- Location: Pan-India (Bengaluru base preferred)
Function: OEM Partnerships • Lab Strategy & Setup • Operations (Procurement/AMC/Upgrades) • Industry Interface
Reports to: Program Director, TECHLEAP
Works with: Academic Lead, Procurement/Finance, College Admin, OEMs/Integrators, Master Trainers
Role purpose
Own the technology side of TECHLEAP end-to-end: read market demand, translate it into lab designs that maximize utilization and employability, coordinate OEMs, and drive procurement, installation/commissioning, AMC, and upgrades. Partner with the Academic Lead so that lab capabilities and course roadmaps evolve in lockstep with industry needs.
Key Responsibilities
1) Market Demand → Lab Strategy
- Scan industry demand across Automation, Robotics, IIoT, EV, Renewable, Semiconductor, etc.
- Recommend lab setups, location, and sequencing based on demand, student profile, and budget.
- Define job-role → skills → equipment matrices to ensure employability outcomes.
2) Lab Design & Specification
- Architect lab layouts, BoM/BoQ, and utilization plans.
- Select kits and OEM stacks (FANUC, SMC, Schneider, ABB, etc.) ensuring interoperability.
- Align lab capability with assessments and certifications.
3) OEM Partnerships & Commercial Coordination
- Serve as main contact for OEMs/integrators: demos, pilots, pricing, SLAs, warranties.
- Negotiate agreements, AMC terms, spares, and maintain vendor roster.
- Coordinate Master Trainer availability with OEM academies.
4) Procurement, Setup & Commissioning
- Drive RFP/RFQ, vendor evaluation, and capex planning; ensure compliance.
- Oversee delivery, installation, integration, FAT/SAT, documentation, and handover.
5) Operations, AMC & Upgrades
- Manage preventive maintenance, ticketing, AMC execution; maintain ≥95% uptime.
- Plan hardware/software upgrades with Academic Lead.
- Track consumables, licenses, and calibration schedules.
6) Utilization & Corporate Programs
- Ensure ≥80% weekday lab utilization and weekend corporate bookings.
- Support industry projects and POCs for real employment pathways.
7) Compliance, Safety & Risk
- Enforce EHS, machine safety, SOPs, and incident CAPA.
- Ensure compliance with college and government skill schemes.
8) Data, Reporting & Audits
- Maintain asset registers, utilization dashboards, and cost-to-serve analytics.
- Lead technical audits and publish quarterly Lab Health & Utilization reports.
Qualifications & Experience
- 8+ years in industrial automation, robotics, mechatronics, IIoT, or related domains; experience with OEMs, system integrators, or educational labs preferred.
- Proven track record in delivering lab setups, production cells, or test rigs (spec → procurement → installation → commissioning → AMC).
- Hands-on knowledge of PLC/SCADA/HMI, robotics & vision, sensors/drives/pneumatics, edge/IIoT (OPC-UA/MQTT), and basic MES/OEE.
- Skilled in negotiating technical and commercial terms with OEMs; experience in multi-site rollouts is a plus.
Skills & Attributes
- Systems thinker with strong documentation discipline (BoM/BoQ, layouts, SOPs).
- Vendor management, commercial acumen, and project management (Gantt, risk, budget).
- Collaborative, able to bridge academics and industry; excellent written and verbal communication.
- Willing to travel 40–60% for OEM visits, site readiness, installations, and audits.
Success Metrics (KPIs)
- Lab utilization: ≥80% on weekdays (students) and ≥70% on weekends (corporate programs).
- Equipment performance: ≥95% uptime and ≤48-hour MTTR for critical assets.
- Project delivery: ≥90% of setup and upgrade milestones achieved on schedule.
- Financial discipline: procurement within approved BoQ and AMC within budget.
- Employment outcomes: lab capabilities aligned to job roles with placement/OJT targets met in collaboration with Academic and Employability teams.
- Stakeholder satisfaction: OEM SLA rating ≥4/5 and College/Academic NPS ≥+50.