Company Description About Funfirst Global Skillers Pvt Ltd(FGSPL) Funfirst Global Skillers Pvt. Ltd. is a leading skill development and workforce solutions company dedicated to enhancing employability through industry-aligned vocational training. The organization collaborates with corporates, government bodies, educational institutions, and CSR partners to deliver high-quality skilling programs across emerging sectors such as Electric Vehicles (EV), Renewable Energy, Industry 4.0, Digital Technologies, and Technical Education, enabling learners to build sustainable careers and meet evolving industry demands.

FGSPL operates across multiple states, working in three core areas: Skill Development & Livelihoods: demand-driven vocational training, apprenticeships,

work-integrated learning, and placement support across sectors including RAC

(Refrigeration & Air Conditioning) and other emerging technology trades.

ITI Transformation: Modernizing Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) through industry partnerships, new-age technology labs, trainer capacity building, apprenticeships, and placement initiatives — extending and properly tracking GSLF's existing ITI network.

Education &STEM;: establishing Atal Tinkering Labs and promoting STEM education,

innovation, and future skills among school students.

FGSPL supports the commercial and placement-facing side of the and GSLF - Section 8 Non Profit Organization share the same mission. Together, GSLF and FGSPL are undertaking a multi-year Digital Transformation and AI programme — building AI-enabled learner engagement, intelligent counselling, digital training platforms, enterprise data systems, workflow automation, and advanced analytics to improve organisational effectiveness and student outcomes. The organisation has 300+ people across functions, with a small but growing technology team

(currently a handful of people including the CTO). Not everything is built in-house — GSLF works with technology vendors, SaaS platforms, and implementation partners where it makes sense.

Role Overview We are looking for an Engineering Manager to work closely with the CTO and play a key role in executing GSLF/FGSPL& digital and AI roadmap. This role combines hands-on technical leadership with delivery ownership across FGSPL core platforms and systems, and formal people-management responsibility over the existing technology team. The CTO owns technology strategy, architecture, and innovation; this role owns engineering execution, delivery excellence, and day-to-day leadership of the technology team.

This role does not set organization-wide technology strategy or vendor/tooling decisions at a strategic level,

and does not replace or stand in for the CTO in reporting structure.

Key Responsibilities Technical Leadership & Architecture Design and oversee implementation of core digital platforms: learner management,

employer/partner portals, content and assessment systems,



and internal workflows

Make pragmatic architecture decisions (build vs. buy vs. integrate) for platforms,

integrations, and data pipelines

Guide adoption of cloud, APIs, data pipelines, and AI/ML services (e.g. matching, scoring,

dropout-risk flagging, conversational assistants) in a reliable, cost-effective way

Maintain high standards of code quality, security, performance, and documentation

Delivery Management

Plan, prioritise, and deliver technology initiatives in partnership with the CTO and functional heads (operations, placement, training)

Translate business requirements into technical tasks and sprint plans; manage scope,

timelines, and trade-offs

Coordinate work across in-house engineers, external vendors, and implementation partners

Maintain a realistic, honestly-tracked execution plan, flagging delays and trade-offs early

Bring engineering discipline and delivery predictability appropriate to a lean, resource-

constrained team — tracking what shipped, what slipping, and why Team Leadership & People Management Formally lead and manage GSLF/FGSPL& existing technology team, with direct reporting lines

Set engineering practices (code reviews, testing, deployment discipline) suited to a lean,

mission-driven organisation

Support hiring, onboarding, and performance management for the technology team as it grows

Work closely with non-technical stakeholders (training, placements, field teams) to understand ground realities and incorporate them into design and implementation Data, AI & Governance Evaluate, prototype, and productionise AI capabilities where they create measurable operational or learner impact, while ensuring governance, security, and cost discipline

Implement AI-powered features within FGSPL& AI Governance Policy — including risk-based human review, data privacy handling, and data residency requirements

Collaborate with the CTO to define data architecture for learner profiles, courses,

assessments, placements, and partner interactions

Support NCVET and regulatory compliance requirements from a technology and data perspective

Ensure AI is layered on top of a secure operational foundation for each product, not used as a substitute for one Desired Profile Experience 8–12 years of total experience in software engineering and/or technology leadership

(flexible for exceptional candidates)

At least 3–5 years in a senior engineer / tech lead / engineering manager role, with responsibility for delivering production systems and leading small teams





Prior experience in product engineering, SaaS, tech-enabled services, GCCs, or strong IT services/SI.

Experience in education, skilling, employability, or social impact is a strong plus but not mandatory Technical Skills Strong hands-on background designing and building web-based platforms or APIs — Python preferred, Node.js or Java also welcome

Experience integrating SaaS platforms (e.g. Zoho, LMS, HRMS) and working with APIs,

webhooks, and third-party services

Working knowledge of AWS, Docker, and basic CI/CD and DevOps practices

Practical experience integrating AI/LLM capabilities into production systems — not just prototype-level familiarity

Familiarity with MongoDB and vector databases (e.g. ChromaDB) for AI/RAG-based applications

Familiarity with workflow automation tools (e.g. n8n) is a strong plus Behavioural Traits

Comfortable working in a lean, resource-constrained environment where not everything is defined and you must help shape the path

Able to communicate clearly with non-technical stakeholders and field teams; genuine empathy for end users (students, trainers, placement officers, employers)

Strong sense of ownership; bias towards delivering value rather than chasing perfect technology

Genuinely curious about how AI can meaningfully improve vocational training and employment outcomes

Understands that in a non-profit context, impact per rupee spent matters as much as technical elegance Education

BE/BTech (Computer Science, IT, Electronics) or equivalent preferred

MCA/MTech or related fields welcome

Additional certifications (cloud, architecture, data/AI) are a plus, not a requirement What Success Looks Like in the First 12 Months The existing technology team is being actively led and mentored, with clear engineering practices in place

At least one major platform (e.g. the counselling/student lifecycle system, or the placement matching system) has moved from build to stable, working production use

AI capabilities are in production, not just prototyped, with governance and review processes functioning as designed The CTO has a reliable, trusted second layer of delivery leadership — able to hand off execution ownership with confidence, not just delegate tasks Why Join GSLF? Build and scale real platforms that directly impact the livelihoods of underserved youth,

while working hands-on with modern AI technologies

Work closely with the CTO and leadership team, with meaningful autonomy in engineering execution and delivery

Operate where technology, operations, and pedagogy intersect — digital transformation is central to the organisations future, not a side project  Be part of a mission-driven team that values ethics, transparency, and long-term impact over short-term optics  CTC of ₹25–30 LPA based on experience and fit We are an equal opportunity organisation and welcome candidates from all backgrounds.

📌 Engineering Manager — Digital Platforms & AI (Pune)
🏢 Funfirst Global Skillers
📍 Pune