India AI is currently inviting applications for the position of Deputy General Manager – Application Development (Innovation Challenges) purely on Contract/ Consolidated basis.

Last date of Application: 01.06.2026

The place of posting shall be in New Delhi but transferable to project locations of IndiaAI as per existing policy of IndiaAI.

Roles & Responsibilities

1. Lead the Innovation Challenges workstream of the IndiaAI Application Development Pillar, providing strategic direction and programmatic oversight for all Innovation Challenges, Hackathons, Grant Programmes, and open innovation initiatives.
2. Develop the annual calendar of Challenges and Hackathons across priority sectors including healthcare, agriculture, education, climate resilience, governance, cybersecurity, MSMEs, mining, infrastructure, and finance.
3. Partner with Ministries, Departments, Public Autonomous Bodies, State Governments, and regulatory bodies to identify sector-specific problem statements and co-develop Challenge themes aligned with national priorities.
4. Determine the appropriate sourcing route for each problem statement — Innovation Challenge, Hackathon, RFP, or in-house development— based on problem maturity, solution space, and sectoral considerations.
5. Oversee the formulation of Challenge structures, including eligibility criteria, evaluation frameworks, two-stage selection processes, prototype development milestones, prize structures, and work order arrangements of up to 1–2 years for winning solutions.
6. Coordinate with AI Curation Units under AIKosh, MoU partners, and external technical teams for problem statement refinement, dataset curation, and evaluation support.
7. Ensure strong outreach and engagement with India’s AI innovation ecosystem — startups, academia, research institutions, industry — to drive high-quality participation in Challenges.
8. Oversee evaluation processes, including constitution of juries and technical evaluation committees, solution assessments, prototype validation, and final winner selection.
9. Provide structured support to shortlisted and winning teams through curated dataset provisioning, financial support for pilots, inferencing infrastructure, solution performance testing guidance, and deployment mentoring.
10. Ensure all Challenges and sourcing mechanisms comply with Government of India procurement normsand with responsible AI principles including safety, fairness, transparency, and accountability.
11. Track and report progress on annual targets for AI applications and prototypes supported through the Innovation Challenges workstream, and contribute to the Pillar’s overall KPI framework.
12. Coordinate with the other team members to facilitate the transition of winning solutions into deployment, integration with government workflows, and scaling through Mission Mode Projects, vendor empanelment, or direct ministry adoption.
13. Ensure all Challenges are hosted and managed through the AIKosh platform, contributing to the central repository of solution providers, solutions, datasets, and try-out environments.
14. Prepare progress reports, decision notes, and presentations for IndiaAI leadership, partner Ministries, and senior government stakeholders; and identify new Challenge formats and delivery models to continuously improve programme reach, quality, and impact.
15. Lead, mentor, and develop the Innovation Challenges team including the Ecosystem Engagement Manager and supporting team members.

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About India AI

The IndiaAI Mission aims to build a comprehensive ecosystem that fosters AI innovation by democratizing computing access, enhancing data quality, developing indigenous AI capabilities, attracting top AI talent, enabling industry collaboration, providing startup risk capital, ensuring socially impactful AI projects, and promoting ethical AI. This mission drives responsible and inclusive growth of India’s AI ecosystem through seven pillars.