Website:
itri.org.in
Job details:
ITRI - Program Manager
About ITRI
The Convergence Foundation is supporting India's Translational Research Initiative (ITRI), which is a section 8 company, working towards strengthening the pathway from scientific discovery to real-world application by addressing long-standing gaps in India's lab-to-market ecosystem. It supports research institutions in building the infrastructure, capabilities, and partnerships needed to advance high-quality translational work. By enabling stronger industry linkages, shared facilities, and clearer development pathways, ITRI aims to help India's scientific strengths translate into technologies that contribute meaningfully to economic growth and societal well-being
.ITRI is creating and augmenting Translational Research Centres (TRCs) within leading academic institutions across the country. These centres are enabling technology advancement, prototyping, testing, and early deployment—providing the critical infrastructure that scientists, start-ups, and industry partners need to advance promising innovations. The TRCs are working across a broad set of high-impact technology areas, including life sciences and health, energy and sustainability, advanced materials, and engineering and computational technologies such as AI for science and next-generation manufacturing
.
About the Ro
leA core part of the role will be shaping and enabling Translational Research Centres (TRCs) across priority technology areas. You will work with academia, industry, and funders to identify opportunities, design centres, mobilise resources, and support their launch and early operation
s.Your role sits at the intersection of strategy and execution — owning TRCs end-to-end, from opportunity discovery and diligence through operating model design, partnerships, funding pathways, and launch, and then carrying responsibility for their governance, performance, and long-term success. A significant share of your time will be spent working alongside TRC leadership post-launch — strengthening governance structures, nurturing industry and funder partnerships, tracking outcomes against milestones, and stepping in to resolve execution bottlenecks — to ensure each centre delivers on its translational mandate. Alongside this, you will lend occasional support to ITRI's wider strategy, policy, and ecosystem wor
k.This is a high-autonomy role requiring strong judgment, execution ability, and a deep interest in technology and innovation system
s.
Key Responsibilit
iesTRC development, launch, and ongoing succ
- essIdentify high-potential TRC opportunities with researchers and ecosystem partn
- ersTranslate early ideas into clear concepts, value propositions, and business ca
- sesLead techno-commercial and ecosystem diligence on shortlisted opportunit
- iesShape partnerships, governance, and funding structures with institutions, industry, and fund
- ersStand up newly launched TRCs — mobilising founding teams, setting up systems and processes, and guiding early operations through the critical first 12–18 mon
- thsTrack TRC performance against technical, commercial, and impact milestones; surface risks early and work with centre leadership to unblock critical iss
- uesDeepen and sustain industry, start-up, and funder engagement with live TRCs — translating early partnerships into sustained collaborations, follow-on funding, and pipeline of translational proje
- ctsAct as the connective tissue between TRCs and ITRI — ensuring centres remain aligned with the ITRI's mandate and have the institutional support needed to succeed at sc
ale
Learnings and insi
- ghtsCapture cross-TRC learnings on operating models, partnerships, and funding approac
- hes.Develop playbooks and frameworks to guide future TRC de
- signSupport the evolution of ITRI's broader innovation plat
form
Support to ITRI's strategy and policy
- workContribute to internal strategy projects on R&D, translational research, and innovation ecosystems, as and when req
- uiredProvide research inputs on technology value chains, ecosystem gaps, and institutional models to support ITRI's strategy and policy ef
- fortsSupport the development of strategy notes, policy briefs, ecosystem analyses, and stakeholder convenings — drawing on insights from TRC engagements where rel
evant
Who We Are Looki
ng ForWe are looking for technology-curious business professionals interested in building India's innovation ecos
ystem.Typical profiles may in
- clude:6–8 years of experience in consulting, corporate strategy, investing, innovation programs, or technology ecos
- ystemsStrong exposure to technology, R&D, or innovation-led s
- ectorsExperience developing strategy projects, business cases, or multi-stakeholder initi
- ativesUndergraduate degree in engineering, science, or technology (preferred but not mand
- atory)MBA from a Tier-1 institution or equivalent experience is
a plus
Regardless of background, we
- value:Ability to translate unstructured ideas into actionable init
- iativesStrong analytical and strategic t
- hinkingComfort engaging scientists, industry leaders, funders, and polic
- ymakersHigh ownership, execution drive, and entrepreneurial
mindset
LocationRemote (India-based) with periodic travel
involved
Click on Apply to know more.