State Ecosystem Partnerships - Lucknow

Reporting: State Ecosystem Leader

Organization Overview

The Wadhwani Foundation is an entrepreneurial philanthropy focused on enabling large-scale job creation by strengthening entrepreneurship, skilling, and small business growth across the Global South. The Foundation builds systems-level solutions that combine AI-enabled platforms, structured programs, and deep ecosystem partnerships to drive measurable economic outcomes. Its work spans multiple geographies and engages governments, employers, industry bodies, financial institutions, and entrepreneurship enablers. The operating model emphasizes scale, execution rigor, and collaboration across public and private ecosystems to deliver durable impact.

Role Overview

The role is accountable for building and sustaining a robust state-level partner ecosystem that enables the growth, productivity, and job-creation capacity of small and growing businesses, alongside effective delivery of the Foundation's skilling and job connection initiatives. The role owns senior partnerships across employers, MSME clusters, industry associations, incubators, accelerators, and other business-growth enablers, ensuring these relationships translate into tangible outcomes for enterprises and beneficiaries. Operating at the intersection of ecosystem strategy and execution, the role ensures national partnerships are activated effectively at the state level while building locally grounded, high-impact collaborations.

Responsibilities (with example deliverables)

1. Growth Venture Partnerships

• Strategic partnerships with incubators, accelerators, financial institutions, industry platforms, and advisory networks focused on business expansion, formalization, productivity improvement, and market access for small and mid-sized enterprises.
  
• State-level collaborations that enable growth-stage entrepreneurs and small businesses to access capability building, mentoring, and ecosystem resources beyond early-stage startup support.
  

2. Academic Partnerships

• A focused portfolio of state-level academic and vocational institution partnerships (universities, VTIs, ITIs, and private training providers)
  
• Institutional partnership models that convert academic institutions into reliable talent and enterprise-readiness pipelines for employers and small and growing businesses, with measurable outcomes across placements, apprenticeships, and startups.
  

3. Employer Partnerships

• Sustained employer and MSME participation in skilling, apprenticeships, placements, and workforce upskilling initiatives, with measurable engagement and outcomes.
  
• Deep partnerships with MSME clusters, sector hubs, and industry associations that enable access to small and growing businesses seeking productivity and scale.
  

4. Partnership Activation

• Effective state-level execution of national and multi-state partnerships, adapted to local contexts and enterprise needs.
  
• Clear partnership governance models ensuring accountability, continuity, and conversion of relationships into delivery capacity and outcomes.
  

5. Ecosystem Representation

• Strong representation of the Foundation across state-level academic communities, industry forums, MSME platforms, and economic development conversations.
  
• Co-created ecosystem initiatives with partners that enhance visibility, credibility, and participation across skilling and small business growth programs.
  

6. Internal Enablement & Insight Flow

• Strong alignment with skilling and entrepreneurship program teams to convert ecosystem partnerships into delivery leverage.
  
• Actionable insights on ecosystem gaps, partner performance, and emerging opportunities shared with state and national leadership.
  

Competencies

1.Partnership Building
Ability to design, grow, and manage multi-partner ecosystems across employers, MSMEs, academic institutions, industry bodies, and enterprise enablers, ensuring partnerships are structured, active, and outcome oriented.

2.Execution Discipline in Partner-Led Models
Ability to drive follow-through, accountability, and delivery in environments where outcomes depend on partners, alliances, and indirect execution channels.

3.Stakeholder Influence Without Authority
Demonstrated ability to align senior external partners and internal teams toward shared outcomes through persuasion, credibility, and structured engagement rather than formal control.

4.Cross-Functional Collaboration
Ability to work effectively with program, ecosystem, and central teams to align partnerships with program requirements

5.Systems Thinking
Ability to understand and operate within interconnected systems spanning skilling, small business growth, academic institutions, employers, and policy environments, identifying leverage points for scale and impact.

6.Data- and Insight-Informed Decision Making
Ability to use data, ecosystem insights, and performance signals to prioritize partnerships, course-correct execution, and improve ecosystem effectiveness over time.

Experience

1.Partnership-Led or Alliance-Driven Models
Experience delivering outcomes through partnerships where success depended on influence, alignment, and shared accountability rather than direct managerial control.

2.Small Business or Growth Enterprise Enablement Exposure
Experience working with, supporting, or enabling small and growing businesses, MSMEs, or enterprise clusters focused on expansion, productivity improvement, formalization, or job creation.

3.Academic Institution Engagement

Experience working with colleges, vocational training institutions (VTIs), ITIs, or other academic

bodies, particularly in contexts linking education or training institutions to employability,

workforce readiness, or enterprise needs.

4.State or Regional Operating Contexts
Experience engaging with state-level or regional economic, industry, or enterprise ecosystems, including variation across sectors, geographies, and institutional capacity.

Attributes

1.Ownership Mindset
Take personal responsibility for outcomes across the ecosystem, regardless of reporting lines, partner constraints, or external dependencies.

2.Mission-Driven Orientation
Consistently prioritize beneficiary impact, job creation, and small business growth over optics, convenience, or short-term wins.

3.Comfort with Ambiguity and Complexity
Remain effective and decisive in fluid, multi-stakeholder environments where goals evolve and solutions are not predefined.

4.Bias Toward Action
Move from intent to execution quickly, testing, learning, and adapting rather than waiting for perfect alignment or certainty.

5.High Integrity and Trust Orientation
Build long-term credibility with partners and institutions through consistency, transparency, and values-aligned decision-making.