Program Manager – Good Business Lab

Good Business Lab is a not-for-profit worker well-being research organization. We design and evaluate programs that can find common ground between worker well-being in blue-collar settings and business interests, and then through our newest initiative GBL ventures develop and scale products based on our research. We’ve worked with corporates such as Shahi Exports, Radnik Exports, H&M, Gap Inc., and GANNI, and are backed by funders such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and academics at the world’s top universities such as Harvard Business School.

Our founding team brings together two US-based academics who are professors at the University of Michigan and UC San Diego and have PhDs in economics from Yale University and the head of Organizational Development at Shahi Exports, India’s largest apparel manufacturer. Our work is spread across labour-intensive industries (e.g., garment, electronics, and automobile manufacturing, retail, and food service) in the global south and we maintain offices in India, the US, and Latin America.

We have over 100 global full-time staff across offices worldwide, 17 completed and 16+ ongoing projects across gender, skilling, workplace environment, and health issues, and over 200,000 workers directly impacted.

Length of Commitment: At least 1 year

Location: Bengaluru / Delhi

Remuneration: 25-35 lacs p.a (Negotiable depending on experience and qualification)

Start Date: ASAP (applications accepted on a rolling basis)

Role Summary:

The Program Manager will enable efficient and effective program execution for the Women’s Economic Advancement project currently underway in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the Automotive Components Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). The project focuses on improving women’s participation in paid work, retention, and growth in the automotive sector through a holistic approach focused on conducting diagnostic research, designing solutions, evaluating interventions, and disseminating the results at scale. In partnership with Executive Sponsor and technical leads, the Program Manager will orchestrate the daily program needs across the duration of the engagement, which is 18 months, and started in November 2023.

Qualification & Experience:

(The areas of knowledge and expertise that matter most for this role)

• Minimum 8 years of professional experience, with at least 2 years of work as a management consultant.
• Experience in large corporate environments. Social impact and/or automotive sector experience is a plus.
• Significant experience with project management – managing timelines, processes, and teams of 4+ resources.
• Strong communication skills – written and verbal – and a high degree of comfort presenting to internal and external audiences.
• Highly organized and capable of keeping multiple processes running at once.
• Deep understanding of budgets and tracking spend to target over an extended period of time.
• Amiable and poised leader who maintains high standards of professionalism for the project team.

Roles & Responsibilities:

(Areas that will play to your strength and all the responsibilities we will trust you with)

• Program Planning & ScopingManage overall program scope, including timelines, deliverables, and progress reports.
• Assign tasks and responsibilities to different workstream leads based on the scope and project plan.
• Ensure internal reviews of all project materials (presentations, reports, notes, among others) prior to final presentations and submissions
• Monitor progress against key goals and maintain team focus on activities that drive highest priority program requirements
• Identify, assess, and manage risks associated with the project
• Foster a culture of innovation and agility to meet project goals
• Maintain a commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and promote appropriate protocols, processes, and behaviors
• Resource planningWork with the program team and discipline heads to plan resources, adjust allocations, and ensure adequate staffing.
• Manage program financials, including hours allocations, outlays, and projections, in partnership with finance.
• Stakeholder ManagementFacilitate all high-level internal and external meetings, including scheduling, agenda setting, documenting and synthesizing discussions, pursuing follow-ups
• Assist the project team with preparation for any presentations
• Manage and mitigate any crisis (internal or external)
• CommunicationsEnsure that all involved parties are up-to-speed in the current state of work and upcoming milestones.
• Managing stakeholder relationships and communications, collaborating with partnerships manager

What should you be comfortable with?

• A dynamic environment with competing priorities.
• Working in a team with shared responsibilities.
• Independently coordinating with coworkers to accomplish goals.
• Being resourceful in new environments and scenarios.
• Problem-solving in high-pressure environments.
• Adapting your approach, being focused on the problem and not being stuck to one idea or way of solving a problem.

How to apply?

Please make sure to include in your cover letter: a concise explanation of why you want to be part of the GBL Team, how your skills can support us in this role, and how this position can support you in achieving your career goals.

Perks of working with us:

There are plenty of benefits at GBL, here are some examples:

Flexible leave policy: Time away from work can be extremely helpful for maintaining a healthy work/life balance. GBL encourages managers and leadership to set the example by taking time off when needed and ensuring their team members do the same. We don’t have a strict limit on paid leaves, only suggested (extremely liberal) averages.

Flexible working hours: We recognize that a better work-life balance can improve employee motivation, performance, and productivity, and reduce stress. The basis of our norms pertaining to this is a system of trust in each other and our common goals.

Training and Development: GBL team members can set aside 10% of their work time / around 4 hours a week to improve their skills/knowledge on a subject that they think will help them perform their job better. There is a separate budget set out for this. We encourage all employees to focus both on technical and soft skills. We also facilitate employee mentorship programs.

GBL Care Systems: As an organization, we are committed to ensuring the well-being of our team members and creating a thriving work environment- because that gives us, together, the best chance at achieving our shared mission and sparking joy at work. We do this by partnering with organizations such The Mindclan, Therapize among others for workshops and other wellbeing-related initiatives.

Growth-oriented review policy: To foster collaboration, we have adopted regular 360 reviews and check-ins among team members. We see a manager’s role beyond what is expected from them by conventional management thinkers. Apart from delivering high-quality work, managers are responsible for the holistic development of their team members. This can be achieved through practices inspired by coaching philosophy.

Additional benefits:

Wellbeing budget: This includes an individual budget for each team member that they can claim reimbursement for things such as therapy, any physical-health related activity and home office setup. Additionally, there’s a separate budget for Managers for care packages or any other team activities. There’s also a budget for our People Operations team to organize team-wide activities or provide mental health services in collaboration with organizations like Therapize and Mindclan.

Informal virtual and in-person hangs and activities!

Recent projects and blog posts:

To acclimatize yourself with some of our work, you can read our blog posts on Medium, and also go through our LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

The process:

We are glad you’re interested in applying for this role! Here is an excerpt of the screening process overview which can take up to 6-8 weeks (from the date of the application deadline).

• CV & Cover Letter screening
• Phone Conversation (15 mins)
• Interview round

Our commitment to diversity:

GBL is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, physical disability, or length of time spent unemployed. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We offer traditional monetary workplace benefits such as insurance and travel allowance. We are a young and growing company making us the ideal ground for team members to experiment, take on dynamic roles, and grow with us. We focus on happiness, output, and quality of work.

If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know during the recruiting process.

Note: By clicking on the ‘apply for this job’ button, you confirm that you understand and accept GBL’s Privacy Policy. You also understand that GBL has zero-tolerance against sexual harassment/ exploitation /abuse/misconduct (“SEA”). You confirm and declare that you have never been convicted by any court of law and/or you have never been subjected to any sanctions or inquiry or proceedings (be it disciplinary, administrative, civil, or criminal) arising from an investigation in relation to sexual harassment/abuse/misconduct or left employment pending investigation and refused to cooperate in such an investigation.

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Voluntary Demographics Questions: Thanks so much for applying to work with us at Good Business Lab! We care deeply about developing inclusive practices that mitigate bias and cultivate diversity. Our hiring process is structured, our role requirements are based on skills rather than traditional experience, and we dedicate resources to make sure our job postings reach people with diverse backgrounds and identities. To understand the strengths and gaps of our hiring process, it helps us to know more about the demographic makeup of our candidate pool. Answering these questions is entirely voluntary and the demographics you share will not be linked to – nor have an impact on – your application. However, it will help us continue centering our focus on DEI at GBL. Reply with “yes” if you’ve read the above.

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Will you need any accommodations during the interview process? * We know interviews aren’t brain-friendly for everyone, and we want to ensure that our process is accessible no matter your needs so that you can shine during the interview process. In the past, we’ve accommodated requests for extended interview time, interview questions in writing rather than just being asked verbally, interviews in different time zones, and more. We operate on a trust-based system and won’t require any medical documentation. Please let us know if there are any accommodations that would allow you to show up as your best self.