Senior Tech Program Manager, Pragati AI for Impact

About The/Nudge

The/Nudge is an action institute working on poverty alleviation in partnership with the government. We work with social entrepreneurs, women, farmers, tribals, and youth on rural development, agriculture, skilling, and economic inclusion with 5 central ministries/agencies and 10 state governments. The/Nudge Institute is set up with support from 100+ eminent philanthropists, 40+ corporates, and 15+ foundations, to contribute to a poverty-free India, within our lifetime

Pragati: AI and Tech for Impact

The Pragati AI for Impact initiative, backed by Meta, supports nonprofits in leveraging AI and open-source software to address critical social challenges in areas such as employability and skilling, School Education, Climate Change and Health. We fund pilot projects and scaling initiatives, seek measurable outcomes, and emphasise financial sustainability, ethical AI practices and inclusive design.

Over the next few years, we aim to enable development of scalable, ethical, and inclusive AI and tech solutions that deliver measurable impact, empowering underserved communities and contributing to sustainable development across the nation.

Role Overview

We are seeking a dynamic and technically fluent Program Manager to lead the design, implementation and monitoring of the program. You will manage the full grant lifecyclefrom call for proposals, selection, disbursement, monitoring & evaluation, through to close-out and learning dissemination. You will act as the bridge between the cohort, program partners, mentors and advisors to ensure successful delivery of the program.

In this role, you will serve as the operational backbone of the program, ensuring seamless execution by connecting various stakeholders, managing timelines, and facilitating communication. Your ability to navigate and connect different players and initiatives within the ecosystem will be crucial to driving the program's success.

This role blends product thinking, technical problem-solving, and program execution, and is ideal for an experienced product or tech lead from a startup or innovation-focused team who is curious, keeps abreast of the latest developments in AI and technology, and is eager to apply their skills to driving social impact.

What will you do

1) Program Coordination & Execution

• Outreach & Selection: Lead outreach and manage the selection process, including eligibility criteria and selection frameworks, ensuring a fair, transparent, and impact-focused cohort.
• Program management: Oversee the coordination of AI and technology initiatives within the cohort and delivery of program components ensuring adherence to timelines, budgets, and quality standards
• Facilitate Communication: Act as the central point of contact between cohort members, mentors, ecosystem partners, technical teams, funders, and other stakeholders.
• Monitor Progress: Track milestones and deliverables, proactively identifying and addressing potential challenges to keep the program on track.

2) Stakeholder Management & Partnerships

• Build Partnerships: Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with cohort members, AI/tech partners, funders, and ecosystem actors.
• Coordinate Capacity-Building: Organize orientation sessions, workshops, and peer-learning platforms to enhance cohort members capabilities.
• Understand the Ecosystem: Map and connect stakeholders, initiatives, and resources across the AI-for-impact landscape to ensure aligned, impactful outcomes.
• Amplify the Program: Advocate for the program at external events, conferences, and forums, showcasing its impact and fostering new partnerships.

3) M&E & Academic Partner Coordination

• Oversee M&E Partner: Ensure the Monitoring & Evaluation partner is effectively executing their oversight role, maintaining accountability, and providing accurate, timely insights on pilot performance and impact.
• Coordinate with Academic Partner: Ensure the academic/research partner is available to provide guidance, insights, and recommendations to cohort members as needed, supporting them when they seek expert input.

4) Learning, Impact & Communication

• Analyze Data & Generate Insights: Collect and review project data to inform program strategies and continuous improvement.
• Document Learnings: Prepare reports, case studies, and presentations for internal teams, funders, and the broader ecosystem.
• Ensure Ethical Practices: Promote ethical AI practices, data governance, and inclusive design across cohort projects.

Who are looking for in this role

• 10-15 years in technology or product leadership, ideally in startups or innovation-driven teams.
• Proven experience leading engineering/product functions, driving products from concept to launch.
• Strong understanding of AI/ML systems, digital platforms, and building in complex, real-world environments.
• Curious and up-to-date on emerging AI and technology trends.
• Able to engage with code at a conceptual level to support problem-solving and technical discussions.
• Strategic thinker with hands-on problem-solving ability.
• Skilled at managing multiple projects and coordinating diverse stakeholders.
• Effective collaborator and communicator across technical and mission-driven teams.
• Strong analytical skills and commitment to ethical, inclusive technology.
• Experience in the social impact or nonprofit space is an advantage, though not essential for candidates who are mission-aligned and eager to engage deeply.

What's in it for you

Own your growth: An impact-led learning environment encourages Nudgesters to invest in their learning and capacity building needs through initiatives and policies, including L&D wallet, individual development plan and internal role change opportunities.

Find your tribe: Our hiring philosophy emphasises intent, attitude, smarts and skills, in that order, to build a cohesive environment for Nudgesters. The organisation is committed to curating people-centric policies, enhancing how employees experience life at The/Nudge.

Take big bets: Organisational initiatives are intended to facilitate Nudgesters with a view to the big picture, illustrated by our impact across 50000+ households, 15+ governments, 200+ social enterprises and Charcha: India's largest social sector convening forum.

Make it happen: A product-based approach in an action-biased environment empowers Nudgesters to implement audacious plans. Driven to fail fast, we endeavour to optimise resources in favour of programs that align with our scale ambition.

You can learn more about what we do and how we do it through this deck.

We aspire to be an inclusive and diverse organization and encourage qualified individuals irrespective of their religion, caste, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, or any other dimension of identity, to apply.