About RTIH

The Ratan Tata Innovation Hub (RTIH) is a Section 8 company established under the Government of Andhra Pradesh through the Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society (APIS). As the State’s principal platform for innovation, incubation, and entrepreneurship, RTIH leads a Hub-and-Spoke network connecting five regional innovation foundations across Andhra Pradesh. Its vision—under the AP Innovation & Startup Policy (2024–2029)—is to make Andhra Pradesh a lighthouse of inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship.

Position

Head – Incubation

Role Overview

The Head – Incubation is a senior leadership role responsible for designing, executing, and managing RTIH Visakhapatnam's full incubation and acceleration ecosystem. This role goes beyond managing a single centre — it is accountable for driving grassroots innovation across all districts in the Visakhapatnam Spoke, building a pipeline of ventures from student ideas to investable startups, and operationalizing RTIH's Hub-and-Spoke incubation model.

The role spans Startup Incubation, Pre-Incubation, Social & Rural Entrepreneurship, MSME acceleration, Student Entrepreneurship, and district-level outreach. The incumbent will work closely with the Visakhapatnam Spoke CEO and the Group Head of Incubation (RTIH Amaravati) to ensure coherence across programs and consistent standards of service.

Key Responsibilities

A. Program Design & Execution

• Develop and oversee incubation and acceleration frameworks across the RTIH Visakhapatnam network.
• Establish standard operating procedures for startup onboarding, evaluation, and graduation.
• Curate sector-specific cohorts aligned with State priorities and RTIH’s thematic focus areas.
• Ensure incubation centres across Spokes maintain consistent standards of service delivery and impact measurement through close liaison with Hub (RTIH Amaravati Foundation).
• Collaborate with mentors, experts, and academic partners to strengthen startup capability-building modules.

B. District-Level Outreach & Grassroots Innovation

• Lead RTIH Vizag's district coverage strategy, ensuring active innovation scouting and engagement across all 7+ districts of the Spoke: Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Alluri Sitharama Raju, Anakapalli, Kakinada, and East Godavari.
• Operationalize Training of Trainers (ToT) programs for district field staff to enable last-mile innovation outreach.
• Run outreach campaigns — bootcamps, hackathons, college connect programs — to identify grassroots innovators, women entrepreneurs, and rural MSMEs across all districts.

B. Startup Selection & Portfolio Management

• • Lead the call-for-applications and selection process for startups under RTIH’s programs.
  • Guide Spoke teams in identifying, evaluating, and nurturing high-potential startups from across Andhra Pradesh.
  • Monitor the progress of incubated startups through structured review mechanisms and milestone tracking.
  • Design mechanisms for performance-based support, graduation, and post-incubation linkages.

C. Mentorship & Ecosystem Building

• • Expand and manage RTIH’s mentor pool, ensuring startups have access to domain experts, investors, and industry leaders.
  • Facilitate regular mentoring clinics, review boards, and demo days.
  • Coordinate with the Head – Partnerships for joint initiatives involving corporates, VCs, and academic institutions.
  • Build partnerships specifically focused on incubation programs—such as accelerator tie-ups, research labs, and testbeds.

D. Monitoring, Impact & Reporting

• • Establish KPIs and impact measurement frameworks for all incubation activities.
  • Prepare periodic dashboards for the Group CEO and Board summarizing startup performance, outcomes, and learnings.
  • Ensure data-driven decision-making through systematic use of RTIH’s digital platforms.

E. Strategic Input & Leadership

• • Contribute to policy formulation, funding models, and incubation strategy under the Visakhapatnam Spoke’s CEO’s guidance.
  • Provide inputs for new program proposals, MoUs, and grant applications related to incubation.
  • Represent RTIH at ecosystem events, conferences, and government platforms related to innovation and entrepreneurship.
  • Lead and manage the incubation team deputed from the GSWS Department, providing training, guidance, and performance oversight for program executives, interns, and coordinators across all Spoke locations.

F. Focus Areas

• Automotive & EV Systems
• Hybrid Renewable Energy
• Agri & Food Processing
• Logistics & Warehousing
• Defence & Aerospace
• `Sector-agnostic innovations across emerging and cross-cutting domains

Qualifications & Experience

• MBA/PGDM (Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Management, or equivalent) or equivalent.
  • Minimum 7 years of experience in managing incubation, acceleration, or innovation programs.
  • Demonstrated track record of working with startups, incubators, or government innovation missions.
• Experience with grassroots / rural / social entrepreneurship programs (SIE, SHG-linked models, district-level outreach) is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with public–private partnerships, CSR-funded programs, and national startup ecosystem dynamics (DPIIT, DST, APIS, ANRF, etc.).
  • Strong understanding of startup lifecycle, fundraising, and business-model validation.
  • Familiarity with public–private partnerships, CSR-funded programs, and national startup ecosystem dynamics.
  • Excellent communication and team leadership skills with the ability to work across institutions

Core Competencies

• • Strategic thinking and operational excellence in startup incubation.
  • Stakeholder management across academia, corporates, and government.
  • Data-driven decision-making and program evaluation.
  • Strong mentoring orientation and entrepreneurial mindset.
  • Integrity, ownership, and commitment to RTIH’s mission of inclusive innovation.

Compensation: ₹12–18 lakhs per annum (CTC), based on experience and interview performance.