Entrepreneurship Program Head Insight Livelihood Program

Location: Bangalore

Duration: Fixed Term Contract for 12 months (can be extended and regularized based on program requirements)

About The/Nudge:

The/Nudge is an action institute building resilient livelihoods to alleviate poverty. We work with women, farmers, tribals and youth on rural development, agriculture, skilling and economic inclusion, along with 15+ central and state government partners.

Our economic inclusion journey for 25 million Indians, has reached 10 states with $250M of government funding to cover 1.25M people. Our incubator, accelerator and grand challenges have supported 200+ social entrepreneurs including 17 Forbes 30U30, 3 EarthShot Prize winners, 1 Time Magazine cover and more.

Set up with support from 90+ eminent philanthropists , 40+ corporates and 15+ foundations including Gates, Mackenzie Scott, Vinod Khosla, Nandan Nilekani, Tata Trusts, Skoll, Meta, LinkedIn, HDFC, Mphasis, KPMG and LOreal, we are contributing towards a "poverty-free India, within our lifetime".

About the Program:

The InSight team is dedicated to creating a Presbyopia-free India, with a special focus on empowering rural communities. Over 300 million Indians suffer from uncorrected presbyopia (distorted near vision), and over 70 million work in occupations that require clear near vision. This condition leads to $14 billion in annual productivity losses in India alone, disproportionately impacting rural livelihoods. Yet, a simple solution—reading glasses—can boost productivity by 34% and income by 20%, as randomized controlled trials conducted in Assam and Bangladesh demonstrated.

Hence, the InSight team, in this context, is embarking on a program to develop a market-driven model that empowers rural entrepreneurs to sell reading glasses to beneficiaries in need. The idea is that the InSight team, in collaboration with its partners, will onboard and train rural entrepreneurs in presbyopia screening and the dispensing of reading glasses. These entrepreneurs will then conduct door-to-door screenings within their designated areas, selling reading glasses to individuals who fail the vision test. This approach aims to establish a sustainable business model for the entrepreneurs while improving livelihoods by addressing presbyopia among the beneficiaries.

We are seeking an Entrepreneurship Program Head to lead and manage pilot and scale initiatives for the above entrepreneurship model, as well as collaborate with our partners in the successful implementation of the program.

Role Overview:

The InSight Program Entrepreneurship Model Head will lead the execution and expansion of an innovative rural presbyopia care pilot. This role involves overseeing day-to-day operations, supporting and mentoring entrepreneurs, managing stakeholder relationships, and ensuring effective data and tech integration. The position demands strong coordination across partners, government bodies, and vendors, along with a focus on continuous learning, monitoring, and program refinement. The ideal candidate combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution to drive impact at scale.

Key Responsibilities:

- Pilot Management and Execution:

• Lead and manage day-to-day operations of the entrepreneurship pilot, ensuring smooth implementation across all locations.
• Ensure all pilot activities are executed on time, meet defined objectives, and adhere to quality and performance standards.

- Entrepreneur Coordination and Support:

• Oversee the hiring, onboarding, and timely payment processes for entrepreneurs, ensuring smooth operational support in collaboration with field coordinators.
• Monitor entrepreneur performance, proactively identify challenges, and provide strategic guidance to enhance impact and program outcomes.

- Program Representation:

• Serve as the primary representative of the InSight Entrepreneurship Program, actively engaging with local communities, entrepreneurs, and partner organizations to build trust and drive alignment.
• Foster and maintain strong stakeholder relationships to support seamless pilot implementation and long-term program success.

- Data Management & Analysis:

• Ensure accurate and timely collection of data from entrepreneurs on vision screenings, sales, and distributions
• Support in generating insights from data to inform program strategy and identify areas for improvement
• Maintain dashboards and program trackers
• Create visual presentations, charts, and infographics to support communication and reporting
• Compile and share regular reports with the program head and central team for analysis.
• Assist in preparing donor and partner reports

- Survey Tools and Monitoring:

• Assist in creating and reviewing survey forms for managing workflow
• Test forms for logic and usability
• Support real-time troubleshooting of field data collection

- Training and Capacity Building:

• Facilitate training sessions for entrepreneurs in collaboration with the technical partner.
• Provide ongoing mentorship and support to entrepreneurs, addressing operational challenges as they arise.

- Monitoring, Feedback, and Refinement:

• Conduct regular field visits to monitor activities and evaluate the pilots progress.
• Coordinate with the Monitoring and Evaluation team for regular M&E exercises for the pilots
• Provide structured feedback to the program head, highlighting successes, challenges, and potential areas for improvement.
• Collaborate with the program head to tweak and refine program parameters based on field-level insights.

Program Expansion:

• Lead in planning and executing the programs expansion to other regions based on pilot results and organizational goals.
• Share key learnings and best practices from the pilot to inform future strategies.
• Hire and expand the team

- Stakeholder Coordination:

• Build and manage effective relationships with key stakeholders, including government departments, implementation partners, vendors, and ecosystem collaborators.
• Facilitate smooth communication, alignment, and coordination across partners to ensure timely and high-quality program delivery.

- Technology Development, Implementation and Optimization:

• Support the development of technological solutions aligned with program needs and field realities.
• Facilitate pilot testing, gather user feedback from entrepreneurs and stakeholders, and help refine tech solutions for effective on-ground implementation.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Minimum 12 years of experience in field operations or program management
• Experience in rural development, livelihoods, or healthcare will be a bonus
• Experience in leading field teams to achieve ambitious targets.
• Proven ability to recruit, mentor, and manage entrepreneurs or large field teams, especially in rural areas.
• Experience in stakeholder management, including engagement with local government officials and community leaders.
• Good problem-solving skills, ability to work independently, and willingness to travel extensively
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to motivate and lead by example.
• Comfortable using basic technology tools such as mobile apps and data reporting platforms.
• Graduate degree required; MBA, MSW, or equivalent in relevant fields preferred.
• Familiarity with the rural context is highly desirable.
• Preference for candidates with entrepreneurial experience or a background in sales leadership roles.
• High level Proficiency in using tools like Excel, Google Sheets, and data collection platforms.
• Fluency in Hindi and English.
• Ability to work independently and solve problems proactively.

Join us in making a difference and building a Presbyopia-free India while empowering rural entrepreneurs!

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. Please visit The/Nudge Institute career page to apply online.