NRM and WASH Expert, UdGram

The/Nudge; Rayagada; On-site; INR 550,000 - 750,000; Full time

Job summary

The/Nudge invites a seasoned NRM, WASH professional to lead UdGram's climate resilience and village infrastructure work in Rayagada, Odisha. You will integrate watershed planning with field-based governance, ensure durable drinking water and sanitation, and collaborate with Gram Panchayats and line departments.

Fluency in Odia, strong government navigation, and hands-on experience in MGNREGA convergence and WASH programming are essential for success and community-led transformation.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of experience in NRM, watershed development, WASH, or rural infrastructure.
• Experience with MGNREGA convergence for NRM works.
• Experience working with block and district administration.
• Fluency in Odia essential.
• Ability to read watershed maps and size earthworks.
• Strong field-based and community facilitation skills.
• Willingness to travel extensively within Rayagada district.

Responsibilities

• Plan and supervise NRM and agri-water structures through MGNREGA convergence.
• Train Field Coaches and Cluster Leads on NRM concepts and soil moisture conservation.
• Lead WASH baseline studies and CLTS triggering.
• Coordinate with BDO, MGNREGA Programme Officer, and Gram Panchayats for approvals and follow-up.
• Support PMKSY linkages and farm-pond based lift irrigation.
• Ensure village WASH committees and governance at GP level.
• Translate technical planning into community-owned action in tribal, rain-fed contexts.

Skills

Fluency in Odia

Government navigation

WASH behaviour change

Community engagement

Field-based mobility

Data literacy

Coordination with Gram Panchayats

Education

B.E./B.Tech in Civil or Agricultural Engineering

M.Sc. in Environmental Science or Water Resources

Job description

About The/Nudge

The/Nudge is an action institute building resilient livelihoods to alleviate poverty. We work with women, farmers, tribals and youth on rural development, agriculture, skilling and economic inclusion, along with 15+ central and state government partners.

Our economic inclusion journey for 25 million Indians has reached 10 states with $250M of government funding to cover 1.25M people. Our incubator, accelerator and grand challenges have supported 200+ social entrepreneurs including 17 Forbes 30U30, 3 EarthShot Prize winners, 1 Time Magazine cover and more.

Set up with support from 90+ eminent philanthropists, 40+ corporates and 15+ foundations including Gates, Mackenzie Scott, Vinod Khosla, Nandan Nilekani, Tata Trusts, Skoll, Meta, LinkedIn, HDFC, Mphasis, KPMG and L’Oreal, we are contributing towards a “poverty‑free India, within our lifetime.”

Who are we solving for? We are solving for households in poverty who are financially and socially vulnerable through a whole village programme. UdGram targets last‑mile villages where poverty is multidimensional and intensified by climate and market constraints, and where communities are largely dependent on agriculture but are unable to make enough from it.

• Whole-village populations
• Priority groups for community integration: women and youth, tribal communities, landless and marginal farmers, and excluded households
• Targeting approach: geography selection based on high MPI deprivation and vulnerability indicators (low cropping intensity, low irrigation, high climate risk, weak service access), followed by household‑level diagnostics to tailor support

The/Nudge aims to design a time‑bound village‑level economic inclusion model that is intuitive, locally rooted, and lifts the income levels of the entire village while building climate resilience. UdGram combines intensive graduation support for the most vulnerable with village‑wide investment in irrigation, market linkages, climate‑smart agriculture, health and sanitation.

Natural resources and water are the foundational layer on which agriculture and livelihoods stand. In Rayagada’s rain‑fed, hilly terrain, water scarcity and land degradation are not secondary issues — they are the binding constraints. The NRM & WASH Expert is the person who addresses these constraints: ensuring villages have productive water, protected land, and the sanitation and drinking water infrastructure that underpin household health and economic participation.

Position Overview

The NRM & WASH Expert is UdGram’s thematic lead for Pillar 3 (Climate Resilience & Village Infrastructure), the programme’s foundational pillar for environmental sustainability and basic services. This role is responsible for everything that connects land, water, and health: watershed development, soil and water conservation structures, irrigation planning, drinking water supply (JJM convergence), sanitation and ODF sustainability, and the village‑level natural resource governance that makes all of it last.

You will plan and supervise the construction of agri‑water structures (farm ponds, check dams, diversion channels) through MGNREGA convergence, train Field Coaches and households on soil and moisture conservation, lead WASH behaviour‑change campaigns, support the village WASH committees, and work with Gram Panchayats and block administration to ensure every UdGram village has functional drinking water and sanitation infrastructure.

This is a role that lives at the intersection of engineering, ecology, and community governance. You need to read a contour map, size a check dam, estimate earthwork volumes — and then sit with a village water committee and help them decide which structure to build first and how to maintain it. The technical depth matters, but so does the ability to translate it into community‑owned action in a tribal, rain‑fed context.

What Will You Do?

NRM Planning and Agri‑Water Structure Development

• Conduct a participatory village‑level NRM assessment at programme entry: map existing water sources, drainage lines, soil types, land use, degraded patches, and seasonal water availability using transect walks, PRA tools, and secondary data (watershed atlas, MGNREGA shelf of projects).
• Prepare a village NRM action plan for each village: prioritised list of structures (farm ponds, check dams, gabion structures, diversion channels, contour bunding, land levelling) with estimated costs, MGNREGA convergence potential, and sequencing aligned to the monsoon calendar.
• Coordinate with the Block Development Officer (BDO), MGNREGA Programme Officer, and Gram Rozgar Sahayak to get NRM structures sanctioned under MGNREGA — prepare estimates, submit proposals, and follow up on work orders.
• Supervise construction quality: visit sites during execution, verify dimensions and specifications, flag deviations, and ensure geo‑tagged photo documentation for every completed structure.
• Identify and facilitate household‑level micro‑irrigation support: linkage with PMKSY (Per Drop More Crop), drip/sprinkler subsidies through Horticulture Mission, and farm‑pond‑based lift irrigation where feasible.
• Train Field Coaches and Cluster Leads on basic NRM concepts: watershed logic, soil moisture conservation, and the rationale behind each structure type — so they can explain the “why” to households, not just supervise the “what”.

WASH: Drinking Water and Sanitation

• Conduct a WASH baseline in each village at programme entry: map all drinking water sources (functionality, quality, seasonal reliability), household toilet status (built, functional, used), drainage conditions, and solid waste practices.
• Facilitate convergence with Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) for piped water supply: work with the PHED/RWS department and Gram Panchayat to ensure village‑level JJM plans include all UdGram habitations, and follow up on scheme progress.
• Support the formation or revival of Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs): orient members on roles, water quality testing, source protection, and minor repair and maintenance of hand pumps and piped water systems.
• Lead community‑led total sanitation (CLTS) triggering exercises and follow‑up campaigns for ODF sustainability: this includes monitoring toilet usage (not just construction), addressing slip‑back, and working with ASHA and Swachh Bharat Grameen functionaries.
• Facilitate water quality testing (bacteriological and chemical) for drinking water sources using field test kits; coordinate with the district PHED lab for confirmatory testing and remediation of contaminated sources.
• Design and deliver hygiene behaviour‑change sessions for households: handwashing, safe water storage, menstrual hygiene management (MHM), and kitchen/household sanitation — integrated into the programme’s community training calendar.

Soil Health and Land Management

• Facilitate soil testing for programme households: coordinate with the nearest soil testing laboratory (KVK or state soil testing centre), collect and send samples, and translate results into actionable recommendations for each farmer.
• Promote soil conservation practices: contour bunding, vegetative barriers (vetiver, lemongrass), mulching, and cover cropping — training Krishi Sakhis and Field Coaches to demonstrate these on farm.
• Support bio‑input adoption as a soil health strategy: coordinate with the Agri Expert on vermicompost units, jeevamrit preparation, and organic matter management to improve soil organic carbon over successive seasons.
• Identify and flag land tenure and forest rights issues that affect NRM investments: work with the District Lead to support Community Forest Resource (CFR) and Individual Forest Rights (IFR) claims under FRA where relevant.

Government Convergence and Scheme Mobilisation

• Build working relationships with the MGNREGA Programme Officer, BDO, PHED/RWS Junior Engineer, Watershed Mission staff, and block‑level JJM functionaries — attending monthly coordination meetings and following up on sanctioned works.
• Identify and facilitate access to relevant government schemes for NRM and WASH: MGNREGA (NRM works, farm ponds, land development), JJM (piped water), SBM‑G Phase II (ODF Plus, solid/liquid waste management), PMKSY, NWM, and Integrated Watershed Management Programme.
• Support Gram Panchayats in incorporating NRM and WASH priorities into Village Development Plans (Gram Panchayat Development Plans / GPDPs) — this is the primary route for securing MGNREGA and 15th Finance Commission funding for village‑level works.
• Represent UdGram at block and district‑level watershed and WASH review meetings; use these forums to advocate for priority attention to programme villages and to track progress on sanctioned works.

Who Are We Looking For in This Role?

Qualifications And Experience

• 5–7 years of experience in NRM, watershed development, WASH, or rural infrastructure, with direct field implementation experience (not solely research, policy, or consulting).
• Hands‑on experience in at least two of the following: watershed planning and agri‑water structure design/supervision, MGNREGA convergence for NRM works, WASH programme delivery (JJM, SBM, CLTS), soil and water conservation in hilly or rain‑fed terrain, or community institution building for resource governance.
• Demonstrated experience working with government systems at block and district level — MGNREGA, PHED/RWS, Watershed departments — and getting things sanctioned, not just planned.
• Experience with Odisha or comparable tribal geographies: familiarity with rain‑fed farming systems, hilly terrain NRM challenges, forest rights context, and the specific water and sanitation challenges of dispersed tribal habitations strongly preferred.
• Experience training community cadres, Village Water Committees, or CRPs — not just delivering training, but building the next tier of community‑level facilitators.
• B.E./B.Tech in Civil or Agricultural Engineering, B.Sc. Agriculture with NRM specialisation, M.Sc. in Environmental Science or Water Resources, or equivalent; strong field experience in a relevant role may substitute for formal qualification.

Skills and Attributes

• Technical fluency in NRM: the ability to read a watershed, estimate earthwork, size a check dam, and assess soil erosion risk and then explain the logic to a Gram Rozgar Sahayak or a village WASH committee in plain language.
• Government navigation: comfort working with block and district administration, understanding MGNREGA processes, submitting estimates, and following up without losing patience or relationships.
• WASH behaviour change: understanding that sanitation is a behaviour problem, not an infrastructure problem; comfort facilitating CLTS sessions and household‑level hygiene conversations.
• Community rapport: trusted by communities; not perceived as an external engineer but as someone who listens to local water knowledge and integrates it into technical planning.
• Fluency in Odia essential.
• Organised and data‑literate: tracks structure completion, geo‑tags assets, maintains convergence trackers, and can produce a clear status note for programme reviews.
• Collaborative: works within UdGram’s team model — your role is to build the capacity of Coaches, Cluster Leads, and community institutions, not to be the sole technical person in the room.
• Willingness to travel extensively within Rayagada district and be field‑based full‑time; monsoon months and MGNREGA planning windows require intensive field presence.

What We Offer

• Impact at scale: be part of a transformative mission designing the blueprint for whole‑village poverty graduation in India.
• Real technical depth: an NRM and WASH role that spans watershed development, agri‑water engineering, sanitation behaviour change, and government convergence, not a narrow single‑scheme function.
• Growth opportunities: work alongside a high‑impact mission‑driven team engaging with diverse stakeholders across Odisha.
• Inclusive environment: we are committed to diversity and strongly encourage applications from individuals with lived experience of the communities we serve.