Program Manager

Position: Position: Senior Program Associate/Program Manager (Policy – Government Programs)

Reporting to: AD, Policy – Government Programs

About the role

FAST-India is looking to hire an exceptional Senior Program Associate (SPA) to join the Government Programs team in its Policy vertical. The selected candidate will contribute to an exciting time of organisational growth and development even as they are involved in a transformative time for the S&T sector in the country.

As SPA, Policy – Government Programs, you will provide policy and research expertise, engage with government stakeholders, and assist in executing FAST-Indias strategy to liberalise the S&T ecosystem. You will work with leaders in the S&T space and key stakeholders in the government.

FAST-India has signed MoUs and executed engagements with important government and public stakeholders in the Indian S&T ecosystem, including the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Capacity Building Commission, Department of Science and Technology, Anusandhan National Research Foundation, and many leading academic institutions in the country.

This is a high-energy, dynamic role, and a great opportunity for those who enjoy working in a start-up environment and care deeply about the impact sector.

Key responsibilities

1. Policy research and analysis

• Support the Policy – Government Programs team in undertaking policy research, preparing summaries, and developing concept notes and presentations on science, technology, and innovation, particularly for public-funded R&D.
• Support analytical work, including developing policy papers, guidance notes and operational guidelines for government engagements, in alignment with FASTs strategic imperatives.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of government schemes, Call for Proposals, challenge-based grants, mission formats, investment models, and financing guidelines.

2. Programme design and execution support

• Translate strategic concepts into implementable workplans, including milestones, KPIs, and monitoring frameworks.
• Provide implementation support to government partners/clients on assignments that could span from strategy to capacity building to administrative support.
• Stay abreast of current developments in S&T policy (domestic and global), government programmes, current affairs, and political economy trends.
• Track progress of initiatives of the Government Programs team and provide structured feedback.

3. Stakeholder engagement

• Stakeholder engagement is an important aspect of the teams remit. A successful applicant is expected to assist in building and maintaining FAST-Indias relationships with government departments, academic institutions, and other public sector partners.
• At a personal level, a Senior Program Associate is expected to build deep working relationships with counterparts in the government and execute assignments, while also providing FAST leadership with ground-level insight.
• Coordinate across FAST teams to align research outputs with programmatic execution.
• Support preparation of policy briefs, talking points, and external communications for high-level stakeholders.

4. Organisation development

• Contribute to FAST-Indias growth by assisting in operationalising its various science communication endeavours, and engagements with academic partners and industry leaders.
• Assist in preparation of knowledge products, execution of seminars/webinars, symposia, panel discussions, industry dialogues, etc., for FAST-India.

Qualifications and Experience

• Masters degree or equivalent in Economics, Law, Public Policy, Political Science, Management, or related fields.
• 2–4 years of experience in policy research, government fellowships, or government consulting (experience with central/state government or multilateral agencies preferred).
• Excellent skills in research, policy writing, and data analysis.

Key competencies

• Strong conceptual and analytical thinking
• Comfort in working at the interface of government, industry, and academia
• Exceptional writing and communication skills
• Proactive, self-driven, and collaborative mindset
• Desire to continuously learn, read, and engage on a variety of topics. While the person may only have a basic understanding of science and technology, FAST-India values the willingness to learn and demonstrate passion for science and technology