Senior Specialist - Sustainable Agriculture

• Designation:

  Senior Specialist Sustainable Agriculture

• Organization:

  SwitchON Foundation

• Location:

  Kolkata (with extensive travel across India)

• Work Experience:

  Minimum 6-8 years in sustainable agriculture, climate-resilient farming, or rural development

• Compensation:

  78 Lakhs per annum(Fixed) (commensurate with experience and qualifications)

• Language Proficiency:

  Hindi, English, and Bengali

About SwitchON Foundation

SwitchON Foundation

Great Place to Work

To learn more about our work, please visit: www.switchon.org.in

Position Summary

Senior Specialist Sustainable Agriculture

Key Responsibilities

• Climate Resilient Agriculture Program Design

- Lead the design of Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA) programs by incorporating industry best practices and tailoring interventions to diverse agro-ecological zones across India.

- Conduct in-depth assessments to define suitable infrastructure, cropping systems, training needs, and farm practices for each region.

- Develop training materials and frameworks to guide effective implementation of CRA programs.

- Train internal teams and field staff to independently execute and scale sustainable agriculture models.

- Guide region-specific program planning for ecological agriculture and allied rural livelihoods.

- Oversee field trials and demonstrations to validate climate-smart agricultural practices and innovations.

• Team Leadership

• Manage and mentor a team of 10–15 field and technical professionals.
• Foster a high-performance, impact-driven team culture.
• Organize training, workshops, and capacity-building initiatives for staff, farmers, and partners.

• Stakeholder Engagement & Partnerships

• Build and maintain relationships with government agencies, donors, CSR partners, and grassroots organizations.
• Represent SwitchON in key national/regional forums, consortia, and development partnerships.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to align CRA initiatives with government schemes and local needs.

• Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting

• Develop and oversee robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
• Analyze program data to drive decision-making and adaptive management.
• Document outcomes, learnings, and best practices in CRA and regenerative agriculture.
• Ensure timely, high-quality donor reporting and compliance.

• Innovation & Knowledge Sharing

• Promote sustainable, organic, and regenerative farming models through pilots and scalable innovations.
• Encourage peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange between farmers and field teams.
• Drive knowledge dissemination for CRA through case studies, manuals, and community education tools.

Qualifications, Experience & Skills

• Education

  : Master’s in Agriculture / Agronomy

• Experience

  :
• Minimum 6-8 years in agriculture, climate adaptation, or rural development project management.
• Demonstrated leadership in NGOs or the development sector.
• Hands-on experience working with farming communities, FPOs, or government programs (e.g., NRLM, PKVY).

• Skills

  :
• Strong program design and project management capabilities.
• Proficiency in donor engagement, proposal development, and reporting.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.
• Fluency in Hindi, English, and preferably Bengali.
• Knowledge of climate-resilient agricultural practices and ecological farming models.

Reporting Structure

• Reports To

  : Executive Director

• Team Size

  : 10–15 technical and field professionals

Travel Requirements

• Extensive travel across Eastern India for field implementation, team supervision, and stakeholder coordination.

Compensation

• Annual CTC:

  7–8 Lakhs per annum(Fixed)

• Additional Benefits:

  Variable Pay + Commitment Bonus

  (Compensation will be aligned with experience, qualifications, and current salary)

• Reimbursement

  : Official travel, stay, and logistics as per organizational policy

Application Process