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 Program Manager will work in close coordination with Program Director for BSLD Project and assist him/her in planning, design, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the BSLD Program and ensuring the quality of projects, implementation, donor reporting, partner management, relationship management with stakeholders and field level management is of the highest standards.

This position requires flexibility to work in various local settings and at times across time zones. Extensive travel (approximately 60% within 6 districts of Bihar, also to other locations based on requirements) will be necessary to visit project sites and partner organizations.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES: (including approximate percentage effort)

Program Management (60%)

• Establish and oversee the project management structure, including recruitment and orientation of project staff.
• Conduct half-yearly and annual performance reviews of the project team.
• Develop and maintain project plans at various levels (annual, quarterly, and monthly) in coordination with PMC, PP, and regional teams.
• Monitor and review project budgets, ensuring timely forecasting and compliance with donor and organizational policies.
• Supervise and support staff, providing strategic guidance for high-quality, timely, and budget-compliant program execution.
• Apply best practices, partnership principles, and tools to optimize program implementation.
• Analyse program data, document lessons learned, and enhance decision-making based on evidence.
• Conduct regular meetings, field visits, and stakeholder engagements to monitor program performance.
• Ensure financial compliance through budget monitoring, variance analysis, and expenditure tracking.
• Mainstream the VBHCD model (SHG, PMC, PIMC, CAVE, PSRP, personal leadership development, and women empowerment) into the project.
• Develop an inclusive market system from production to market levels.
• Implement community-level disaster mitigation and preparedness plans (including LEGS adoption) and integrate them with government disaster management authorities.
• Design and test economic models to bridge the Living Income Gap for farmers.
• Develop and establish Goat, Crop, Vegetable, and Poultry Production Models for various farmer categories.
• Strengthen FPO management and governance through training, meetings, and capacity-building initiatives.
• Promote entrepreneurship among farmers, MSMEs, and CAVEs.
• Identify and facilitate access to capital/credit linkages for farmers, service providers (CAVEs), and FPOs.
• Raise and track the Catalytic Leverage Fund for the project.
• Lead and support market systems and value chain development programs by facilitating access to financing, technology, and markets for smallholder farmers.
• Develop and maintain relationships with government agencies, private sector actors, and development partners.
• Contribute to project proposal development, ensuring alignment with donor priorities and Heifer’s strategic approach.
• Oversee internal and external communication, including engagement with media, local, and state-level stakeholders.
• Document and disseminate lessons learned for continuous project improvement.

Project Partner Management (20%)

• Conduct regular assessments of project partners, ensuring adequate staffing, budgeting, and financial accountability.
• Emphasize timely data collection and reporting from partners, with regional-level reviews.
• Establish and maintain the Triadic Partnership Model (Heifer team, community, and project partners) for transparent and efficient collaboration.
• Integrate HQ reporting, financial, and operational requirements into partner management and implementation systems.
• Maintain a risk register at the regional level and share updates with the CPO regularly.
• Support project evaluations and surveys in collaboration with the MELs team.

Relationship management with stakeholders (15%)

• Engage with government agencies and likeminded organizations by organizing and attending district/state-level meetings and workshops.
• Facilitate collaboration and convergence of project activities with local government and non-government bodies.
• Involve local, district, and state-level stakeholders in project implementation and monitoring through PIMCs.

May perform other job-related duties as assigned (5%)

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS:

• Bachelor's degree in agriculture, business management, international development, social sciences, or a related field.  A master’s degree is preferred.
• More than 7 years of program management experience, including at least 5 years in market systems and value chain development.
• Experience working with governments, private sector stakeholders, and international organizations.

• At least 2 years of leadership experience with at least 3 years in a management role.
• Thorough understanding of programming processes, systems and principles, and the ability to provide leadership and support to staff working at community level.
• Solid skill, knowledge and foundation in proposal development and of the project management cycle.
• Sound understanding of value chain development on various agricultural commodities and the livestock sector.
• Sound understanding of integrated development issues and critical analysis of the root causes of poverty in India.
• Knowledge of development issues, trends, challenges and opportunities and implications to community development.

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.