Job Opportunity for Manager – Accelerator Programs at Villgro in Chennai

Government & Public Sector Initiatives

The role of ‘Program Manager – Accelerator’ is a critical one at Villgro, and is designed to meet two key objectives:

1. Ensure continued value addition by Villgro to the startups, ecosystem and its key players.

2. Building financial resilience & sustainability of Villgro-supported startups.

Playing this role as part of the Government & Public Sector Initiatives of Villgro setup by/in Villgro Innovations Foundation, you will have multiple opportunities to work with startups and their ecosystem players i.e. incubate & accelerate startups, co-develop & deliver on program strategy, design innovative and relevant programs in partnership with enabler organizations (International Foundations, Corporate Foundations, CSR, Bi-lateral & Multi-lateral agencies, Government, etc).

We are looking for a cause-oriented young professional with the ability to think strategically, be analytical and contribute to the startup success and development of meaningful partnerships in
the social enterprise ecosystem. She/he/They will have a background and a strong interest that enables them to engage with multiple stakeholders at all levels in the ecosystem. Conceptual thinking is crucial for this role.

The ideal candidate should also have excellent communication skills, with the ability to build and convey compelling value propositions.

We envision the following components to play a key part in delivering on the two key objectives of this role:

1. Providing Incubation & Acceleration

● Manage the day-to-day interaction with the Incubatees

● Provide support to entrepreneurs across ideation, acceleration, investment and scale-up stage

● Ensure management of milestones and progress of entrepreneurs and startup companies

● Connect startups with resources and opportunities that can enable growth

● Facilitate and organize regular mentor meetings, check-ins and reviews to deliver the program inputs

● Enable strategic guidance to entrepreneurs in areas such as business modeling sales, and marketing,  financing, fundraising, overall strategy, operations etc

● Guide and support start-ups for fundraising activity

2. Developing partnerships and Implement Program outreach

● Being in constant touch with the Tier 2&3 enablers, angel investors, venture capitalists to be fully updated and tuned in on the latest trends and happenings across South States

● Identifying routes for effective outreach in order to ensure continuous engagement with a wide variety of potential partners

3. Designing partnership opportunities

● Make efforts to thoroughly understand goals of potential partners; leverage existing information and gain deeper insights in creative ways to form a nuanced understanding of the partner’s priorities.

● Co-design innovative and well-rounded partnership opportunities that meet Villgro as well as the partner’s goals; work closely with Villgro’s portfolio managers to detail out the mechanics of implementation, budgets, resources required for strong execution, etc.

4. On-boarding Partners

● Present collaboration ideas to the leadership in a manner which is evidenced, unique, concise, and compelling.

5. Partner Relationship Management

● Monitor and ensure partnerships deliverables are met according to agreed timelines

● Obtaining data/information from internal as well as external sources to construct comprehensive and well-articulated proposals, pitch decks as well as operational, financial and impact reports

● Explore and present additional areas of engagement to ensure longevity in working with partners

If the role excites you, we would like you to:

● Have a Bachelor’s/master’s degree in business administration/ Communications/ Social Work / Development Studies or equivalent

● Have a holistic view of key players and stakeholders in the social enterprise ecosystem

● Have 5 – 7 years of experience working with startup/incubator and in cultivating partnerships

● Have the ability to analyse requirements adeptly, and think innovatively about solutions

● Be passionate about building a great network within the ecosystem

● Have excellent command of the English & Tamil language

● Be a strong team player

● Be proficient in Microsoft PPT, Excel and Word

Reporting Officer: Lead – Government & Public Sector Initiatives

Location: Chennai

Remuneration: Commensurate with experience

How to apply: Fill in Villgro’s Centralized Application Form. Villgro alumni have gone on to found social businesses, study at Ivy League and Indian B Schools and public policy institutes, but most importantly – they have become voices of change. We are committed to providing the same exposure, learnings and experiences to help you shape your next big career move. Most of these will begin with some chai-coffee on our beautiful office terrace in Bangalore, or at the heart of startup hustle at the IIT Madras Research Park in Chennai.

But remember, these are just the contours of the role as we have envisaged it. We would love to have you expand its boundaries and take on more.

Apply to this role by Filling this Form. We look forward to hearing from you!