Project Head - AgriNext Alliance - 32 Months
About Digital Green
Digital Green India is a social impact organization helping farmers harness technology anddata to build resilient and prosperous communities. Founded in 2008 out of MicrosoftResearch Lab, it began with a video-based approach that transformed how agriculturaladvisory reached rural communities. Over the years, the organization has partnered withgovernments, the private sector, and civil society to scale digital tools and AI-drivenplatforms across India. To date, Digital Green, in India, has reached 6.5 million smallholderfarmers (50% women), trained more than 100,000 frontline workers (52% women), andsupported hundreds of farmer groups in producing and sharing localized videos in 26languages. Building on 18 years of experience, it is now advancing a farmer-responsive, AI-enabledmodel of extension. In 2024, Digital Green launched FarmerChat, an open-source, AI-poweredsolution designed to strengthen public systems and deliver climate-smart, hyperlocalguidance in farmers’ own languages. In India, the tool has reached close to 1 million users(45% women), who have asked millions of queries. By continuously innovating and expanding digital solutions, we remain committed to drivingmeaningful change. Our team is passionate about transformative change, fosteringresilience, and making a tangible impact. Joining Digital Green India means joining a team offorward-thinking leaders in technology-driven development and social impact in India. Ifyou’re a visionary who shares our values and seeks to drive impactful partnerships for thegreater good, we invite you to join our mission.
About the Project
The AgriNext Alliance is a multi-stakeholder partnership platform designed to scale AIpowered agricultural advisory and service delivery to up to 5 million smallholder farmers across Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and one additional state (Karnataka or Madhya Pradesh). Anchored by Digital Green’s FarmerChat platform, the Alliance aims to improve farmproductivity, resilience, and incomes by connecting farmers to localized advisory, provenagricultural services, and market opportunities through digital and partner-led deliverychannels. At least 45% of participating farmers will be women. AgriNext Alliance represents an opportunity to build one of India’s largest farmer-centricdigital ecosystems, demonstrating how technology, partnerships, and evidence-basedapproaches can drive inclusive and sustainable agricultural transformation at scale.
About the Role
The Project Head will provide overall leadership for the AgriNext Project, combining strategicplanning with hands-on oversight of implementation and scale-up across multiplegeographies. The role will be accountable for translating project objectives andorganizational priorities into effective implementation plans, ensuring high-quality delivery,strong governance, effective resource utilization, and achievement of project outcomes anddonor commitments. The ideal candidate will bring extensive experience in agricultural systems, farmer institutiondevelopment, rural livelihoods, digital agriculture, and the leadership of large-scale, multistate, multi-stakeholder development programmes. The role requires the ability to build and manage strategic partnerships, develop andmaintain strong working relationships with government departments and public institutionsat the state and national levels, lead high-performing teams, and drive sustainable,evidence-based agricultural transformation at scale.
Why Join Digital Green
- Direct exposure to work along with the senior leadership team on the organization’s most strategic priorities.
- Opportunity to gain a 360° view of building and scaling programs through partnerships.
- Be associated with a Fast-growing, mission-driven organization with high ownership and low bureaucracy.
- Be a part of a Culture that values initiative, learning, and impact.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide overall direction for the design, implementation, and scale-up of the AgriNext Project across all project geographies.
- Develop and oversee annual, quarterly, and long-term implementation strategies aligned with organizational priorities, donor commitments, and project outcomes.
- Ensure successful delivery of project objectives and milestones while maintaining high-quality standards, effective budget utilization, and compliance with donor requirements.
- Provide oversight on project performance, proactively manage strategic risks, and drive timely decision-making to address implementation challenges.
- Foster cross-functional collaboration across program, technology, monitoring, finance, and operations teams to ensure integrated project execution.
- Farmers Collectives Engagement & Institutional Strengthening
- Lead the identification, engagement, and strengthening of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Primary Agricultural Cooperatives (PACs), and other farmer institutions.
- Drive institutional capacity-building strategies that enhance farmer engagement, digital adoption, business planning, market linkages, and climate-smart agriculture practices.
- Champion inclusive approaches that strengthen participation of women, youth, and marginalized communities across all project interventions.
- Guide the development of scalable models that enhance farmer incomes, institutional resilience, and longterm sustainability.
- Oversee the integration of digital agriculture, artificial intelligence, and data-driven solutions to improve farmer outreach, advisory services, and project effectiveness.
- Drive the adoption of digital agriculture technologies across the program portfolio by collaborating with technology teams to deliver scalable, farmer-centric digital solutions.
- Lead innovation by identifying, piloting, and scaling emerging technologies and evidence-based agricultural practices.
- Support integration of regenerative agriculture and climate-resilient farming practices within project interventions.
- Strategic Partnerships & Stakeholder Management
- Build and strengthen strategic partnerships with: Government departments, Agri-tech companies, research institutions, CSR partners, financial institutions, NGOs, and market actors.
- Facilitate convergence with relevant government agriculture and rural development schemes.
- Represent the organization at national and state-level forums, policy discussions, donor engagements, and industry platforms.
- Lead resource mobilization and partnership development efforts that expand project impact and sustainability.
- Organizational Leadership & Capacity Building
- Coach and mentor project staff across multiple geographies and field locations.
- Build team capacity in FPO engagement, project management, digital agriculture, and regenerative farming approaches.
- Foster a collaborative, accountable, and results-oriented work culture.
- Lead the design, establishment, and implementation of systems for project monitoring, data collection, performance tracking, and impact measurement.
- Review implementation data and project dashboards regularly to assess progress and outcomes.
- Ensure timely delivery of high-quality donor reports, impact assessments, knowledge products, and organizational communications.
- Facilitate the institutionalization of lessons learned and best practices to drive continuous improvement, innovation, and adaptive program management.
Experience, Qualification & Skills Required
- Educational Qualifications & Experience:
- Relevant degree in Agriculture, Rural Management, Agribusiness, Rural Development, Development Studies, or related disciplines.
- 15 to 20 years of progressive leadership experience in agriculture development, FPO strengthening, rural livelihoods, digital transformation, agri-tech, climate-smart agriculture, or value-chain development.
- Demonstrated success in leading large-scale, multi-state & multi stakeholder development projects.
- Proven experience in building and managing partnerships with Central and State Government agencies, donor organizations, private sector partners, and development institutions.
- Strong understanding of FPO ecosystems, agricultural value chains, and rural markets.
- Experience with digital agriculture, AI-enabled advisory platforms, and the design or scaling of AI-driven applications for agriculture will be a distinct advantage.
- Experience working with international donors, government-funded programs, or public-private partnerships is desirable.
- Strong strategic leadership and program management capabilities, with experience of leading complex, multi-state, multi-stakeholder initiatives.
- Proven ability to build, manage, and sustain strong working relationships with government departments, public institutions, and relevant government stakeholders at state and national levels.
- Exceptional people management, communication, collaboration and decision-making skills.
- Ability to analyze data and drive evidence-based decision-making.
- Demonstrated financial, operational, and risk management capabilities, including oversight of large program budgets.
- Passion for innovation, digital transformation, and sustainable agricultural development.
- Willingness to travel extensively across PAN India, including remote locations, and represent the organization at national, state, and industry forums.
Digital Green Trust is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.