Program Manager

Job Description - Program Manager – Karnataka

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Engagement: Full-time

Experience: 5–7 years

Reporting To: State Lead – Karnataka

About the Role

STEP Foundation is seeking a driven, execution-oriented Program Manager to support its work in Karnataka. The Program Manager will work closely with the State Lead to support engagement with the Government of Karnataka, Invest Karnataka, Karnataka Udyog Mitra, relevant government departments, industry bodies, and other ecosystem stakeholders.

The role will be responsible for translating the State Lead's strategic priorities and stakeholder engagements into effective day-to-day execution. This will include coordinating with government and industry stakeholders, driving follow-ups, tracking programme activities, supporting meetings and consultations, preparing programme materials, and ensuring timely execution of agreed actions.

The Program Manager will play an important role in strengthening the Foundation's engagement with the government ecosystem and ensuring that relationships and opportunities developed by the State Lead translate into tangible programme outcomes.

The ideal candidate will bring 5–7 years of professional experience, with meaningful exposure to government, public institutions, development organisations, consulting, public policy, skills, employment, or related programmes. They should have a good understanding of how government systems function and be comfortable working across multiple stakeholders and institutions.

This is a hands-on role for someone who is organised, proactive and comfortable taking ownership of execution. The candidate should be able to work independently on day-to-day responsibilities while closely aligning with the State Lead on priorities, stakeholder engagement and programme direction.

Key Responsibilities

1. Government Stakeholder Coordination

• Support the State Lead in managing relationships with government departments, agencies, boards and institutions across Karnataka.
• Participate in meetings with government officials and support the State Lead in ensuring that discussions translate into clear next steps.
• Maintain regular communication with relevant government stakeholders and ensure timely follow-through on agreed actions.
• Develop a working understanding of government processes, hierarchies and institutional structures relevant to programme implementation.
• Support coordination across departments and institutions wherever required. Track government priorities, announcements, programmes and developments relevant to the Foundation's work.

2. Programme Execution & Coordination

• Drive day-to-day execution of state-level programmes and initiatives under the direction of the State Lead.
• Translate strategic priorities and programme plans into clear action items, timelines and deliverables.
• Follow up with relevant stakeholders to ensure timely completion of agreed activities.
• Identify execution bottlenecks and proactively escalate issues to the State Lead. Support implementation of pilots, partnerships and institutional initiatives across the state.

3. Stakeholder Engagement & Follow-through

• Support the State Lead in building and maintaining relationships with government, industry, development organisations, academia and other ecosystem stakeholders. Coordinate stakeholder meetings, workshops, consultations and roundtables. Prepare agendas, briefing materials, discussion notes and follow-up trackers for stakeholder engagements.
• Build strong working relationships with mid- and senior-level stakeholders across the ecosystem.
• Serve as a consistent point of contact for day-to-day programme coordination with relevant stakeholders.

4. Industry & Ecosystem Engagement

• Support engagement with companies, industry associations, investors, business leaders and other private-sector stakeholders.
• Coordinate with industry stakeholders to understand workforce, investment, talent and ecosystem requirements.
• Support the conversion of stakeholder discussions into actionable partnerships, pilots and programme activities.

5. Programme Development & Implementation

• Support the State Lead in translating government and industry priorities into actionable programme opportunities.
• Support the development of concept notes, proposals, presentations, briefing notes and programme documents.
• Coordinate internal teams to develop high-quality programme outputs.
• Support the design and implementation of state-level initiatives in consultation with government and industry stakeholders.
• Track programme performance and prepare regular updates for the State Lead and leadership team.

6. Reporting, Tracking & Internal Coordination

• Maintain programme trackers covering key activities, milestones, stakeholders, meetings and deliverables.
• Prepare regular status updates for the State Lead on programme progress, stakeholder engagement and emerging issues.
• Coordinate across internal teams to ensure alignment on priorities and deliverables. Support preparation of internal reviews, presentations and leadership updates.

7. Supporting State-Level Representation

• Represent STEP Foundation in relevant programme-level meetings, consultations, workshops and stakeholder engagements, as required.
• Support the State Lead in preparing for high-level government and industry meetings.
• Communicate programme-related information clearly and professionally to government, industry and development-sector stakeholders.
• Build credibility and trust with stakeholders through consistent engagement and strong execution.

What We Are Looking For

The ideal candidate will be a highly organised, proactive and execution-oriented professional who is comfortable working with government and multiple stakeholders. They should be able to understand the larger strategic objective while being equally comfortable managing the detailed, day-to-day work required to deliver programmes effectively.

Essential Experience

• 5–7 years of professional experience, with experience working with government, public institutions, development organisations, consulting firms, public policy organisations, or government-facing programmes.
• Prior experience working directly with or alongside government institutions will be strongly preferred.
• Experience in programme management, project management, stakeholder coordination or implementation-oriented roles.
• Experience working in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
• Experience coordinating multiple workstreams, stakeholders and deliverables simultaneously.
• Experience preparing presentations, briefing notes, concept notes, reports and other professional programme documentation.
• Experience in areas such as skills, employment, economic development, public policy, industry engagement or government programmes will be an advantage.

Core Competencies

• Strong programme and project management skills.
• Strong stakeholder coordination and follow-through.
• Good understanding of how government departments, agencies and institutions function.
• Ability to navigate government processes and institutional structures. Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver within timelines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build productive working relationships. Ability to work effectively with government officials, industry stakeholders and development-sector professionals.
• Ability to work independently while taking direction and strategic guidance from the State Lead.

Strong proficiency in Kannada is mandatory.

Excellent proficiency in English required.

Qualifications

Master's degree in public policy, economics, management, engineering, social sciences, development studies, or a related discipline.

Preferred Backgrounds

• Candidates with experience in 1 or more of the following environments will be particularly well suited:
• Government departments / state government institutions
• Development organisations and foundations
• Public policy organisations
• Organisations working at the intersection of government, industry, skills, employment and economic development
• Organisations working on large-scale government or public-sector initiatives

Working Style

The role requires someone who:

• Is highly organised, proactive and execution-oriented.
• Is comfortable working closely with government stakeholders and within government systems.
• Can take ownership of day-to-day programme execution while working under the strategic direction of the State Lead.
• Is persistent and resourceful in navigating institutional processes.
• Can manage multiple stakeholders, workstreams and deadlines simultaneously. Is comfortable with ambiguity and can independently solve day-to-day execution challenges.
• Is able to move between government meetings, programme implementation, stakeholder coordination and internal team discussions.

Location & Travel

Base Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

The role will require travel within Karnataka and regular in-person engagement with government departments, government agencies, industry stakeholders and other ecosystem partners.