Program Manager, Strategy & Ops SPIRE Lab, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru · Full-time, project position · 3 to 4 years of experience
About the project
SPIRE Lab at IISc is hiring a Program Manager to run day-to-day operations, partner coordination and oversee the project for a recent two-year, philanthropy-funded research program in rural Bihar.
The programme asks a simple question: can voice AI help a state government genuinely listen to rural women Millions of women in self-help groups have views on livelihoods, nutrition and local services, but little of it reaches decision makers in a usable form.
We will build and field-test voice AI that holds conversations with these women in Hindi and local languages, and turns what they say into insights a government can act on. Alongside it, we will build an open evaluation sandbox that tests how voice AI actually performs in the field, with rural accents and real phone lines, rather than in the lab.
The work brings together an academic AI lab, a state government livelihoods mission, a community media organisation, a policy and data governance institute, and a global philanthropic funder.
This is a rare chance for someone from public policy or the development sector to work inside an AI research lab.
You will see how AI systems are built, evaluated and deployed for public good, and you will shape how that work meets the field. You will own operations and partner coordination for the programme. Plan and own the project plan, milestones and dependencies across all partners, and keep them current.
Ensure agreements with right clauses are in place, data-sharing documents, approvals, vendor processes and project administration through to closure.
Monitor budget use, field targets and project metrics, and flag gaps early.
Support the field.



Plan and join visits to Bihar, and help coordinate work with community cadres and field teams.
We want someone who holds the full context of the project and goes deep into it.
You own the end-to-end project timeline.
The team relies on you as the anchor for project context.
The project runs on schedule.
You hold the full context of the project and have trusted relationships with every partner.
You also own and track the budgets for the project
3-5 years of work experience in either public policy, government programmes, the development sector or program management in startups/industry.

- You are comfortable with numbers, budgets, targets and tracking data.
- A track record of building working relationships with government officials and multiple partners is a plus.
- Strong operations skills: planning, follow-through and attention to detail.
- Fluent spoken and written Hindi and English, and comfort working in rural Bihar.
- Proficiency with Google suite.
- Please share your GitHub profile, examples of AI workflows or example account of how you use AI tools.
- Willingness to be based at IISc Bengaluru, with regular travel to Bihar.
- Experience in managing budgets.

Preparation for the UPSC Civil Services or a state civil services examination, or an ambition to pursue public service.
An academic or research orientation, such as a master's degree, policy writing or published work, it shows you go deep into problems.
Experience with self-help groups, rural livelihoods missions or community institutions.
Experience managing grant-funded projects, including funder reporting.
SPIRE Lab, IISc Bengaluru
Full-time project position, tied to the program's duration (about two years).
Compensation
Up to 18 lakh per annum, based on experience
Head of Program at SPIRE Lab

Apply to this Google form.

📌 Programme Manager English (Bengaluru)
🏢 Indian Institute of Science
📍 Bengaluru