Field Operations Lead (Sustainable Rice Farming Project)

About CottonGuru

CottonGuru is a leading force in sustainable agriculture and climate-smart farming, trusted by global partners to source traceable, ethical, and low-carbon agricultural products directly from smallholder farmers. Our network spans 100,000+ smallholder growers across 270+ Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), united under a national federation to drive transformative change in Indian agriculture.

We operate at the intersection of agriculture, climate, and carbon markets — partnering with international carbon credit buyers and agri-produce companies. Our mission is to decarbonize agricultural supply chains through low-impact, high-productivity farming practices, while improving rural livelihoods and empowering smallholder farmers across India.

About the Project

We are driving a pioneering initiative in sustainable rice cultivation across Maharashtra and Telangana, with a focus on promoting Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) and other climate-smart techniques. Our mission is to improve farmer livelihoods, reduce water usage, and build scalable agri-climate solutions that create long-term environmental and social impact.

Role Overview

field operations

Key Responsibilities

Partnership Development & Management

• Lead and maintain strong partnerships with

  FPOs, NGOs, SHGs, and local institutions

  .
• Select and onboard implementation partners; oversee performance and compliance.

Stakeholder & Farmer Engagement

• Design and execute farmer engagement strategies to maximize adoption of AWD practices.
• Serve as the primary liaison between ground partners and senior management.

Project Operations & Scale-Up

• Develop strategies to

  scale the project

  across new regions and farmer groups.
• Track and report project learnings, field challenges, and partner updates.
• Conduct

  regular field visits

  for compliance audits, farmer interactions, and partner reviews.

Reporting & Monitoring

• Maintain robust documentation of partner activities, farmer adoption, and audit findings.
• Provide structured updates to management on progress, gaps, and recommendations.
• Support internal and external audits, ensuring high-quality compliance standards.

What We Are Looking For:

Background & Skills

• Minimum

  3+ years of experience

  working with smallholder farmers (NGOs, FPOs, SHGs, agri-input companies, or rural development projects).

• B.Sc. Agriculture

  required;

  M.Sc. Agriculture

  is a plus.
• Strong skills in

  stakeholder management, communication, and relationship-building

  .
• High motivation to work in

  sustainability and agri-climate-tech

  .

• Willingness to travel extensively

  across project sites.

Cultural Fit & Values

• Entrepreneurial mindset with ability to

  independently drive scale

  .
• Strong sense of ownership, accountability, and local community connection.
• Local roots are

  extremely important

  – candidates from rice farming families are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Fluency in

  English, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu

  ; knowledge of local dialects is an advantage.

What We Offer

• Lead and scale

  a high-impact, climate-smart agriculture project.

• Performance- and impact-linked compensation

  , designed to reward results.

• Flexible, supportive work environment

  with a close-knit, collaborative culture.

• Career growth opportunities

  in an organization deeply committed to farmer livelihoods and climate resilience.