The Nudge Institute - Head - Gujarat Social Entrepreneurship Cell

About The/Nudge:

The/Nudge is an action institute working towards a poverty-free India, within our lifetime. We partner with governments, markets, and civil society to build resilient livelihoods for all. We are a collective of some of India's best leaders and entrepreneurs from across industry, academia, government, and development sectors, and our work is organized across three impact streams:

Centre for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (CSDE): enables underprivileged youth to lead flourishing lives

Centre for Rural Development (CRD): enables rural families to come out of extreme poverty

Centre for Social Innovation (CSI): nudges top talent to solve India's biggest challenges

Gujarat Social Entrepreneurship Fund (G-SEF): The/Nudge Institute (TNI) has signed an MOU with Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company Limited (GLPC) to support social enterprises enabling rural livelihoods for underserved communities. The fund aims to provide grants to for-profit and nonprofit social enterprises over the next five years. The team for running the Fund will be housed in GLPC.

TNI will provide technical assistance to GLPC and will be responsible for designing the institutional mechanism, guidelines, criteria, operational plans, mentorship, and go-to-market support to startups funded through the Fund. TNI will also coordinate with the Project Management Unit (PMU) setup in GLPC and conduct its training and capacity building to achieve the stated objectives.

Job Overview: The G-SEF head plays a central role in the partnership with GLPC, responsible for the overall strategic and operational management of the program and its stakeholders. Key responsibilities will be as follows:

Strategic Leadership: Develop and oversee the execution of the strategic plan for the fund, aligning with government objectives and startup ecosystem needs.

Program Design and Administration: Design and administer the fund's programs, including designing outreach strategies for attracting good applications, capacity building, and implementation plans to support and finance startups throughout their lifecycle.

Stakeholder Management: Build and maintain relationships with government officials, investors, industry leaders, and other key partners.

Investment Oversight: Be part of the Selection & Investment process, assess the applications and implement the investment strategy, manage calls for applications and oversee the selection process.

Team Leadership: Assist in selection of and recommend hiring, onboarding, and training the PMU team. Manage the team's incentive structure and composition to ensure effective program delivery.

Monitoring and Evaluation: Oversee internal and external monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess program performance and implement continuous improvements.

Partnership Development: Cultivate partnerships with R&D institutions, industry experts, and venture capital funds to create a robust support system for startups.

Qualifications:

- A Master's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Public Administration, or a related field.

- 12-15+ years of experience in credit or equity investing with direct responsibility for profit and loss, showcasing strong financial acumen and the ability to manage investments effectively.

- Experience working with government agencies and navigating public sector processes is preferred.

- Comfortable in regular travel between Gandhinagar and Bangalore, as and when required.

- Excellent leadership skills with experience in team management and stakeholder engagement.

- Fluent in Gujarati and English, with exceptional written and verbal communication abilities.

- A deep understanding of the startup ecosystem and experience with incubators or accelerators is preferred.

- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with various stakeholders and manage a diverse team.

- Proficient in monitoring and evaluating program outcomes and making data-driven decisions.