Job Opportunity for Associate, Punjab Program Management Unit at A-PAG in Punjab

Term of Engagement and Duration: August – December 2022

Background of the Project

Air Pollution Action Group (A-PAG) is a foundation established in August 2019 with the intent to help reduce air pollution. Our objective is to assist Central and State Governments to achieve the target of 20-30% reduction in air pollution by 2024.

A-PAG has been working closely with the Punjab Government and other leading foundations to address the stubble burning crisis in the state. As part of the engagement, A-PAG is embedding a project management unit (PMU) in the Department of Agriculture, Punjab as well as within the District Administration Offices of nine high-burn districts of Firozpur, Sangrur, Bhatinda, Mansa, Muktsa, Moga, Taran, Barnala, Patiala in Punjab.

Over the next five months, the PMU will support the government to implement a plan to address stubble burning in the state with a focus on the 9 districts. This includes interventions aimed at improving the supply of crop residue management (CRM) machines such as Happy Seeders and generating demand for them among farmers. The PMU will be headed by the State lead and a Program Manager (both based out of Chandigarh).

While working with A-PAG, the Deputy Commissioner and the Chief Agricultural Officer, the Associates will be contracted on a short term consultancy basis by A-PAG.

Position Summary

Associates are the backbone for this project as they will work closely with the government on a series of critical interventions designed to reduce the incidence of stubble burning in the district. Associates will work closely with government officials in the district to aid the adoption of various platforms to promote bookings for machine rentals and work with machine providers to increase the utilization of their CRM machines. The Associate will also support officials to conduct farmer events on-ground in the district and generate awareness among farmers about the benefits of using CRM machines. The Associate will be the primary point of contact in the district and will personally manage key relationships with district officials, machine providers and farmers in the high priority district.

This is a great opportunity for a young development professional who is passionate about creating impact on a burning issue within a short timeframe, building expertise in program management and learning to interact first hand with government. The Associates will report to the State Lead in Chandigarh.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Coordinate with the district government officials and other key stakeholders in organizing training for block officials and farmer cooperatives in using the technology platform developed to increase the uptake of CRM machines
• Coordinate with farmer co-operative societies in the district to ensure maximum utilization of machines during the harvesting season. This will involve helping government officials to verify data collected on the platform and use the data to monitor performance of custom hiring centers and cooperative societies. Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) and Cooperatives provide CRM machines to farmers on rental basis
• Conduct community engagement events to directly engage with farmers on CRM machines and crop burning. This will also include identifying influencers in the villages that can encourage farmers to use CRM machines (Happy Seeders and Super Seeders) as opposed to burning stubble
• Support in the execution of events such as farmer meets, and ensure availability of the relevant communication material and experts from Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in such meets. This will further include identifying farmer groups in all the villages of your district, planning the logistics with them and scheduling these events

Eligibility and Required Qualifications

• Relevant Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
• Experience of at least 1-2 years, working in programme operations with the government or development sector and/or in grassroots-level projects. Individuals who have previously worked as district fellows/ or have been part of top Indian fellowship programs are encouraged to apply.
• Fluent in Punjabi, Hindi and English.
• Preference will be given to candidates who are currently residing or can relocate to the districts of Firozpur, Sangrur, Bhatinda, Mansa, Muktsa, Moga, Taran Taran, Barnala, Patiala.

Key Skills and Required Competencies

• Good program management skills with experience in managing district/ village-level coordinators/ officers; should be comfortable working with district-level leaders
• Good communication, presentation, interpersonal and problem-solving abilities
• Computer proficiency with a familiarity of MS Office tools
• Excellent organizational and administrative skills with an execution-focused mindset
• Entrepreneurial and action-oriented mindset with a can-do attitude to confidently accomplish set tasks on a tight timeline

Compensation

Associates will be provided with a compensation of INR 40,000 per month.