GiveIndia and Pratham), educators, entrepreneurs (Forbes 30 under 30 co-founder), and makers of all ages! We partner closely with government, and leading nonprofit, corporate, and research institutions to implement high quality programs on entrepreneurial thinking and hands-on making in school and college level.

Reports to: Founders

CTC: INR 7–9 Lakhs (flexible based on experience and leadership depth)

Responsibilities and Duties

• Own end-to-end delivery of the MakerGhat Fellowship roadmap across all stages:
• Launch and onboarding (MoUs, school finalization, vendor and mentor network setup)
• School Robotics Challenge across all participating schools
• District screening and formation of District Robotics Teams
• Foundation training, skill sprints, and district scrimmages
• State-Level Robotics Competition and selection of State Teams
• Advanced training, residential engineering bootcamp, and national/international competition participation
• Build and manage detailed implementation plans, timelines, and stage-wise milestones
• Identify risks and delays early and drive corrective action across districts

2. Team Management — District Fellows

• Recruit, onboard, and manage a team of District Fellows
• Lead fellow orientation, district allocation, and implementation planning
• Conduct regular reviews, field visits, and capability-building for the fellow cohort
• Set clear performance goals and ensure consistent program quality across all districts

3. Government & Partner Management

• Serve as MakerGhat's primary interface with the State Education Department, DEOs, BEOs, and participating schools
• Build and manage the Mentor Network (Engineering colleges, robotics startups, industry experts, competition coaches) with clear mentor allocation guidelines
• Conduct orientations for government stakeholders, school leaders, teachers, and parents

4. Technical Oversight

• Finalize robotics kit specifications, quality standards, and procurement processes
• Oversee vendor onboarding, inventory planning, warehousing, and district-wise kit distribution logistics
• Provide technical direction for challenge design, evaluation rubrics, training content, and competition preparation, in coordination with the Curriculum team
• Anchor jury processes, technical assessments, and mock competition readiness

5. M&E, Reporting & Quality

• Set up and maintain the program's M&E systems: baseline assessments, KPI frameworks, and reporting mechanisms
• Drive monthly and quarterly reviews on participation, quality, and district performance
• Own program documentation, impact reporting, and end-of-program evaluation
• Institutionalize learnings and recommendations for future cohorts.

Qualifications

Must-Have:

• 3–5+ years of experience in program management, with at least 3 years managing large-scale, multi-district or state-level programs
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering — Robotics, Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electronics, or a related technical field
• Hands-on familiarity with robotics systems (kits, sensors, microcontrollers, programming) or robotics competitions
• Proven experience managing field teams and multiple stakeholders (government, academic, vendors)
• Strong planning, budgeting, logistics, and reporting skills
• Willingness to travel extensively across Maharashtra

Preferred:

• Experience working with government schools / public education systems
• Exposure to robotics competitions as a participant, mentor, or organizer
• Experience in STEM/maker education or ed-tech program delivery
• Master's degree in Engineering, Education, Management, or a related field
• Proficiency in Marathi

Who This Role Is For

• is an engineer at heart who wants to build at the intersection of technology and public education
• has run complex, multi-stakeholder programs and enjoys owning outcomes end to end
• can move fluidly between a government meeting, a vendor negotiation, and a robotics workshop
• thrives on building and coaching field teams
• is excited by the idea of taking government school students to international robotics stages