Description

BACKGROUND:

Passing Gifts Private Limited (PGPL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Heifer International USA and it provides services in educating, consulting, training, advising, and providing professional and technical services to individuals, associations, and entities in India and abroad, particularly those who support or are working in the areas of social advancement and sustainable development. This position may also require service agreements, secondment agreements, between entities, etc.

PGPL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identify, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.

FUNCTION:

The Senior Project Manager reporting to the Project Director, the Project Director will autonomously provide strategic technical Signature Programs leadership and implementation. S/he will be responsible for Signature Project design for permanency, scale and impact collaborative working. S/he will be a Market Systems & Value Chain expert. The post holder must have a strong understanding and practical hands-on experience in project management, facilitating project partners with required project implementation skills, working with different stakeholders, Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) business development and Capability building. Business Acumen and management will be critical for systemic management and effective leadership.

S/he will also be responsible for signature projects implementation, donor reporting, and field-level management while ensuring the highest standards in compliance with obligations and results according to signed agreements. S/he, therefore, enforces quality assurance with programs and is responsible for the quality and work performance of all relevant Signature Program staff.

The cluster level Project Managers will report directly to the Senior Project Manager.

RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Ensuring Programmatic Excellence - Quality and Effective Management (50%)

• Mainstream the VBHCD model in signature projects, including SHG, PMC, PIMC, CAVE, PSRP, and personal leadership;

• Proactively build co-designing relationships for in-country signature programming effectiveness;

• Collect and analyze program data, sharing lessons learned and best practices for improvements;

• Contribute to the development and implementation of strategies, standards, tools, and best practices in Project Quality;

• Provide strategic leadership for Country Signature Programming design, goals setting, and business review processes;

• Manage agreed project outcomes/impact against schedules and budgets, ensuring compliance with SLAs;

• Ensure application of best standards, principles, processes, and tools for high quality implementation;

• Collaborate with partners and project staff to adopt effective project quality standards;

• Design initiatives that uphold and improve program quality, innovation, and learning on Signature projects;

• Provide technical leadership for preparing, designing, submitting, and approving project concepts and proposals;

• Monitor project quality through regular meetings, field visits, and communication;

• Ensure cluster-level Program Managers execute approved work plan activities and recommend adjustments;

• Implement a market system approach in Signature project design;

• Manage Signature Projects effectively, mitigating risks in each phase of project implementation;

• Ensure accountability and compliance with donor requirements;

• Provide project-related reports and presentations as required.

B. Partnerships and Capacity Improvement (20%)

• Ensure compliance with set standards, donor guidelines, transparency, and policy requirements;

• Establish and nurture new partnerships while maintaining strong communication with stakeholders;

• Develop standardized approaches, practices, tools, and measurements for partnership and capacity strengthening;

• Identify and create inter-organizational networks to strengthen the capacities of local partners;

• Collaborate with local government and NGOs in the convergence of project activities;

• Obtain and review monitoring and evaluation reports from field offices, making recommendations;

• Maintain Signature Project documentation;

• Establish a Triadic Partnership model between Passing Gifts team, partner, and community.

C. Budget Management and Monitoring (25%)

• Ensure development of annual budgets and work plans consistent with program documents;

• Support project teams in reviewing and updating work plans and budgets in response to emerging challenges;

• Undertake monthly budget monitoring and variance analysis with all Program Managers in collaboration with the Finance department;

• Review and track spending to adhere to annual budgets;

• Ensure corrective management actions are taken based on budget monitoring reports;

• Collaborate with MELS and Finance teams in reviewing project reports (Donor, quarterly, semi- annual, and annual).

D. Any Other Assigned Function (5%)

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree plus seven (7) years of relevant experience OR Master’s degree plus five (5) years

of relevant experience in in Social Work, Rural Development or equibalance subjects, Project

Planning and Management, Agriculture, Agribusiness and Animal Science or other relevant qualification added preference;

• Relevant experience in Program management, managing project partners, project team and community development work;

• Team leadership skills, teamwork with good abilities of addressing conflicts amongst diverse teams and constituents;

• Good experience in annual work planning and budgeting and budget monitoring;

• A good understanding of monitoring and evaluation processes;

• Fluent in Hindi, English, and the local language (spoken and written);

• Good leadership qualities and communication skills;

• Interest in animal/agriculture-based community development;

• Excellent organizational skills with a strong attention to detail.

ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES

• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to navigate challenging situations to achieve goals and deadlines;

• Demonstrate a high degree of honesty and integrity;

• Motivated to work responsibly with little supervision;

• Ability to meet and deal with others in a courteous and tactful manner;

• Ability to work with sensitive information and to always maintain confidentiality;

• Ability and willingness to work a flexible schedule;

• Fluent in Hindi, English, and Local Language spoken as well as written;

• Have an interest in animals/agriculture community development;

• Willingness and ability to travel locally and internationally;

• Knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, PowerPoint, web designing, collaboration platform and tools, and electronic mail software (Microsoft preferred);

• Constant sitting, standing and walking, with occasional bending and lifting; may work at a computer for extended periods of time.