State Manager - GROW Returns Initative

Role & responsibilities

• Collaboration with the Regional Director, technical experts, and the district teams for smooth and timely implementation of the project deliverables within the budgetary norms and project quality.
• Cross team collaboration to develop project KPIs, project implementation strategy, program quality standards, knowledge management and impact evaluations.
• Lead operations by closely mentoring and monitoring the District Coordinators.
• Plan, develop, and maintain procedures, equipment, and policies that have an impact in all facets of project implementation.
• Research, evaluate, and implement new technologies, customer experience and engagement, training, and stakeholder management
• Manage project operations, work with individuals internal and external to project/program to exchange information, solve problems, resolve conflicts, develop workflow processes, allocate department resources across projects, and ensure efficient and effective implementations of initiatives
• Establish a cadence and conduct regular meetings and monitoring visits to project locations and relevant stakeholders to monitor the progress of project and provide feedback which is followed up
• Identification and onboarding of operationally relevant stakeholders at the state or national level for the project like financial institutions, Agri input suppliers, digital Agri advisory service providers, agricultural universities, management institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), etc.

• Agri-Entrepreneurship Expertise

• Selection and onboarding of RWEs with a target of onboarding 1000 1500 AEs per state by Oct end 2026
• Developing business plans of the RWE, mobilizing working capital and achieving business plan targets
• Managing Agriculture Input Marketing & Agri Commodities Trading
• Support the team in designing and developing the RWEs Capacity Building plans, Business Plan and monitoring their growth trajectory
• To connect with relevant districts and state level institutions
• Apply the GFSI’s innovation process to enhance the workstreams, including identifying key research questions and implementing cutting-edge research methodologies
• To identify relevant stakeholders within the community and the district ecosystem for potential collaborations or developing partnerships with local agencies for successful business operations of the RWEs

• Project Management

• Develop detailed project plans with associated milestones and work with internal and external personnel to ensure goals, timelines and quality parameters are achieved using Project Management tools
• Design pilot, scale-up and replication strategy
• Lead and mentor team members
• Manage local stakeholder relationships
• Participating in review meetings
• Provide regular progress reports and documentation
• Keep internal and external stakeholders informed on the progress of the projects
• Evaluate, hire and manage resources needed to support the project
• Create and manage budgets, and track progress against budgets

• Partner Relationship Management

• Act as primary contact for Collaborator and the donor
• Proactively recognize and address concerns/ issues and use set communication protocols and methods to maintain an open, transparent and trusting relationship
• Prepare reporting documentation and lead regular stakeholder discussions with the partners, including but not limited to Monthly Updates and Quarterly Reports. Ensure collaborators are involved throughout the process to create shared ownership of deliverables.

Preferred candidate profile

The State Manager will use comprehensive experience, skills and knowledge in promoting and strengthening AEs and SHFs, Digital Agriculture and Market linkage. He/she will work directly with the Regional Director and regional/district teams to uncover opportunities and innovative solutions and services to strengthen the AE network in partnership with markets, service providers in the areas of finance, capacity building, technology etc. and local partners for end-to-end project management. S/he will play a lead role in planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing of the project efficiently and satisfactorily in the budgetary norm and compliance