Ecosystem Activation Lead

Ecosystem Activation Lead:

Location: State Capital (Chennai)

Organization Overview

The Wadhwani Foundation is an entrepreneurial philanthropy focused on enabling large-scale job creation by strengthening entrepreneurship, skilling, and small business growth across the Global South. The Foundation builds systems-level solutions that combine AI-enabled platforms, structured programs, and deep ecosystem partnerships to drive measurable economic outcomes. Its work spans multiple geographies and engages governments, employers, industry bodies, financial institutions, and entrepreneurship enablers. The operating model emphasizes scale, execution rigor, and collaboration across public and private ecosystems to deliver durable impact.

Role Overview

The State Resource Capacity Lead is responsible for building, managing, and activating a high-quality state-level pool of experts, mentors, and practitioners that enables effective delivery of skilling and entrepreneurship initiatives. The role ensures that programs have timely access to relevant, locally grounded expertise aligned to small business growth, employability, and enterprise outcomes. Operating as the state-level extension of national resource networks, the role balances local relevance with central quality standards, with accountability for resource readiness, utilization, and contribution to outcomes.

Responsibilities (with example deliverables)

1. State-Level Resource Capacity

• A robust, state-specific pool of vetted experts, mentors, and practitioners aligned to skilling, small business growth, and entrepreneurship program needs.
  
• Clear ownership of resource availability, coverage, and readiness across programs operating within the state.
  

2. Skilling Resource Enablement

• Reliable access to sector-relevant facilitators, industry mentors, and practitioners who enable learner employability, workplace readiness, and industry exposure.
  
• Consistent expert participation in masterclasses, mentoring, and applied learning interventions with measurable utilization and engagement.
  

5. Knowledge & Insight Curation

• A curated set of state-relevant knowledge assets (local reports, sector insights, practitioner content, tools) aligned to business, skilling, and enterprise needs.
  
• Structured sourcing and integration of these resources into the Foundation’s AI-enabled platforms for scalable use.
  

6. Quality, Utilization & Coordination

• Clear quality standards, performance tracking, and utilization metrics for experts and mentors at the state level.
  
• Strong coordination with central teams to ensure consistency, while adapting resource deployment to local context and program demand.
  

Competencies

1. Expert Network & Capacity Building
   Ability to design, grow, and manage pools of practitioners and mentors aligned to defined program outcomes and local context.

1. Contextual Judgment
   Ability to assess local relevance of expertise and knowledge, balancing central standards with state-specific needs.

1. Cross-Functional Collaboration
   Ability to work effectively with program, ecosystem, and central teams to align resource supply with execution demand.

1. Systems Thinking
   Ability to understand and operate within interconnected systems spanning skilling, small business growth, academic institutions, employers, and policy environments, identifying leverage points for scale and impact.

1. Data- and Insight-Informed Decision Making
   Ability to use data, ecosystem insights, and performance signals to prioritize partnerships, course-correct execution, and improve ecosystem effectiveness over time.

Experience

1. Expert or Mentor Network Exposure
   Experience building, managing, or operating within expert, mentor, or practitioner networks supporting skilling, entrepreneurship, or enterprise initiatives.

1. Small Business Contexts
   Experience working with or supporting small businesses, micro-entrepreneurs, or growth ventures in applied, execution-oriented settings.

1. Partner-Led Delivery Models
   Experience delivering outcomes through external experts or partners rather than direct line management.

1. State or Regional Operating Contexts
   Experience operating in state or regional ecosystems with varied institutional capacity, sector mix, and local dynamics.