Job Opportunity for Program Manager at Swaniti Initiative in Chhatisgarh

About Swaniti

Swaniti Initiative aims to strengthen public service delivery by working with state and local governments across South Asia with a strong focus on India. Our interventions have included strengthening scheme implementation by identifying current gaps and limitations, providing research support to Hon’ble Members of Parliament about best practices in moving forward, and developing data-technology tools that can back decision-making processes. With flagship initiatives like Supporting Parliamentarians in Analysis and Research in Constituencies (SPARC) and Leadership and Engagement Associate in District (LEAD), Swaniti has supported constituency development and district development planning in various parts of the country. At present, along with working with 200+ Hon’ble Members of Parliamentarians for policy making, are working as advisors to state governments to ensure the delivery of schemes to the last mile. Major verticals of our work are climate and sustainability, social protection, and livelihood.

Overview of the project:

Swaniti Initiative will be providing technical assistance to the Government of Chhattisgarh to strengthen the climate preparedness of the state while augmenting livelihoods. . This is envisioned to be done by strengthening the existing schemes and programs implemented by the State that significantly contribute towards fostering sustainable economic activities at the grassroots. The larger vision of the program also looks at how to make Chattisgarh a leading State in renewable energy production and consumption while helping the State transition gradually towards more green technologies and livelihood opportunities driven by non-polluting energy sources. This is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and makes India a promoter of the use of clean and affordable energy.

Job Summary:

Swaniti Initiative is looking for a passionate, vision-driven, and experienced professional, who is eager to contribute to the government system by working on schemes and programs that contribute towards fostering climate-friendly economic activities. The individual should have a background in entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability, with demonstrated abilities in vision building, leadership and creative thinking, project management, and aligning stakeholders. The work will be focused on needs assessment, facilitating alignment of policy decisions, brainstorming with relevant stakeholders, following up with the allied departments of the Government of Chhattisgarh, and generating livelihood opportunities through market linkages and innovation. The position provides a tremendous opportunity to travel across the state and get exposure to multiple domains while working with the allied departments of the State government and cooperative entities on the ground such as SHGs, FPOs, VDVKs, etc.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Leadership and Strategy

• The Program Manager will need to amalgamate multiple directions of work across diverse locations into a unified roadmap for the team to follow.
• The Program Manager will need to inspire, direct, monitor, and review a team of field associates placed across the state to achieve the overall objectives of the program in a time-bound manner.
• Introduce and implement innovations and creative approaches to problem-solving while executing action plans.

Program Management

• The Program Manager is expected to summarize evidence from the field research and plan the corresponding strategy for the execution of the action plan.
• To manage the day-to-day operations of the team and represent the team at the relevant policy review meetings at different levels of the government in coordination with relevant stakeholders.

Stakeholders Management and Relationship Building

• Build and maintain effective relationships with strategic authorities at the state headquarters like the secretaries of the departments, commissioners of the allied departments, directors, and project officers at the divisional and district level.
• Establish a consistent communication network among each of these stakeholders for immediate course correction measures.
• Cross-vertical collaboration: Initiate and participate in cross-vertical collaboration opportunities across the various departments in the State machinery such as providing systematic support to an ongoing research project, etc.

Institutionalize systematic changes

• The Program Manager is expected to provide recommendations and support to the government in institutionalizing structural policy interventions.
• Work with policymakers if needed to get the reforms institutionalized.
• The Program Manager has to provide required assistance and guidance to the government stakeholders to ensure that the recommendations are adopted and disseminated at each level of the administrative machinery.

Qualifications

• Masters in subjects like Urban Planning, Public Policy, Development Studies, Economics, Rural Development/Statistics, Public Policy, and Governance, etc.
• At Least 5 years of work experience with a minimum of 2-3 years of prior working experience in leadership/management roles within integrated projects addressing important public policy priorities of the government.
• Excellent research and communication skills and writing ability to draft policy memos, proposals, project reports, etc. 

Skills and Attributes Required

• Team Management
• Critical thinking ability
• Problem-Solving skills
• Leadership and Strategic Management
• Data Analysis
• Proficiency in MS office and basic IT Tools
• Innovation

Our offerings for full-time employees/Consultants

At Swaniti, people remain the highest priority. The organization always prioritizes the well-being of team members while providing new challenges to build professional caliber and most importantly create impact. All the full time team members are provided with:

– A clear path to develop a career and rise to the highest level in the organization

– Focused learning and development support

– A well-defined mechanism to map performance, work on individual growth and be a leader

– 100% sponsorship of Health Insurance for each of themselves

– Opportunity to work with Senior Government Officials

– Understand governance from both the policy-making and policy-execution perspective

– Opportunity to understand Government Consulting

– Opportunity to operate at the intersection of policy, governance, and technology

– Competitive remuneration

– Freedom to experiment with ideas and thoughts

– Opportunity Impact the community in a holistic and sustainable manner

– Supportive team members and experienced organizational leaders