Senior Project Manager, Integrated Landscapes Project

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%).