Job Opportunity for Senior Associate – Climate Action- Agriculture Initiatives at Samhita in Mumbai/Bengaluru

Organisation Overview (Samhita.org)

Samhita is a social impact consulting firm, with a vision to build a ‘better normal’. The better normal reimagines business environments where social value is an integral aspect of growth, putting stakeholders and environmental guardianship at the centre of business strategy, a strategy that evolves from inputs to outcomes, from individuals to ecosystem, and from delivering services to building capacity and enabling the market.

To do this, we support companies to align their core competencies with the needs of the social sector, and build catalytic partnerships with stakeholders with in-depth knowledge and networks to execute sustainable, outcome-oriented social impact initiatives. This approach bridges the gap between purpose and action, and forges business responsibility strategies that balance people, profit and planet, thereby creating a better normal for communities, environments and businesses.

Role Overview:

The role will play a critical role in implementing programs related to climate action and Sustainability with a focus on the agriculture ecosystem and FPOs. The selected candidate will contribute towards program design and implementation of projects as well as capacity building of external stakeholders to strengthen climate action planning and execution. Therefore, it is important that the selected candidate has: 

• A solid grounding in technical aspects of Agriculture and climate change landscape in India, with knowledge of contemporary tools, frameworks and assessment methodologies. 
• Excellent understanding of the Farm Producer companies; including relevant policy initiatives, gaps in current frameworks, and knowledge of stakeholders, networks and organisations working in this space.
• Overall, we are looking for an energetic, committed and passionate young professional, who is driven and self-motivated and can work under minimal supervision. Since coordination with multiple internal and external stakeholders is required, it is essential that the selected candidate is familiar, adept and comfortable working with a diverse group of people. 

Key Functions and Responsibilities:

• Work on end-to-end program management – implementation and program monitoring for projects related to Climate adaptation and the Agriculture ecosystem.
• Building linkages with stakeholders relevant to the FPO ecosystem, Develop business development plans for FPOs, Improve governance of FPOs
• Coordinate with Government agencies and service providers related to agriculture ecosystem 
  Independently manage FPO stakeholder conversations with government agencies, Technology and other service providers as well as implementation partners
• Work with existing processes/systems whilst making constructive suggestions for improvements.
• Stay updated on the policy landscape, sectoral developments, and industry trends in relation to climate action and Agriculture in India.
• Work on based data and analysis for program management and insights.
• Provide technical inputs on climate action and Agriculture, and contribute to the development of the overall strategy and program design 
• Contribute to the ideation, review, and proposal writing for ongoing and future projects.
• Coordinate with internal and external team members, as required.
• Perform any other tasks and responsibilities as may be required from time to time. 

Educational Qualification and Professional Experience

• MSc Agriculture/Environment Studies / Agro Forestry, MBA in Agribusiness/Rural Management / Rural Development or any other Postgraduate degree in a relevant discipline such as Agriculture, Environmental Studies,  Environmental Economics/Policy etc.
• 4 years of relevant experience in one or more of the following: Managing climate adaptation initiatives related to farmers, Managing FPOs, Program management, and stakeholder engagement for climate action (Candidates who have previously worked on initiatives focused on Climate adaptation and agriculture/ FPOs will be preferred) 

Necessary Skillset

• Strong project management skills, managing complex, multifaceted projects resulting in measurable successes.
• Demonstrated success in directly working with Farmers and FPOs
• Understanding of Government agencies related Agriculture and Water.
• Demonstrated experience in contributing to the firm’s knowledge building capacities of stakeholders.
• Strong presentation, problem solving and analytical skills. 
• Proactive, ability to self-motivate and work under minimal supervision.
• Proficient in Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Word.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (Marathi or Kannada preferred