Job Description:
MAKER BHAVAN FOUNDATION - A unit of STEM Shiksha Foundation
PROGRAM MANAGER, INNOVATION
Location: Mumbai (Hybrid)
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
1. Programme Design & Scaling
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
3. Programme Execution & Student Outreach
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
5. Collaboration & Community
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
Apply Now!