Bamboo NEXT Design Residency

Job Description

SELCO Foundation, a not-for-profit, engages in field-based R&D and ecosystem building for the development of decentralised renewable energy solutions that alleviate poverty in urban, rural, and tribal poor areas. The organisation works across verticals such as energy access, built environment, health, skill development, energy entrepreneurship, and partners across various developmental sectors. SELCO Foundation seeks to inspire and implement socially, financially, and environmentally inclusive solutions by improving access to sustainable energy.

The Bamboo NEXT Design Residency is a field-based residency conceptualised by SELCO Foundation and implemented in partnership with the Meghalaya Bamboo Mission (MBMA), PRIME Meghalaya, and the Government of Meghalaya. The residency brings together 15 designers, architects, and engineers to live and work alongside Meghalaya's bamboo artisans, fabricators, and enterprises - producing a shared, open-source catalogue of bamboo designs, techniques, and applications that can be adapted by makers and communities across India. The residency runs from August 2026 to February 2027.

You can find more information on this programme and SELCO Foundation on our Organisation Website.

Position Details

Designation: Manager - Bamboo NEXT Design Residency
Reporting to: Senior Programme Manager, SELCO Foundation, Bengaluru
Contract Type: Fixed-term (8 months: August 2026 - March 2027)
Location: Meghalaya
Travel: Extensive - regular travel to enterprise clusters and residency sites across Meghalaya
Working Days: Monday to Friday - 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM (field schedule as required)
Languages: English required. Familiarity with Khasi, Garo, Jaintia, or other local languages of Meghalaya will be an advantage for community outreach and relationship building.
Interview Process: Initial call (telephonic or Google Meet) followed by an in-person or video interview
Start Date: August 2026

About the Position

The Manager-Bamboo design residency is the primary on-ground presence for the Bamboo NEXT Design Residency throughout its six-month duration. The role exists to ensure that 15 design residents - dispersed across bamboo enterprise clusters in Meghalaya - are logistically settled, emotionally supported, creatively accountable, and consistently documented.

This is a high-ownership, people-first coordination role. It is suited to a young professional who is organised and warm in equal measure - someone who can manage the logistics of 15 people across a state, hold weekly check-ins to gauge how each resident is doing, nudge teams toward their deliverables without killing creative momentum, and send back a steady stream of field updates, photos, and monthly reports to the SELCO Foundation HQ team.

The manager does not need a background in design or bamboo. What they need is the ability to earn the trust of residents quickly, navigate field contexts with calm and initiative, and communicate clearly with both the field and headquarters at all times.

Key Responsibilities

1. Logistics & Movement Coordination

• Plan and coordinate the travel of all 15 residents from their base locations to Meghalaya for the Foundation Lab (August 2026), including ticketing, accommodation.
• Manage all intra-Meghalaya travel throughout the residency - coordinating movement between the Foundation Lab, field cluster placements, mid-review, documentation sprint, and the final showcase.
• Maintain a master residency calendar covering all travel, placements, review milestones, and programme events; share weekly updates with the HQ team.
• Ensure host enterprises and artisan clusters are informed and prepared ahead of each resident arrival; confirm logistics and local arrangements in advance.
• Handle on-ground procurement of materials, tools, and consumables required by residents at their cluster locations; track and report expenditures against programme budget.

2. Resident Welfare & Weekly Check-ins

• Conduct a structured weekly check-in call with each resident (or resident team) to assess emotional wellbeing, flag any personal or logistical difficulties, and ensure they feel supported through the immersion.
• Act as the first point of contact for any resident concern - whether related to accommodation, health, local relationships, workload, or programme expectations.
• Identify issues that require escalation and communicate promptly to the SELCO Foundation HQ team or PRIME Meghalaya, as appropriate, with a clear summary and recommended action.
• Maintain brief written notes from each weekly check-in for internal records; flag patterns of concern across the cohort proactively.

3. Field Updates & Progress Collation

• Collect regular field updates from all residents - written progress notes, photos, and short video walkthroughs - and compile them into a structured summary for the HQ team.
• Travel to residency sites regularly to conduct in-person check-ins, observe work in progress, collect documentation material, and maintain a ground-level understanding of each team's status.
• Maintain a live deliverable tracker for all 15 residents, noting progress against expected outputs (prototypes, drawings, making guides, documentation) and flagging delays with sufficient lead time.
• Serve as the communication bridge between the field and headquarters - ensuring the HQ team has accurate, timely, and usable information about the state of the programme at all times.

4. Monthly Progress Reports to SELCO Foundation HQ

• Prepare and submit a structured monthly progress report to SELCO Foundation HQ covering: resident status and wellbeing summary, logistical updates, deliverable progress per team, field photographs and video links, key issues or risks, and upcoming milestones.
• Ensure the monthly report is visual and accessible - combining written updates with curated photos and short video documentation from the field.
• Coordinate with residents to collect their own documentation contributions for the monthly report and the open-source catalogue.
• Support the documentation sprint (January 2027) by ensuring all field material, photographs, and process notes are consolidated and ready for the final catalogue production.

5. Partner Liaison & Programme Representation

• Maintain working day-to-day relationships with PRIME Meghalaya, Meghalaya Bamboo Mission and enterprise cluster hosts across the residency network.
• Represent SELCO Foundation professionally in all partner and community interactions; uphold the programme's values of openness, quality, and respect for local knowledge.
• Support the coordination of key programme events - including the Foundation Lab, mid-review, documentation sprint, and Meghalaya Design Review showcase (February 2027).

Key Deliverables

The following outputs are expected from the Manager across the six-month residency:

Qualifications

Graduate in any discipline - backgrounds in design, social work, development studies, management, hospitality, or related fields are welcome. Minimum 1-2 years of professional experience in programme coordination, field operations, event management, or a related role. Prior experience working in Northeast India or within a field-based social sector programme is a strong advantage. Comfort with extensive travel and a six-month field posting is essential.

Desired Skills

• Strong organisational skills - ability to coordinate travel, track multiple people and moving parts, and keep a programme running smoothly across dispersed locations.
• Warm and dependable interpersonal presence - residents will rely on this person during a demanding, immersive experience; the ability to build trust quickly matters.
• Clear written communication - able to produce concise, structured field reports and progress updates for an internal team audience.
• Proactive problem-solving - comfortable resolving logistics and welfare issues on the ground with initiative, without waiting for direction from HQ.
• Basic documentation instincts - comfortable capturing photographs, writing field notes, and organising material in shared drives and trackers.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and comfort with collaborative tools (Google Drive, WhatsApp-based coordination).
• Willingness to travel extensively across Meghalaya throughout the six-month posting.
• Ability to work independently, manage ambiguity, and stay calm and solutions-oriented under pressure.
• Genuine curiosity about design, crafts, livelihoods, or field-based programmes - not required, but will make the role more meaningful.