Innovation & Grants
/Senior leadership
Grants & Innovation Funding Lead (Government Programmes)
Win non-dilutive funding: government grants, innovation schemes, R&D incentives.
Compensation
INR 15,00,000 - 30,00,000 per annum
Engagement
Full-Time
Permanent role. Full-time commitment. Primarily on-site, with limited remote flexibility.
Scope of role
Set direction within your domain. Build and mentor a team. Own outcomes at the function level.
01 — The role
Why this role exists at EduRankAI
EduRankAI deliberately takes no external equity funding — independence keeps our decisions unbiased and our judgement clear. That makes non-dilutive capital strategic: government research grants, startup and innovation schemes, R&D tax incentives, education and skilling missions, and space/defence innovation challenges. You will own this entire function: knowing every programme we qualify for, writing applications that win, and managing compliance so the money keeps flowing.
02 — The work
What you will own
- 01 Map and track every relevant funding programme: national and state startup missions, R&D grants, education/skilling schemes, innovation challenges, and incubation benefits.
- 02 Own the grant pipeline end to end: eligibility analysis, application writing, budgets, submission, follow-through.
- 03 Write technically credible proposals with founders and engineers — substance, not padding.
- 04 Manage post-award compliance: utilisation certificates, milestone reporting, audits.
- 05 Build relationships with programme officers, incubators, and government innovation bodies.
- 06 Advise leadership on structuring projects to be fundable without distorting the mission.
03 — The expertise
What we look for
04 — The bar
Who thrives here
- → 6-12 years in grants, innovation funding, incubation, or public-programme management.
- → Grants you personally won — names and amounts, verifiable.
- → Understanding of deep-tech domains (AI, XR, aerospace) strong enough to write about them honestly.
05 — Hiring process
What to expect after you apply
- 01
Application review
Every application is read personally within five business days. We respond either way.
- 02
Take-home or live exercise
Role-specific. Time-boxed. Real problems we are actually working on, not invented puzzles.
- 03
Conversations
Deep technical and values conversations with the team you would join. No trick questions. No panel ambushes.
- 04
Offer or honest no
If yes: digital offer letter, signed in-portal, transparent terms. If no: written feedback if you want it.
Before you start
What we will collect. What it costs. What we will not do with it.
We will collect
- Name, email, phone — Account + application updates. No marketing.
- Resume / portfolio link — Human review of your work.
- Date + place of birth — Identity verification only.
- Your written responses — Selection rubric. Read by humans.
- Government ID (later) — Anti-fraud at offer / interview stage. Not at signup.
We will never
- Sell your data
- Share with third-party recruiters
- Use for advertising
- Train models on it
- Send marketing email
Our situation
EduRankAI is a small, independent organization building long-term capabilities in educational intelligence, advanced AI systems, and research infrastructure. We take no advertiser money, no donations with strings attached, and no investor pressure on hiring decisions. Applying is free, and every application is read by a human — recruitment, technical, academic and leadership teams. It buys us the right to be honest.
Ready to apply?
We read every application personally. If you are the right person for this role — regardless of pedigree, background, or where you are based — you will hear back from us within five business days.
Lead Full-Time