Innovation Lab Manager

About the Company

Polaris School of Technology is India’s industry-first tech college, built in collaboration with Google, AWS and Microsoft.

About the Role : Makerspace Manager at Polaris School of Technology

The Innovation Lab is a hands-on makerspace supporting students in prototyping, fabrication, and electronics. This role is the operational backbone of the space: keeping equipment running, welcoming and guiding walk-in students, and rapid prototyping complex hardware products.

Responsibilities

1. Equipment Maintenance & Lab Operations (primary)

• Maintain, calibrate, troubleshoot, and repair all lab equipment (3D printers, soldering stations,electronics benches, hand and power tools).
• Track and manage inventory of consumables (filament, solder, flux, wire, components, connectors)and initiate procurement of replacements.
• Keep software/firmware on lab machines and workstations up to date (slicers, CAD, KiCadtoolchain).
• Establish and enforce safety protocols; create and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs)and equipment usage guidelines.
• Assess existing equipment and recommend new purchases; assist with budget planning.
• Build and document pipelines/processes to streamline procurement and other operationalworkflows (purchase requests, inventory tracking, equipment booking, maintenance schedules).

2. On-the-Job Training (OJT) Support

• Support students undertaking OJTs at the lab: onboarding, equipment access, day-to-day technicalguidance.
• Help scope OJT projects to available lab equipment and student skill level.
• Track OJT student progress and coordinate with supervising faculty/staff.
• Ensure OJT students follow lab safety protocols.

3. Weekly Workshops & Training

• Design, schedule, and host recurring introductory sessions, including:
• Introduction to 3D Printing (printer operation, slicing, materials)
• Introduction to CAD (parametric modeling for fabrication)
• Introduction to KiCad (schematic capture, PCB layout)
• Soldering (through-hole and SMD basics, safety)
• Digital Electronics (logic, microcontrollers, breadboarding)
• Develop supporting materials: handouts, example projects, training checklists. Iterate curriculumbased on student feedback and uptake.

4. Walk-in Student Support

• Serve as the first point of contact for all walk-in students during lab hours.
• Guide students through safe, correct use of equipment; provide project-level design and fabricationadvice.
• Create per-equipment training guidelines (e.g., required training hours before independent use of agiven machine).
• Foster a welcoming, low-barrier environment for students with no prior experience.

5. Showcase Projects (Tech × AI × Art)

• Build exemplary projects at the intersection of technology, AI, and art that showcase what makingcan bring to the table — for students and anyone else.
• Aim for large-scale installations that give the lab and the campus a living, breathing feel — ambient,interactive pieces people encounter in shared spaces, not shelf demos.
• Use showcase projects as reference material in workshops and OJT project scoping.

Qualifications

• Required Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in engineering, design, or related technical field (or equivalent demonstrated hands-on experience).

Required Skills

• Hands-on expertise with 3D printers, soldering, and basic electronics prototyping.
• Proficiency in at least one CAD package and working familiarity with KiCad (or ability to pick it upquickly).
• Experience teaching or mentoring beginners in technical skills.
• Strong safety awareness; ability to write and enforce SOPs.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Strong communication skills across students, faculty, and staff.

Preferred Skills

• Preferred Qualifications- Prior experience running or working in a makerspace, fab lab, or university lab.
• Experience with additional fabrication tools (laser cutting, CNC).
• Embedded systems / microcontroller experience (Arduino, ESP32, RP2040, etc.).
• Experience supervising student assistants or volunteers.
• Experience developing workshop curricula or community education programming.