About Raintree Foundation:
The Raintree Foundation, founded by Leena Dandekar and her family, is focused on climate change and biodiversity loss, working on cultivating climate resilience in living landscapes. Our commitment to circularity and civic custodianship drives impactful initiatives, benefiting vulnerable ecosystems. Velhe, spanning 2100 hectares, hosts 9 villages, 4000+ people, and 654 households in a UNESCO hotspot, the Western Ghats. Our project prioritizes Climate, Community, and Biodiversity, centered on Clean Energy, Watershed Ecology, Livelihoods, Resilience Building, and Biodiversity Conservation. Extensive research drives our efforts, raising awareness and implementing sustainable practices.
Our holistic approach covers water security, renewable energy, waste management, conservation, livelihoods and social inclusion, fostering resilient ecosystems and driving lasting systemic change.
Job Title: Senior Program Manager – Enterprise
SBU Name : Raintree Foundation (India)
Department Name: Program Design
Reporting to : Practice Lead - Community Development
Type : Full time
Location :Thane
Grade :G7
Level : Middle Management
Section 1:
Job Description & Specifications
Position/Role Overview:
The Senior Program Manager – Enterprise will drive rural enterprise development through micro-enterprise creation, market-led business solutions, tourism-based enterprises, and value-chain development across agricultural and non-farm sectors. The role focuses on business design, enterprise incubation, financial modelling, partnerships, and enabling rural entrepreneurs to build viable and scalable enterprises.
Importance of the Thematic:
In climate-vulnerable landscapes, micro and small enterprises serve as the vital connective tissue between community survival and landscape restoration, transforming passive residents into active market participants within a green economy. These enterprises provide a critical non-farm income buffer that mitigates the need for extractive land use during periods of agricultural failure. By localizing the value chain, small-scale enterprises ensure that the "wealth of the land" remains in the hands of its people, reducing the carbon footprint of transport and logistics. Within the Raintree Foundation’s framework of sustainable landscape management, fostering entrepreneurship empowers communities to innovate at the grassroots level, turning conservation practices into profitable ventures. This shift from subsistence to "green-preneurship" builds a resilient socio-economic infrastructure that can absorb climate shocks while incentivizing the long-term protection of the very ecosystems that sustain the business.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Program Design & Strategy:
• Design enterprise development strategies across farm and non-farm sectors, including product-based, service-based, tourism-related, clean-energy enterprises, among others.Develop and refine business models aligned with market demand, community potential, and regenerative economic principles.
• Promote grassroots entrepreneurship and micro-enterprise models that serve local community needs through circular approaches.
• Conceive enterprise-led pathways in the context of local resources, heritage, culture, and community-based experiences.ventures.
2. Enterprise Incubation & Business Development:
• Lead pilots and scaling of innovative enterprise models across landscapes.
• Prepare business plans, financial projections, and investor-ready enterprise cases.
3. Market Linkages & Value Chain Development (Enterprise):
• Identify market opportunities for products, services, tourism experiences, and local enterprises.
• Develop marketing, branding, and distribution strategies to strengthen revenue pathways.
• Enable enterprises to access markets through partnerships with retailers, buyers, tourism operators, and digital platforms.
4. Project Management & Implementation:
• Manage enterprise development projects ensuring timelines, targets, and quality benchmarks.
• Coordinate with implementation teams, sectoral experts, and partner organizations to drive enterprise growth.
5. Financial & Business Expertise:
• Conduct financial modelling, revenue strategy assessments, pricing strategies, and feasibility analysis.
• Integrate government schemes, financial instruments, and impact investment opportunities for enterprise growth.
6. Partnership Development:
• Build partnerships across clean energy, finance, tourism, private sector, and market ecosystem actors.
• Collaborate with government agencies, incubators, accelerators, and funders to support enterprise development.
7. Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL):
• Track performance of enterprise initiatives through business metrics such as profitability, market adoption, customer base, and investment readiness.
• Document best practices, learnings, and success stories to guide enterprise growth strategy.
8. Advocacy & Policy Engagement:
• Support advocacy for policies that strengthen rural entrepreneurship, ease of doing business, and market access.
• Facilitate convergence of enterprise-related government schemes and financing mechanisms.
9. Fundraising:
• Support development of business proposals, investor pitches, concept notes, and donor reports related to enterprise initiatives.
• Assist the fundraising team in the management of donors, as and when needed.
10. Communication:
• Provide content showcasing enterprise stories, business models, marketing successes, and tourism experiences.
Job Specifications
Education : Master’s degree in Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Agribusiness, or related fields
Years of Experience : 10-18 years in enterprise development, business incubation, value-chain development, or rural entrepreneurship.
Industry Background : Any verticals with significant catchment areas in rural India.
Technical Expertise
• Strong business & financial acumen
• Market development expertise
• Enterprise incubation experience
• Stakeholder and partner management
• Technical understanding of relevant value chains
• Multilingual, knowledge of Marathi is essential
• Tech savvy
Interested candidates can send their resumes to hr@theraintree.co.in