State Program Manager Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra

The project is a flagship womens empowerment initiative designed to enable rural women entrepreneursboth individual business owners and members of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) / SHG Federationsto participate actively in local economic development. Aligned with the Ministry of Rural Developments goal to enable rural SHG women to earn an annual income of at least 1 Lakh this initiative drives women-led enterprise development in selected districts over a three-year period.

The State Program Manager leads on-ground execution within their assigned state. This role ensures that project strategies field operations partner management and government alignments adhere strictly to established protocols while actively solving operational challenges

• Program Execution & Planning: Lead state-level planning execution and monitoring across districts and blocks in close coordination with the Central Project Management Unit (PMU). Accountable for delivering results aligned with state targets.
• Partner & Field Management: Supervise and manage Field Implementation Agencies (FIAs) and implementation partners. Provide continuous technical support quality assurance capacity building and process handholding.
• Stakeholder Convergence: Collaborate closely with State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) district administrations and state government entities to ensure smooth program implementation and resource convergence.
• Livelihood & Economic Initiatives: Drive enterprise development Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) / value-chain initiatives and resource mobilization across rural communities.
• Governance MIS & Financial Controls: Oversee data management data validation periodic reporting and MIS integrity. Ensure strict financial controls monitoring evaluation and operational compliance.
• Team Leadership & Innovation: Build internal team capabilities promote innovative solutions and foster evidence-based decision-making to optimize outcomes.

• Timely and successful achievement of state-level program goals and outcomes.
• High quality of implementation and adherence to protocols by Field Implementation Agencies (FIAs).
• Robust engagement and convergence with SRLMs government officials and local partners.
• Accuracy consistency and timeliness of MIS data documentation and reporting.
• Strong financial governance compliance and team capability enhancement.

• Postgraduate degree in Social Work Rural Management Development Studies Agriculture Sciences or a related field.
• Experience:Must Have1015 years of experience in the development sector.
  Proven experience working on multi-stakeholder rural development projects.
  Demonstrated prior leadership experience managing rural development programs at scale.
  Deep understanding of government programs and rural livelihoods.
• Sector Background: Hands-on operational experience is strongly valued (e.g. running a poultry business dal mill garment manufacturing/stitching center or agribusiness). Proven design sense or functional expertise in specific product categories is a major advantage.

• Expertise in multi-stakeholder partnership management and rural livelihood systems.
• Strong understanding of FPOs SHG networks and value-chain development.
• Experience interfacing with state and district government bodies.
• Fluency in local state languages (Assamese Telugu or Marathi based on location) is mandatory.
• Proficiency in MS Office suite and analytical report writing.

• Strong state-level leadership and relationship-building capabilities.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Analytical mindset with strong problem-solving skills.