Senior Program Manager Rural Innovation & Ecosystem Development

Job Description

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.

Key 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 & 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.