State Head- Gujarat (Programmes, Partnerships & Business)

Dharmalife; Veraval; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Dharmalife seeks a State Head – Gujarat to drive growth, programme delivery, partnerships, and operational excellence across the state. The role leads the DLE network, government collaborations, and donor-funded programmes with a focus on livelihoods and women empowerment.

The ideal candidate has 8–12 years in rural development, strong leadership, and proven ability to manage multi-district teams while delivering measurable social impact and scalable outcomes.

Qualifications

• 8–12 years of relevant experience.
• Experience in rural markets, social enterprises, development sector, livelihood promotion, microfinance, CSR, or large-scale field operations.
• Proven experience managing multi-district or state-level teams.
• Demonstrated success in both programme delivery and business development.
• Experience working with government stakeholders and donor-funded programmes will be preferred.

Responsibilities

• Drive state-level growth, revenue targets, and partnerships across the Gujarat region.
• Lead development of DLE networks, community engagement, and livelihood programs.
• Ensure high-quality programme delivery, reporting, and governance standards across districts.
• Build strategic partnerships with government departments, CSR foundations, and donors.
• Mentor and supervise Territory Channel Managers, Cluster Heads, and other teams.
• Oversee compliance, budgets, and field operations to achieve impact metrics.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Team management

Data-driven decision making

Education

Rural Management

Business Administration

Social Work

Development Studies

Job description

Dharmalife (www.dharmalife.in) is a social impact organization advancing inclusive progress across India through two core pillars — People and Planet. Working in over 40,000 villages across 15 states, it has built a rural network of 20,000+ women entrepreneurs, known as Dharmalife Entrepreneurs (DLEs), who drive sustainable community development.

The organization works alongside women by enhancing their economic power, agency, and leadership, while addressing key social and environmental challenges. Through this network of DLEs, Dharmalife promotes sustainable livelihoods, behaviour change, and solutions across key domains — Health, Well-being, Livelihood, Education, Care, Clean Energy, Sustainability, and Circular Economy.

By 2030, Dharmalife aims to advance 1 million rural women through sustainable livelihoods and care support. Its group entities — Dharmalife Foundation, Gajam India Pvt. Ltd., Dharmalife Labs, and Dharmalife Society — work together to create lasting systemic change at scale.

Position Summary

The State Head – Gujarat is the senior leadership position in the state responsible for driving Dharmalife' s growth, programme delivery, partnerships, and operational excellence across Gujarat.

The role combines four critical dimensions:

• Business and Sales Growth through the Dharmalife Entrepreneur (DLE) network
• DLE Group Development and Entrepreneur Ecosystem Strengthening
• High-Quality Execution of Donor and CSR-Funded Programmes
• Strategic Government and Institutional Partnership Development

The State Head serves as the primary representative of Dharmalife within Gujarat, along with central office functions, and is responsible for achieving commercial, social impact, operational, and stakeholder engagement objectives across all assigned districts.

Key Responsibilities

1. Business Growth & Revenue Generation

• Drive state-level sales and revenue targets across Dharmalife products, services, and programme-linked business opportunities.
• Strengthen entrepreneur productivity, customer outreach, and market penetration.
• Develop district-wise growth plans and sales strategies.
• Monitor sales conversion, order fulfilment, collections, inventory movement, and business performance.
• Identify new business opportunities and market expansion areas.
• Improve DLE earnings and income-generating opportunities.
• Drive sustainable business growth through community-based distribution models.

2. DLE (Dharmalife Entrepreneur) Network Development & Community Engagement

• Lead recruitment, onboarding, activation, and retention of DLEs and DLTs.
• Build and strengthen village-level DLE groups and entrepreneur collectives.
• Increase active participation and engagement of women entrepreneurs.
• Develop leadership capabilities among high-potential DLEs.
• Ensure regular field engagement, group meetings, and entrepreneur support.
• Improve entrepreneur retention and productivity.
• .
• Lead implementation of donor-funded and CSR-supported programmes across Gujarat.
• Ensure achievement of programme deliverables, timelines, budgets, and impact indicators.
• Monitor beneficiary outreach, training completion, adoption metrics, and community engagement.
• Ensure high-quality implementation across Health, Livelihood, Education, Care, Clean Energy, Sustainability, Circular Economy, and future programmes.
• Maintain programme documentation, field evidence, case studies, and reporting standards.
• Support surveys, assessments, research activities, audits, and donor visits.
• Ensure safeguarding, compliance, and quality standards are maintained.

4. Government & Strategic Partnerships

• Develop strategic relationships with: Gujarat State Rural Livelihood Mission (GSRLM); Women & Child Development Department; Labour Department; Education Department; Tribal Development Department; Skill Development Missions; Renewable Energy Agencies, District Administration; and Panchayati Raj Institutions
• Build partnerships with CSR foundations, corporate partners, financial institutions, NGOs and development organizations, academic and research institutions
• Identify opportunities for programme convergence, co-funding, and scale-up.
• Represent Dharmalife at state-level forums, consultations, and stakeholder meetings.
• Facilitate approvals, coordination, and institutional support for programme implementation.

5. Team Leadership, Governance & Operations

• Lead and mentor Territory Channel Managers, Cluster Heads, Enterprise Leaders, and other teams.
• Drive performance management, coaching, and capability development.
• Conduct regular reviews and field visits.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies and operating procedures.
• Monitor budgets, resource utilization, and operational efficiency.
• Ensure data quality, reporting discipline, and governance standards.

Candidate Profile

Education

Graduate or Postgraduate in: Rural Management; Business Administration; Social Work; Development Studies and Related disciplines

Experience Required

• 8–12 years of relevant experience.
• Experience in rural markets, social enterprises, development sector, livelihood promotion, microfinance, channel management, CSR, or large-scale field operations.
• Proven experience managing multi-district or state-level teams.
• Demonstrated success in both programme delivery and business development.
• Experience working with government stakeholders and donor-funded programmes will be preferred.

Leadership Competencies:

Strategic Thinking; Execution Excellence; Team Leadership; Ownership & Accountability

Functional Competencies:

Rural Market Development; Programme Management; Sales & Business Development; Stakeholder Engagement; Partnership Development; Community Mobilisation; Data-Driven Decision Making;

Travel Requirement

This position requires extensive travel across Gujarat, including regular visits to Head office (Delhi), villages, DLE groups, programme sites, government offices, partner organizations, and district headquarters. Field immersion and direct stakeholder engagement are critical success factors for this role.

Why Join Dharmalife

This role provides a unique opportunity to lead one of India's largest women-led rural entrepreneurship and impact ecosystems, while directly contributing to livelihoods, sustainability, community development, and social transformation at scale.