Program Manager - NRM

OnionDev; New Delhi; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

OnionDev is seeking a Programme Manager to lead a strategic ICT-for-development initiative focused on water and forest resource governance. The role involves building partnerships with academics and practitioners, mapping use cases, and defining product requirements in alignment with community needs.

You will engage with CSOs, governments, and donors, guiding project design, monitoring, and knowledge management while coordinating with engineering and content teams.

Qualifications

• Master degree in Development studies or related field.
• 7-9 years of experience deploying ICT for development projects.
• Experience with climate resilience, natural resource management, or watershed development.
• Strong English and Hindi communication; regional languages an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead partnerships with academia and practitioners to map use cases and product definitions.
• Identify integration points with government programs (e.g., MGNREGA, FRA).
• Coordinate with CSOs; conduct workshops; oversee partner training and adoption.
• Collaborate with engineering team for design and iterative development.
• Ensure end-to-end project monitoring, knowledge management, and reporting.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Donor liaison

Communication

Education

Master degree in Development studies

Tools

MIS systems

Job description

Program Manager NRM

Opening for Programme Officer/ Manager

After the success of our Mobile Vaani program to empower communities with tools for demanding social accountability and knowledge sharing, we have embarked on an ambitious program to build Digital Public Good (DPG) tools for communities for improved management of water and forest commons. We are co-creating this in partnership with a large number of experienced organizations and we are looking for a Programme Manager to join our talented team to take this project forward.

Key themes: Water management, tree plantations, forest rejuvenation, wasteland restoration

Sub themes: Relate with food and nutrition security, livelihood, youth engagement, gender

Primary job roles

• Build synergistic partnerships with academic and practitioner organizations to map usecases and create product definitions, distil changes required based on usage feedback
• Identify integration points for the products with government programmes such as MGNREGA and FRA
• Network with CSOs and conduct/participate in workshops
• Partner training and adoption at various levels community, field team, desk team
• Coordination with the engineering team for iterative development based on feedback and new insights
• Coordination with research teams for new problems based on gaps identified in the above aspects

Programme Manager will have the responsibility to ensure smooth delivery and impact. The candidate should be comfortable with a start-up environment managing fast paced development and frequently changing requirements.

What you will be doing

Strategy

• Be connected and work closely with and on the field to build an understanding of the needs of the target user groups, communities and partner organizations, and ensure that the programs are built with a strong fitment to these needs.
• Drive innovation across all aspects of project planning and execution
• Share strategic lessons and approaches with other peers in the company and with wider partners
• Lead design, development and delivery of the project (all aspects)
• Provide required insights/feedback/updates to internal (content, research, mobilization, development) an external stakeholder (client/donors)

Project Management

• Lead different/assigned projects including relationships with governments, donors, key partners, and other stakeholders.
• Follow through on the required project design requirements and ensure that processes are followed.
• Work closely with the teams to ensure timely planning, completion, sharing and documentation of needs assessment study, formative study, any other recce, dipstick survey activities as required by the project.
• Ensure end to end knowledge management (including process documentation, as required) of all assigned projects.
• Follow processes, templates, systems as required to ensure effective project delivery, learning, and sharing put in place by the project delivery teams (project units) from across functions (content, development, research, mobilization)
• Work closely with the project unit team to build log frames, workplans, and the theory of change ensuring that all required project monitoring tools are put in place, teams are trained, and data is reviewed regularly.
• Collaborate with teams on communication and mobilization design and delivery.
• Work closely with the internal technology team to build MIS specifications and data tracking methods.
• Work closely with the internal content team to provide inputs on communication and SBCC material.
• Ensure that the partners are on-board with the strategy and hold constant update/review meetings.
• Follow regular feedback and revision process with the community mobilization team. Provide direction, support etc. to ensure effective user response.
• Ensure that the trainings are planned, delivered, monitored and the efficacy is reviewed on a regular basis.
• Ensure that the required training, assessment and other documents are in place.

Team Administrative responsibilities

• Work with concerned leads to help manage and support key staff for the projects, especially fieldbased staff volunteers.
• Ensure high quality and timely deliverables, in line with the proposed strategy and targets, throughout the life of the project/s
• Complete monthly, quarterly, and yearly internal and external reports at various levels
• Provide regular reporting to the line managers about program challenges, suggestions on the way forward, updates on key action taken, and escalations as required.
• Support project and vertical leads on financial accountability and ensuring standards of quality.
• Track the PL statement for each program, ensure timely invoicing and payments.
• Play a representational role, both for the project and the organization, internally and externally
• Gram Vaani: Technology. Media. Development
• Support the reporting line managers in building customized concept notes and co-funding proposals for new programs.

Experience and Qualifications

• Master degree in Development studies, social work/ studies, and related field.
• 7-9 years of experience in deploying managing ICT for development projects, social and/or behaviour change communication and development.
• Experience of working in the domains such as climate change resilience action, natural resource management, watershed development.
• Experience of working on the ground with low-income rural and urban communities
• Experience of working with teams designing, delivering and managing large-scale community mobilization programs (behaviour change communication campaigns) in low-income urban or rural communities.
• Experience of working closely with state or national governments in India at a senior level on the strategic development and implementation of ICT initiatives
• Experience of stakeholder relationship management support at a senior level
• Proven technical project management skills and experience
• Demonstrated skills in project planning, budget development and management, project work plan development and management
• Experience of supporting/preparing donor proposals, reports, and other external submissions
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Hindi. Additional languages (including regional dialects of Bihar, Jharkhand, UP, MP, Odisha) will be an added advantage.
• Ability to demonstrate a high degree of self-motivation, planning and organization, and strategic thinking
• Ability to work on own initiative and organizing time effectively within a range of often conflicting deadlines. Capacity to juggle competing priorities and a busy program of work while working to an agreed strategy
• Should be a self-starter which is very crucial for a start-up like us
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work with diverse teams

Job Details

Job Category: Full Time

Openings: Full Time

Job Location: Delhi/NCR