JD – Specialist (Project Management) Full Time NEW

In the role of the Specialist (Project Management), the person shall report to the CTO and/or Head – Forge.Labs while engaging in a scope of work spanning techno‑managerial execution, Project operations, stakeholder coordination, documentation rigor and capability development relating to the broad Key Functional Areas (KFAs): 

• Anchoring project management for defence innovation projects, 
• Standardising project management practices in Forge-funded startup projects, 
• Establishing clear project structures and cadences for all Forge.Labs and Forge.Academy workstreams, and 
• Systemically developing project management capabilities and capacity within Forge internally and in its portfolio of startups

Forge operates as India’s largest open innovation network, powering the country’s innovation economy in the Industrial Intelligence Age by seeding, accelerating and scaling phygital (hardware‑first, digital‑plus) enterprises in domains such as manufacturing, defence, mobility, climate, health and industrial systems. In this context, the Specialist (Project Management) is expected to work hands‑on with founders, engineers, students and internal squads to drive execution discipline on the ground, while also building project management capabilities and a future talent pipeline at multiple levels that can strengthen project execution capacity in innovation projects across multiple open innovation programs in industrial public sectors (iDEX-Defence, S2I2-Maritime, CiX-urban) or industrial corporate sectors apart from startup innovation projects funded by Forge grants/investments. The Specialist is expected to bring strong execution discipline, high ownership and learning agility in managing multiple concurrent workstreams across sectors such as manufacturing, defence, mobility, climate, health, industrial systems and sustainability, thereby directly enabling Forge’s mission of catalysing product innovations and creating tech enterprises from, in and for India.

Position & Designation

Grade – Manager or Sr. Manager

The Specialist (Project Management) shall be designated in Forge at the grade of Manager or Sr. Manager, and considered for a promotion to the role of Principal / Head (Project Management) after having delivered a commendable performance in the role for a minimum tenure of 24 months.

Compensation

Forge compensation is at par with the top end of the social enterprises sector in India and continuously benchmarked to be above the average compensation offered in the social (non-commercial or development) sector in general, but significantly above the average compensation offered by TBIs in general in India.

The Total CTC will include 4 major components namely, Fixed Monthly Gross, Fixed Quarterly Payout (a predetermined component paid out on quarterly basis), Annual Development Bonus (linked to demonstration of progress on developing and strengthening capabilities in alignment with the Career Advancement and Capabilities Development framework of Forge), and Annual Executive Bonus (linked to a predetermined share of the financial indicators/results of the company including grant-in-aid funds, revenues, and/or operating profits, as may be determined on a case–to-case basis).

 Role & Responsibilities – Key Result Areas:  

1. Institutionalising Project Management for iDEX / Forge4Fauj

• Manage the implementation of structured project management practices, tools, techniques and methods for all iDEX projects under Forge4Fauj, from grant sanction through pilot completion.
• Set up and run a predictable project management cadence for iDEX portfolio startups (plans, reviews, risk logs, decision records) in tight alignment with the external and internal stakeholders.
• Develop and codify project management implementation into reusable playbooks, templates and SOPs that can be applied across current and future Forge4Fauj engagements.

2. Project Management Frameworks for Startup Innovation Projects (Forge‑funded grants)

• Design and deploy stronger project management frameworks for startups executing grant projects funded by Forge, with clear scopes, milestones, deliverables and reporting rhythms.
• Work directly with founders to bring discipline into planning, tracking and course‑correction so that grant projects move efficiently from award to demonstrable outcomes.
• Capture and integrate learnings, risks, and good practices from these grant projects and integrate them into Forge’s standard project management methods for startup innovation programs.

3. Embedding PM Discipline in Forge.Labs SPRINT / ProtoSem Projects

• Embed rigorous project management practices into every SPRINT and ProtoSem project implemented at Forge.Labs / Forge.Academy, ensuring that student and early‑career teams experience industry‑grade execution discipline.
• Coordinate and maintain planning, tracking and review systems (cadence, boards, trackers, dashboards) for these projects, coordinating with mentors, faculty and technical leads.
• Use and position these project environments as “living labs” to refine and stress‑test Forge’s own PM tools, templates and methods for phygital product development.

4. Project Management Capacity Building & Talent Pipeline

• Lead and support structured capability development in project management within Forge.Labs and other verticals by designing and delivering PM‑oriented workshops, clinics and on‑the‑job learning loops.
• Collaborate with KCT.BS and other partners to leverage the MBA in Project Management specialisation to generate a pipeline of PM talent at Associate and Analyst levels aligned to Forge’s execution standards.
• Mentor and coach associates, analysts and selected students on PM tools, techniques and professional practices so they can progressively take ownership of project workstreams.

5. Personal & Team Capability Development Through CACD Implementation

• Engage actively in capability development through Forge’s CACD framework, strengthening skills in project management, planning, communication, stakeholder engagement, and analytical thinking.
• Demonstrate and model strong learnability, ownership and ambition in taking on increasingly complex scopes of work across multiple verticals and contexts, and model these behaviours for peers and junior team members.
• Seek, internalise, and apply feedback from managers, peers, and collaborators to continuously improve performance and execution quality.
• Contribute to Forge’s broader culture of relentless improvement, collaboration, adaptability, velocity, agility, quality and efficiency in the way work is approached and delivered, by sharing methods, templates and learnings that help the entire team execute better.