Program Manager- Odisha

Location: Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Organisation: Aikyam Foundation
Reports to: Head, Aikyam Foundation

About Aikyam
Aikyam works to strengthen Indias institutional response to youth mental health. Founded by Manisha Dhawan, Aikyam partners with governments and education institutions to design, implement, and embed structured, evidence-backed mental health systems that can be sustained over time.Although psychological distress affects a significant share of college-going youth, most institutions lack the systems required to respond trained personnel, identification protocols, referral pathways, and implementation frameworks. Institutional action remains fragmented, and few models exist for coordinated reform. Aikyams work spans two domains:

• System and knowledge design: institutional diagnostics, delivery frameworks, and policy-relevant tools tailored to the education
• Context Execution and scale: partnerships with states and institutions to operationalise and embed mental health systems

We are a founding partner of the India Mental Health Alliance (IMHA) and work closely with the Ashoka Centre for Well-being (ACWB) to connect research, policy, and practice. Aikyam is supported by leading institutions in the public and philanthropic sector. In Odisha, Aikyam is partnering with the Higher Education Department to design and roll out a statewide institutional mental health reform program, working closely with universities, colleges, and other relevant government departments.

Position Summary

The Project Manager will be the single-point person for coordinating and driving Aikyams work in Odisha managing the interface between Aikyam, the Higher Education Department, other relevant state departments, and HEIs.The role combines government liaison, institutional engagement, program delivery, and cross-department coordination, ensuring that the mental health reform agenda moves from design to sustained implementation across the state.

Key Responsibilities

Government & Multi-Department Coordination

• Act as the primary liaison between Aikyam and the Higher Education Department, while engaging with other relevant departments (e.g., Health, Youth Affairs, Social Justice) for integrated delivery.
• Support the Nodal Officer and senior officials in advancing policy decisions and inter-departmental coordination.
• Facilitate high-level review meetings, steering committees, and working groups.

Institutional Engagement & Program Delivery

• Coordinate directly with universities and colleges to roll out diagnostics, training, and implementation frameworks.
• Ensure institutional readiness and smooth adoption of reform measures.
• Address operational bottlenecks and escalate systemic issues for resolution.

Work Planning & Reporting

• Maintain a clear, time-bound implementation plan and track progress against deliverables.
• Provide regular updates, briefs, and presentations to both the government and Aikyam leadership.
• Support evidence generation and documentation of implementation learnings.

Technical & Policy Support

• Work with Aikyams technical experts to adapt global and national best practices for Odishas context.
• Draft policy inputs, toolkits, and capacity-building materials for HEIs.

Qualifications & Experience

• 4-6 years in public policy, government advisory, program management.
• Proven experience working with or within government, ideally in multi-stakeholder environments.
• Excellent skills in government liaison, facilitation, and stakeholder management.
• Strong planning, problem-solving, and documentation skills.
• Background in education, mental health, or public health preferred but not mandatory.
• Willingness to travel extensively within Odisha. Preferred: Odia speaking

Why Join Us

This is a unique opportunity to be the linchpin of a statewide mental health reform working directly with senior government leadership and higher education institutions to embed a sustainable, system-wide response to youth mental health needs.