Head of Operations

ResponsibleUs; India; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 5,000,000; Full time

Job summary

ResponsibleUs is seeking a Senior Manager / Head of Operations to lead and scale field operations across India, including farmer onboarding, implementation partner management, and project delivery. This role requires strategic leadership, governance development, budgeting, and government engagement with extensive travel (50–70%).

You will mentor Regional Heads, drive operational excellence, and ensure compliance with carbon methodologies to enable growth across geographies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field as listed in the Qualifications.
• Strong leadership and people-management capabilities across geographically distributed teams.
• Exposure to agriculture, agri-tech, climate-tech, carbon markets, sustainability, or rural development is advantageous.
• Experience with government agencies, NGOs, and implementation partners is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end field operations across India for carbon projects, including farmer onboarding and partner management.
• Develop and execute national operations strategy, governance frameworks, and SOPs.
• Oversee budgeting, manpower planning, and resource allocation; drive cost efficiency and operational excellence.
• Ensure compliance with carbon methodologies and regulatory requirements; support audits and validation processes.
• Mentor Regional Heads and Project Managers, building a high-performance, safety-focused culture.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Agronomy, MRV, GIS, Finance, HR, Legal) to translate objectives into actionable plans.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Forestry, Environmental Science, Engineering, Rural Management, Operations, Business Administration, or a related field, (Master’s Prefered)

Job description

Job Description: Senior Manager / Head –Operations

Location

India (Extensive Travel Across Project Sites

Reporting To

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) / Chief Operating Officer (COO

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and strategic Senior Manager / Head – Operations to lead and scale Prithu's field operations across India. This role will own the end-to-end execution of carbon projects, from farmer onboarding and implementation partner management to project delivery, operational excellence, government engagement, and expansion into new geographies.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the long-term strategy for ground operations aligned with the organization's growthStrategic Leadership
• Develop and execute the national operations strategy aligned with organizational goals.
• Build scalable operational frameworks, governance models, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Lead annual operational planning, budgeting, manpower planning, and resource allocation.
• Drive continuous improvement through operational excellence and technology adoption.

Project Execution

• Lead end-to-end execution of carbon projects across multiple states.
• Ensure timely implementation of SOC, AWD, Biochar, Agroforestry, ARR, and other Nature-based Solutions projects.
• Drive project delivery within defined timelines, budgets, and quality standards.
• Monitor project performance through operational dashboards and key performance indicators.
• Identify execution risks and implement mitigation strategies.

Farmer & Partner Operations

• Own the complete farmer lifecycle, including mobilization, onboarding, engagement, implementation, and retention.
• Build and manage strategic relationships with implementation partners, NGOs, FPOs, research institutions, and government agencies.
• Identify, onboard, and manage implementation partners across project geographies.
• Support expansion into new states through strong operational planning and execution.
• Lead, mentor, and develop Regional Heads, State Heads, Project Managers, and field teams.
• Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, safety, and execution.
• Design organizational structures that support rapid growth and operational efficiency.
• Drive capability building, performance management, and leadership development across field teams.

Quality, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure field operations comply with organizational standards, regulatory requirements, and approved carbon methodologies.
• Drive operational audits and support external validation and verification processes.
• Establish robust quality assurance and data governance mechanisms.
• Maintain high standards of data quality and operational compliance.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Agronomy, Carbon Science, MRV, GIS, Technology, Product, Finance, HR, and Legal teams.
• Translate business objectives into operational execution plans.
• Present operational updates, insights, and recommendations to executive leadership.
• Own operational budgets and drive cost efficiency across projects.
• Monitor resource utilization, operational productivity, and project profitability.
• Support commercial due diligence for new projects and strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• 10–15 years of progressive leadership experience in large-scale operations.
• Bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Forestry, Environmental Science, Engineering, Rural Management, Operations, Business Administration, or a related field, (Master’s Prefered)
• Proven experience managing geographically distributed teams across multiple states.
• Experience working with thousands of farmers and large field operations is highly preferred.
• Strong background in agriculture, agri-tech, climate-tech, carbon markets, sustainability, forestry, renewable energy, or rural development.
• Demonstrated success in scaling operations within high-growth organizations.
• Experience working with government departments, NGOs, FPOs, research institutions, and implementation partners.
• Prior ownership of operational budgets and cost management is preferred

Travel Requirement

This is a leadership role requiring extensive travel (50–70%) across project locations, partner sites, and government engagements.