Program Manager, Restoration Planning and Implementation, Madhya Pradesh

Description

Program Manager, Restoration Planning and Implementation, Madhya Pradesh
Who we are and what we do?

WRI India, an independent charity legally registered as the India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. WRI India’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations. Through research, analysis, and recommendations, WRI India puts ideas into action to build transformative solutions to protect the earth, promote livelihoods, and enhance human well-being.
We are inspired by and associated with World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research organization. Currently over 250 researchers are working with WRI India in our offices at Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Program Overview for Food, Land and Water:
WRI India’s Food, Land and Water program aims to inform India’s transition towards sustainable and resilient food and land use systems focusing on developing interdisciplinary nature-based solutions like landscape restoration, sustainable agriculture to mitigate climate impacts, enhance jobs and livelihoods and improve nutritional security. To catalyze systems change with a focus on circular food systems in India, we also focus on developing equitable strategies to reduce food loss and food waste and mitigate climate impacts.With broader systems change and food systems perspective, we work with diverse stakeholders like governments, businesses, civil society partners and farmer producer organizations to inform and develop land use strategies based on robust evidence and analysis to build the resilience of local communities to mitigate climate impacts, bridge capacity gaps, monitor progress, and inform a pathway to building a restoration economy for people, nature, and climate. About your role:
WRI India’s Food, Land and Water program aims to inform India’s transition towards sustainable and resilient food and land use systems focusing on developing interdisciplinary nature-based solutions like landscape restoration, sustainable agriculture to mitigate climate impacts, enhance jobs and livelihoods and improve nutritional security. To catalyze systems change with a focus on circular food systems in India, we also focus on developing equitable strategies to reduce food loss and food waste and mitigate climate impacts. 
With broader systems change and food systems perspective, we work with diverse stakeholders like governments, businesses, civil society partners and farmer producer organizations to inform and develop land use strategies based on robust evidence and analysis to build the resilience of local communities to mitigate climate impacts, bridge capacity gaps, monitor progress, and inform a pathway to building a restoration economy for people, nature, and climate. 
WRI India is looking to recruit a State Manager, with an advanced degree or diploma in forestry, natural resource management, civil engineering, developmental studies and at least eight years of full-time, relevant work experience to strengthen the enabling ecosystem for implementing landscape restoration in Madhya Pradesh as a critical Nature-based Solution (NbS). 
With their knowledge of landscape-level programme implementation in India, the candidate will support key outcomes of the project focusing on convergence or dovetailing of financial resources from different schemes and departments that can support implementation of landscape restoration in the State. They will also contribute to building capacities, identifying barriers to restoration through robust analysis, business acceleration, and monitoring. 
The candidate will work closely with the Department of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (DP&RD), Government of Madhya Pradesh (GoMP) and with other relevant state government departments, implementation partners, other civil society organizations (CSO) in the region, and staff from WRI India. The candidate will support developing a scaling strategy for landscape restoration as an NbS in selected district(s) of Madhya Pradesh. The candidate will provide strategic guidance to leverage enabling conditions, identify bottlenecks around incentives for landscape restoration and help to prepare a roadmap with potential solutions for scaling landscape restoration in Madhya Pradesh.
This position involves a combination of leading collaborative planning processes and conducting targeted discussions to inform decision-makers on how to design, develop or improve policies to increase the pace of restoration in support of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Further, this position will play a key role, through coordination, robust research and analysis to bring together key experts and decision-makers to better understand what factors hinder policies from reaching implementation and their intended objectives and develop pathways for more efficient and cost-effective policy implementation. The position requires a comprehensive understanding of incentives, schemes, and regulations related to landscape restoration interventions in the context of the needs of policymakers. 
In addition, the candidate will also work closely to monitor and support the restoration champions/projects selected under the Harit Bharat Fund that provides capacity and capital.
The position is most suited to an individual willing to take on the challenge of a new, fast-growing, and developing work program. Please note that the position holder must be willing to travel, including in remote areas with difficult terrain.
How your day will unfold: I. Project Coordination and Partnership Development (45%) 
• Support the scaling of landscape restoration in selected district(s) of Madhya Pradesh and provide technical support to implementation partners to develop and implement landscape restoration programmes.
• Develop cadence of calls for support and facilitation of the restoration champions/projects selected under the Harit Bharat Fund in Madhya Pradesh that provides capacity and capital.
• Represent WRI India in meetings with the government, project consortia, and other partners. Share approaches, best practices, and lessons learned from WRI’s landscape work for smooth implementation.
• Facilitate activities of the steering committee on landscape restoration at the state level.
• Facilitate the coordination of WRI India’s technical assistance in the development and implementation of the landscape restoration plan as necessary:
a. Maintain close contacts with partners, ensuring adequate communication of landscape activities across all stakeholders including government, private sector, and NGO partners. Foster multi-stakeholder participation, with particular emphasis to local communities.
b. Interact closely with the project implementation partner to develop plans for MGNREGS investments for landscape restoration that are consolidated and approved for implementation along with establishing monitoring systems for the same.
c. Facilitate connections with relevant stakeholders at the state-level and the local- level for project deliverables, especially for the restoration dialogues.II. Research, Monitoring, and Capacity-Building (45%)
• Lead the discussions to upscale landscape restoration in Madhya Pradesh through. This will entail the exchange of experiences on policy instruments for landscape restoration; among various government institutions, experts, CSOs participating in the program with an aim to devise innovative solutions to reduce barriers to the implementation of restoration.
• Identify key experts/mentors through the knowledge network.
• Support with data analysis of knowledge products on restoration policies, policy incentives for landscape restoration in Madhya Pradesh, India, and globally with focus on the socio-ecological and economic impact of these policies.
• Support the identification of incentives for and barriers to landscape restoration in collaboration with leading policy innovators and mentors.
• Identify potential uses of landscape restoration monitoring tools in policy analysis and its scaling, emphasizing inclusive and participatory monitoring tools and approaches.
• Provide capacity building and training support to program partners in understanding frameworks and tools developed for landscape-level interventions.
• Monitor and provide capacity building and training support to restoration champions/projects selected under the Harit Bharat Fund in understanding frameworks and tools developed for landscape-level interventions.
• Support the drafting of reports and peer-review manuscripts, case studies, outreach materials, presentations, and blogs.
• Present complex information clearly and concisely and communicate research and non-research findings to focused and diverse audiences such as governments, the private sector, and community-based organizations.
• Represent WRI India’s work in internal meetings and external conferences.
III. Programme Development and Strategy (10%) 
• Identify opportunities for scaling implementation and contribute to scaling efforts, including identifying sources of funding, field sites and partners.
• Identify opportunities for fundraising and contribute to fundraising efforts, including pitching ideas, writing proposals, and developing multi-year project proposals. 
• Lead planning, monitoring and reporting of related projects.  Qualifications and requirements we seek:  • Master's degree or Diploma in Forestry, Natural Resource Management, Civil Engineering, Development Studies or related fields, with an understanding of their application in the fields of natural resource management, restoration, land use planning and management in India.Required Skills and Experience:
• Understanding of landscape restoration approach and familiarity with restoration related policies, schemes and programmes in Madhya Pradesh and in India. Proven prior experience of undertaking landscape restoration work in Madhya Pradesh would be advantageous. 
• Minimum 8 years of full-time work experience in implementation and/or management of landscape restoration or natural resources management project.
• Prior experience and demonstrated ability in partnership-building and coordination of activities between different stakeholders (government agencies, NGOs, private sector at all levels) in Madhya Pradesh essential.
• Fluency in English and Hindi.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Familiarity with environmental policy analysis and social impact measurements.
• Ability to present complex technical information in a clear and concise manner.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work with minimal oversight.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Knowledge of research methods and policy analysis frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently as well as part of a team in a high-performance environment. Salary and Benefits : INR 15,00,000 to INR 18,00,000 CTC

Salary shall be commensurate with experience and skills. WRI offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package. Location: Bhopal , India 
Duration : The position is a one year position (extendable based on performance and project requirements). The start date is as soon as possible. List of Documents to be attached:
Cover letter  Resume Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview purpose.  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) @WRI India WRI India values and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion across all areas of our work and workforce. Integrating these values into our actions fosters a progressive and collaborative culture and can also enhance our impact. It is our responsibility to create a welcoming working environment for people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and experience to learn together. We are responsible for fostering a safe and inclusive workplace where questions, concerns and information about diversity, equity and inclusion are part of our ongoing dialogue and development. Learn more about WRI India’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). 

People-centric to the core:

We keep our people at the centre of everything we do - from a welcoming work environment to benefits and a culture that encourages staff to stay healthy, happy, engaged, and growing. Some of the non-monetary benefits that our staff get:

Health benefits:  We cover health insurance for you and your loved ones for up to INR 8 lakhs Term Insurance:  Our term insurance policy covers life coverage of 50 lakhs per staffmember Employee Assistance program:  Promoting mental well-being and supporting staff in achieving a satisfying work-life balance Health & Nutrition:  Personalized diet recommendation from a certified dietitian based on the physical health condition and lifestyle Flexible work schedule:   Alternative work arrangements for all who are eligible by nature of their job Learning culture : Workshops and trainings to empower staff, encourage new learning opportunities Rest and Recharge weeks:  We encourage staff to take time off to rest, rejuvenate, upskill, and pursue their interests. Our leave policy:  Avail personal time off at 36 per year, along with public holidays, maternity, paternity, and adoption leaves.Click here to know more about our benefits  Equal employment @WRI India We believe in equal employment, it is our policy to recruit, and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to caste, religion, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, parental status, or disability.

---