Program Coordinator

ACCESS Development Services; New Delhi; On-site; INR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

ACCESS Development Services is seeking a proactive Program Coordinator to oversee empanelled Technical Agencies delivering mentoring and technical advisory services to Farmer Producer Companies, Cooperatives, and SMEs under the IAVCP-GAP Fund. You will ensure interventions translate grant investments into governance and business outcomes.

The role requires 5+ years in project coordination, strong multi-stakeholder coordination, and experience with monitoring frameworks.

Qualifications

• Post-graduate degree in Agri-Business Management or related field required.
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in project coordination and enterprise development.
• Experience with agri-value chain development and grant/fund management desirable.

Responsibilities

• Single-window coordinator for empanelled Technical Agencies delivering support to grantee FPCs/Cooperatives/SMEs.
• Onboard and orient Technical Agencies on GAP Fund objectives, deliverables, and reporting protocols.
• Map TA to FPO/SME clusters based on domain expertise, geography and value-chain focus.
• Convene periodic review meetings, workshops, and joint field visits with TA teams.
• Review and approve TA work plans and monitor deliverables against milestones.
• Verify quality of outputs (feasibility studies, SOPs, MIS setups) before acceptance.
• Design and operationalise a monitoring framework for TA performance and enterprise progress.
• Undertake field visits to validate TA-reported progress and gather enterprise feedback.
• Consolidate TA reports into a dashboard for management/donor reporting.
• Flag underperformance and recommend corrective actions including reassignment/termination.

Skills

Project management

Multi-stakeholder coordination

Governance

Business planning

Value chains

Rural enterprise development

Monitoring and evaluation

Grant/fund management

External consultants management

Education

Post-graduate degree in Agri-Business Management

Post-graduate degree in Rural Management

Post-graduate degree in Agricultural Economics/Development Studies

Job description

Job Summary

Project Summary:

ACCESS is implementing the Investment in Agri-value Chain Project (IAVCP) as Fund Manager, supported by IFAD. The Investments in Agroecology Value Chains Project (IAVCP) seeks to strengthen agroecological enterprises, producer-owned enterprises, and Agri-MSMEs by addressing persistent gaps in governance, market readiness, compliance, risk management, and investment alignment. While several enterprises demonstrate strong production and social foundations, they require structured incubation and acceleration-type support to become institutionally robust, market-validated, and investment-ready.

As on date, ACCESS has sanctioned 72 grants to enterprises including FPC/ SMEs/ Cooperatives. The enterprises are located on Pan-India basis.

Position Summary:

ACCESS is seeking a self-driven and detail-oriented professional as a Program Coordinator as the primary point of contact and oversight authority for empaneled Technical Agencies (TAs) engaged to deliver mentoring, hand-holding, and technical advisory services to Enterprises including Farmer Producer Companies/ Cooperatives and Small Micro Enterprises (SMEs) that have received grant support under the IAVCP-GAP Fund. The role ensures that TA-led interventions translate grant investments into measurable business, governance, and value-chain outcomes for enterprises.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the single-window coordinator for all empanelled Technical Agencies delivering support to grantee FPCs/ Cooperatives and SMEs.
• Onboard newly selected TAs - orient them on GAP Fund objectives, beneficiary profiles, deliverables, reporting protocols, and code of conduct.
• Facilitate mapping of TAs to specific FPO/SME clusters based on domain expertise, geography, and value-chain focus (e.g., horticulture, dairy, millets, agri-processing).
• Convene periodic review meetings, workshops, and joint field visits with TA teams.
• Get associated with TAs in delivering the Technical Support towards strengthening the FPCs/SMEs
• Review and approve periodical work plans (quarterly/ semi-annually) submitted by each TA, ensuring alignment with enterprise specific business plans and IAVCP- GAP Fund milestones.
• Track deliverables against agreed timelines, milestones, and KPIs - including diagnostic reports, business plan refinement, market linkage support, compliance handholding, and capacity-building modules delivered.
• Verify quality of technical outputs (feasibility studies, DPRs, SOPs, MIS setups, governance training, etc.) before acceptance and payment recommendation.
• Design and operationalise a monitoring framework to assess TA performance and enterprise progress.
• Undertake regular field visits to FPCs/ Cooperatives /SMEs to independently validate TA-reported progress and gather feedback from enterprises.
• Consolidate monthly and quarterly progress reports from TAs into a unified dashboard for management and donor reporting.
• Flag underperformance, delays, or conflicts early and recommend corrective action, including reassignment or termination where warranted.
• Act as a bridge between enterprises (FPOs/ Cooperatives/SMEs) and TAs - ensuring enterprise needs are heard, prioritised, and addressed through the technical support arrangement.
• Ensuring technical inputs are translating into business, financial, and governance improvements.
• Support grievance redressal and issue resolution between enterprises and TAs.
• Review TAs invoices and deliverable-linked payment claims; verify against contractual milestones and recommend releases to Finance.
• Ensure adherence to contractual terms, service-level agreements, data confidentiality clauses, and reporting obligations by all TAs.
• Maintain complete documentation - contracts, deliverables, correspondence, evaluation records - in an audit-ready format.
• Capture case studies, best practices, and lessons from TA engagements across FPO/SME grantees.
• Facilitate cross-learning sessions between TAs and among grantees.
• Contribute to periodic programme reviews, donor reports, and strategy refinement of the GAP Fund.
• Coordinate with internal IAVCP-GAP Fund teams (Investments, ME, Finance, Legal), state-level project units, and external partners
• Represent the programme in relevant forums, TA review committees, and stakeholder consultations as required.

Education and Experience

• Post-graduate degree in Agri-Business Management, Rural Management, Agricultural Economics, Development Studies, Business Administration, or a related field from a recognised institution.
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in Project Coordination, enterprise strengthening and development, incubation and acceleration programs.
• Experience in agri-value chain development project with FPCs and SMEs, rural livelihoods, or development-sector grant/fund management.
• Demonstrated experience in managing external consultants, technical service providers, or implementation partners.
• Exposure with monitoring evaluation systems, results frameworks, and deliverable-based contracting is highly desirable.

Skills and Competencies

• project management
• multi-stakeholder coordination
• governance
• business planning
• value chains
• rural enterprise development
• monitoring and evaluation
• grant/fund management
• external consultants management