POSITION SUMMARY:
Rainforest Alliance India is recruiting a Senior Project Manager to lead the implementation of the Integrated Landscapes Project (2022-2027) funded by the Global Environment Facility, transforming agricultural systems and strengthening local economies in high biodiversity areas of India through sustainable landscape management and public-private finance. The project will promote sustainable land use in commodity production landscapes in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka States. The project is in its mid-term with partners and teams already onboarded and actively working towards the project goals. The postholder will be based in Delhi/NCR, lead a project team of staff, consultants and partners and maintain close relations with government Ministries to ensure project’s alignment with national agricultural policies. The Senior Project Manager will lead the project management unit (PMU), comprising core staff and key partners, to make decisions collaboratively. The postholder will lead the annual work planning, donor reporting and budgeting process in close coordination with the Director-South Asia.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- The Rainforest Alliance’s Core Values are Impact, Change, Collaboration, Openness and Trust and as such they form the basis of the behaviours we demonstrate;
- Lead an integrated work planning and budgeting process in coordination with Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS), BAIF and Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), which will be key members of the Project Management Unit (PMU); secure approval of annual work plans and budgets from Steering Committee and Implementing Agencies (IAs)- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN);
- Lead all aspects of the project implementation as a cohesive and efficient operation, ensuring that staff, consultants and sub-contractors have clear roles and the information and resources needed to fulfill them;
- In coordination with the Director, South Asia lead the project staff in accordance with Rainforest Alliance’s HR policy, including recruitment when necessary;
- Lead, complete and high-quality narrative and financial reporting as per project requirements for submission to the two IAs and project steering committee;
- Prepare annual work plans and budgets for endorsement by the Project Steering Committee (PSC) and approval by UNEP, and keep PSC informed of project progress;
- Maintain close and regular communication with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoAFW), MoEF&CC and other government Ministries whose portfolio is relevant to the project, for the purpose of aligning with government policies and seeking opportunities for convergence with government programmes;
- Maintain regular communication with the regional and international teams of thematic and programme specialists in Rainforest Alliance, including communications, and secure their contributions to the project as required;
- Serve as member of Rainforest Alliance India senior staff, participating in meetings and ensuring that project activities are consistent with strategy and contribute to growth; and
- Play active role in close coordination with Director – South Asia in identifying and developing opportunities for generating new resources to support expansion of project activities and strategic growth of Rainforest Alliance in India.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Education: A post-graduation qualification in agronomy, agriculture, environmental sciences, natural resource management or similar.
- Work Experience: At least 10 years of demonstrable, relevant, project/ program management experience leading preferably internationally funded large projects, in the area of agricultural development and/or sustainable landscape planning and development. Experience in managing and motivating team members to ensure effective project implementation, in addition to facilitating partners and local community mobilization in the project landscapes;
- Experience of working in market-systems development/value chains projects, and understanding of corporate cultures;
- Confirmed experience (5 years’) working with ministries or national institutions in India that are concerned with natural resource and/or environmental management;
- Financial literacy essential, and experience of having worked directly with financial institutions will be desirable;
- Extremely motivated, resilient, result-oriented and confident in managing large-scale projects with excellent communication skills required to ensure sound coordination among partners, consultants and project teams.
- Travel Requirements - Ability to travel to the project landscapes, as and when required (up to 40%).
Level: 2
Deadline: 13 June 2025
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Notes: Only candidates legally authorized to work in Delhi, India will be considered.
If you have any questions about the job vacancy, please contact the HR department: [email protected]
The Rainforest Alliance encourages diversity and inclusion across the global organization. With this commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, disability and any other protected group.
