About Organization
Vijayavahini Charitable Foundation(VCF) is a not-for-profit organization, supported by Tata Trusts, which focuses on a wide range of themes including agriculture, livelihood promotion, sanitation, nutrition and crafts among others. Vijayavahini Charitable Foundation is an equal-opportunity employer and encourages applications from diverse backgrounds.
Livelihoods Theme
The Livelihoods theme seeks to improve household incomes, resilience, and economic agency among rural and tribal communities through diversified, climate-resilient, and market-linked livelihood opportunities. Interventions span agriculture-based livelihoods, livestock - particularly sheep and goat rearing - and fisheries across multiple locations in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The approach combines improved production practices, access to inputs and services, natural-resource stewardship, value-chain development, enterprise promotion, financial inclusion, and stronger market linkages. It places community institutions such as Farmer Producer Organisations, cooperatives, Self-Help Groups, and producer collectives at the centre of planning, aggregation, service delivery, and local governance. Partnerships with government departments, research and technical institutions, financial institutions, and private-sector actors support convergence, technology adoption, quality assurance, certification, and scale.
Through these integrated interventions, VCF aims to enable sustainable livelihood systems that are inclusive, locally owned, and responsive to climate and market risks.
Role Details:
1. Role: Sr. Program Manager - Livelihoods
2. Location: Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
3. Direct Reportee: Program Managers, Program Officers/Associates in respective locations and Technical Experts
Stakeholders:
Relationship (Within Organization):
Program Managers, field teams, technical experts, MEAL team, HR team, Admin & Finance team and CEO
Relationship (Outside Organization):
Communities, farmers, livestock rearers, fishers, producer institutions, Government departments, research and technical institutions, financial institutions, market actors, Tata Trusts and other funding partners
Brief Job Description:
The position leads VCF's Livelihoods portfolio across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, providing strategic, technical, financial, and operational leadership for multi-location interventions in agriculture, sheep and goat-based livestock, fisheries, and allied value chains, with a strong focus on tribal geographies, community institutions, resilient incomes, and sustainable scale.
1. Lead the strategy, design, and development of integrated Livelihoods programs aligned with VCF's priorities, community needs, government policies, funding-partner priorities, and emerging sector opportunities.
2. Lead resource mobilisation by developing high-quality concept notes, proposals, theories of change, logical frameworks, implementation plans, budgets, and technical documentation for new and expanded programs.
3. Provide technical direction across agriculture-based livelihoods, sheep and goat-based livestock systems, fisheries, and allied enterprises, promoting climate-resilient production, productivity enhancement, access to services, and responsible natural-resource management.
4. Oversee multi-location field operations across rural and tribal pockets of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, ensuring timely delivery, appropriate staffing, field coordination, quality standards, community participation, and resolution of implementation bottlenecks.
5. Lead grant management across the portfolio, ensuring compliance with grant agreements, approved budgets, donor conditions, internal controls, statutory requirements, reporting schedules, audits, and programmatic and financial commitments.
6. Lead preparation and review of Annual Work Plans, budgets, procurement plans, results frameworks, and MEAL systems; use MIS and field evidence to track outputs, outcomes, expenditure, risks, and corrective actions.
7. Lead, mentor, and manage Program Managers, field teams, and technical experts through clear accountabilities, performance review, coaching, capacity building, cross-location coordination, and leadership succession.
8. Strengthen FPOs, cooperatives, SHGs, producer groups, and other community institutions, and advance value-chain development through aggregation, enterprise promotion, processing, quality assurance, certification, financial inclusion, and market linkages.
9. Build and manage partnerships with government departments, research and technical institutions, financial institutions, CSR and funding partners, certification bodies, and private-sector actors for convergence, innovation, leverage, and scale.
10. Establish and enforce technical protocols, SOPs, quality-assurance processes, safeguards, and review mechanisms that ensure consistent, inclusive, safe, and accountable implementation across sectors and locations.
11. Drive knowledge management, documentation, learning, and external representation; identify innovations and scalable models, communicate results, manage portfolio risks, and embed sustainability through local ownership and viable service and market systems.
Job Specifications:
Knowledge & Skills:
• Strong understanding of rural and tribal livelihood systems, including agriculture, sheep and goat-based livestock, fisheries, producer institutions, value chains, enterprise promotion, and market systems.
• Proven abilities in portfolio strategy, team leadership, multi-location program management, grant management, resource mobilisation, and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to translate community needs and sector evidence into practical program designs, budgets, implementation models, technical standards, and measurable results.
• Strong financial and operational acumen, including work planning, budgeting, expenditure review, compliance, risk management, procurement coordination, and donor reporting.
• Demonstrated skills in building and mentoring multi-disciplinary teams, managing performance, coordinating across locations, and resolving field-level implementation challenges.
• Excellent analytical, negotiation, facilitation, communication, report-writing, and presentation skills; fluency in English and Telugu is preferred.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite and familiarity with MIS, data analysis, project management, and monitoring tools.
• Willingness to travel extensively across remote rural and tribal project locations in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and flexibility to manage diverse responsibilities.
Experience:
• Minimum 10-12 years of relevant experience in designing, implementing, and managing large-scale rural livelihoods programs, including at least three years in a senior leadership or portfolio-management role.
• Substantial experience in agriculture-based livelihoods and demonstrated exposure to livestock, particularly sheep and goats, fisheries, or allied rural enterprises.
• Proven experience in proposal development, resource mobilisation, grant management, donor engagement, budgeting, compliance, and partnership management.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-disciplinary teams and multi-location field operations, preferably in remote rural and tribal contexts.
• Experience working with FPOs, cooperatives, SHGs, producer groups, and government systems, with expertise in value-chain development, enterprise promotion, certification, or market linkages.
• Strong track record in annual planning, results-based management, MEAL/MIS, financial monitoring, risk management, and timely narrative and financial reporting.
• Excellent leadership, analytical, decision-making, negotiation, and written and verbal communication skills, with willingness to travel extensively.
Qualifications:
PHD in Agronomy is preferred or Postgraduate degree in Agriculture, Horticulture, Veterinary Science, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Rural Management, Development Studies, Social Work, Business Management, or a related discipline. Candidates with a relevant graduate degree and substantial leadership experience may also be considered.