Job Description:
Job Title: Operating Partner Innovation and R&D
Reports to - Founder and CEO
About The Convergence Foundation
The Convergence Foundation (TCF) is an Indian philanthropic foundation established by Ashish and Manisha Dhawan in April 2021. TCF builds on their legacy of impactful philanthropy, including the founding of transformative institutions like Ashoka University and the Central Square Foundation.
Our mission is clear: to transform the lives of all Indians through rapid, sustained economic growth and inclusive development.
To achieve this, we focus on 3 pillars
- Direct engines of economic growth that enable job creation,
- Human capital development through education and employability, and
- Development Enablers that strengthen the philanthropic ecosystem and improve state capacity.
In each area, TCF works on:
- Building pioneering institutions to address India's most complex socio-economic challenges.
- Shaping the larger ecosystem and sharing knowledge, insights and learning with other philanthropists, governments and key stakeholders
We believe that the government is the key actor for system change, and the role of philanthropy and nonprofits is to strategically support the government. The TCF Network includes 20+ organisations all working systemically with the government, committed to addressing specific areas of India's socio-economic development, across our three pillars.
Position Summary:
The Convergence Foundation supports a network of organisations working on India’s most pressing challenges, all converging to a common north-star of accelerating economic growth to make India a high-income country by 2047. Globally, innovation and R&D are recognized as key long-term enablers in moving from a low income to a high income country, with particular emphasis on the role of translational research in moving India Inc. upwards in global value chains. However, India’s translational research ecosystem is still evolving, with industry, academia, research, innovation, and incubation capabilities at varying stages of maturity. Therefore, improving the quality and outputs of translational research in India is a key priority for TCF.
Our current Innovation and R&D portfolio has made significant progress against this, with 2 organisations working across government, industry and scientific institutions. It includes incubating: Foundation for Advancing Science and Technology (FAST), which is collaborating with the government on improving the scale and efficiency of government funding for innovation. Such as operationalising the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). ANRF is a landmark government initiative, modelled after the US National Science Foundation, designed to accelerate translational research between industry and academia. FAST is also at the frontier of publishing insightful policy research on improving ease of doing science (EoDS) in India.
TCF has also recently partnered with India’s Translational Research Initiative (ITRI) to strengthen lab-market linkages in India by unlocking philanthropic capital for translation research centres.
This role will build on the progress made so far and lead TCF’s strategy on Innovation and R&D. Operating Partners at TCF function as strategists, builders, and ecosystem conveners. The role involves defining the TCF PoV on the area - in this case Innovation and R&D, identifying critical leverage points, binding constraints that can unlock the innovation and R&D ecosystem in India at scale, and opportunities for high-impact systemic interventions. Based on this PoV, the operating partner would be responsible for making investments in systemic not for profits working in this space. This would include assessing the current ecosystem of organisations and building TCF’s portfolio by either incubating new organisations or funding and strengthening existing ones to deliver outsized impact. This also entails convening strategic partnerships across government, academia, industry, and philanthropy, and contributing to thought leadership that advances the national discourse on science, technology, and innovation.
This role will report directly to the Founder-CEO and work closely with TCF’s leadership team. It will function as a Co-Lead of TCF’s Economic Growth vertical, working alongside Operating Partners to accelerate TCF’s overall mission.
Key Responsibilities:
Define Program Area Strategy
- Lead development of TCF’s Innovation and R&D PoV, strategy, identifying key problems, leverage points, and priority interventions.
- Translate thematic priorities into a portfolio roadmap with hypotheses for new initiatives, investment priorities, and success metrics.
- Partner with TCF’s leadership team to ensure alignment with TCF’s mission and integrate learnings across TCF.
Support High Impact Organizations
- Partner with CEOs and leadership of portfolio organisations, including FAST and ITRI, to strengthen their strategy, impact, and institutional capacity.
- Lead incubation of new organisations or initiatives to address gaps in the translational research ecosystem.
- Act as a steward for institutional excellence, building governance, leadership, and operational systems to ensure resilient organisations.
Drive Ecosystem Engagement and Influence
- Position TCF as a thought leader and driving force in India’s science and technology ecosystem, convening portfolio organisations, government, industry, academia, and philanthropy to accelerate translational research and innovation.
- Represent TCF at national and global forums, shaping discourse, influencing policy, and fostering cross-learning and collaboration across the network to amplify impact and scale solutions.
TCF-Internal Organisation Building
- Strengthen TCF’s internal systems, leadership capacity, and governance to ensure scalable and sustainable operations.
- Foster a mission-driven culture that promotes collaboration, learning, and alignment across teams.
Governance and Team Structure
- Report directly to the Founder-CEO and work closely with TCF’s leadership team.
- Function as a Co-Lead TCF’s Economic Growth vertical, and work alongside 2 Operating Partners.
- Flexibility in building a dedicated junior team, including Program Leads and Program Managers, hired specifically for the program area.
- Collaborate closely with portfolio CEOs, CFOs, and other functional leaders across the TCF network.
Experience:
- 20+ years of experience with a proven track record leading high-stakes, integrated projects, ideally in management consulting or technology sector, focusing on innovation and R&D, with the ability to drive results amid complexity.
- Demonstrated analytical ability to think in strategic frameworks, identify connections others miss, use data to guide decisions, and communicate insights clearly and succinctly.
- Strong background in building mission-driven initiatives, bridging frontline execution and systems-level change, and scaling proven solutions across multiple communities.
- Experienced cross-sector operator, skilled in navigating public, private, and nonprofit systems, and translating insights into actionable strategies.
- Proven ability to influence without authority, manage relationships across teams and leadership, and bring people together to achieve results.
Skills and Traits:
Deep passion for science and technology.
Demonstrated intellectual curiosity and mission-driven mindset.
Proven strategic thinking and conceptual rigor.
Strong project execution and results orientation.
Effective communication and synthesis of insights.
Strong relationship-building skills.
Action-oriented with humility and empathy.
Location: Full-time position based out of Delhi, India with up to 30% domestic travel.
How to Apply: Reach out to our Head, Talent Acquisition: vishal@theconvergencefoundation.org