Wadhwani Foundation - Skilling Ecosystem Program Lead

About the job:

Role Summary:

The WEN Ecosystem Program Lead will be responsible for end-to-end management and expansion of the skilling ecosystem in the assigned region.

This includes designing and implementing skilling programs, establishing strong partnerships with employers and training partners, and ensuring high-quality outcomes in student training, placement, and career success.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Leadership & Delivery:

- Drive the complete lifecycle of skilling programs from design, development, and partner onboarding to execution, monitoring, and impact measurement.

- Ensure alignment of skilling initiatives with national and state-level employment priorities.

Ecosystem Development:

- Build and scale a demand-led ecosystem by onboarding employers and identifying sector-specific talent needs.

- Expand the supply-side ecosystem by signing up new training partners based on regional demand and industry requirements.

Stakeholder Engagement:

- Engage effectively with government bodies, vocational training providers (VTPs), ITIs, Polytechnics, and other ecosystem actors to co-create impactful solutions.

- Actively represent the Foundation in industry forums, academia, and policy platforms to shape and contribute to the broader skilling discourse.

Process Management:

- Design and institutionalize scalable processes across the student lifecycle from mobilization, counselling, training, placement to post-placement tracking.

- Create operational frameworks that break complex implementation plans into actionable micro-processes.

Required Experience & Skills:

- 11-15 years of experience in skilling, education delivery, or talent development domains with proven experience across multiple delivery modes (digital, blended, classroom).

- Demonstrated experience in employer engagement and establishing large-scale partnerships for placement and industry alignment.

- Deep understanding of student journey, with experience in counselling, mobilization, training, placement, and post-placement tracking.

- Strong background in channel development (employers and training partners) and familiarity with the vocational training landscape.

- Prior experience collaborating with government bodies, academic institutions, and industry associations on skilling or education projects.

- Excellent project management capabilities, stakeholder relationship skills, and process orientation.

- Should be actively involved in industry or skilling forums and networks