Position: Project Director

Organization: PRANA

Location: Delhi

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ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

The PRANA Project Director will provide leadership, management, and strategic direction for the project and is responsible for advancing the implementation of the project activities to meet the project goals, demonstrate best practices, provide training and analyses to best implement organizational measures of success, develop key partnerships and lead on establishing TNC as a major conservation partner in the crop residue management and regenerative agriculture in India.

Under the supervision of the TNC India Managing Director, the Project Director will lead a team of about (10) ten technical staff members as well as a group of implementing partners.

They will serve as the key liaison with government agencies, other conservation organizations, foundations, the academic community, and local farmer institutions.

They will be responsible for building alliances with priority businesses and key stakeholders and engaging local communities to harness influential support.

To be successful the PRANA Project Director will need to negotiate complex and innovative solutions with government agencies, major institutions and landowners to achieve the Project’s stated outcomes.

They will play a leading role in managing policy maker relationships and in securing further ongoing funding for the project. 

The PRANA Project Director will define, prioritize and is accountable for the Project’s deliverables and results.

They will implement organizational measures of success and ensure that performance indicators, objectives, and goals are effectively met and track expenditures to keep the project on budget.

They may participate on several internal working committees to ensure the highly effective coordination of the PRANA project within TNC’s larger global Bezos Fund deliverables and global priorities.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE:

• Lead the implementation of a four-year strategy and the day-to-day operations of this collaborative, complex and high-profile project, providing strategic vision, leadership, and technical direction while accountable for project deliverables, project monitoring and evaluation and reporting.  
• Coordinate the work of a team of other professionals and manage large contracts.
• Establish and maintain close relationships with relevant government agencies, NGOs, private sector companies, and research institutions. 
• Develop and lead the implementation of annual work plans that are directly aligned with the project theory of change and seek high-levels of impact.   
• Ensure that the project activities comply with TNC policies and procedures, including financial standards and legal requirements. 
• Identify and address challenges emerging from the implementation of the project and explore and test ideas for removing obstacles to implementation.
• Ensure quality data is produced timely for both internal project management and external reporting purposes.
• Lead the use a set of management tools that permits proper planning, management and results reporting. 
• Coordinate with other TNC staff in locations around the world including Earth Bezos Fund grant and Global Priority teams.
• Oversee a large project budget. 
• Assist the fundraising team by reviewing donor communications as well as assisting with proposal development.
• May require frequent travel domestically and/or internationally (when safe to do so) and evening and weekend hours.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Relevant Master’s degree and at least 12 years of experience in conservation practice or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience designing, implementing, and directing large and complex projects, including supervision of multidisciplinary professionals and coordinating the work of multiple partners, while meeting deadlines.
• Experience working with current trends and practices in regenerative agriculture in India. 
• Fundraising experience, including identifying donor prospects and donor cultivation.
• Direct supervisory experience, including motivating, leading, setting objectives and managing performance.
• Demonstrated excellence in verbal and written communications for diverse audiences, both in English and Hindi.
• Experience networking with high-level conservation contacts and in developing coalitions of partners, committed to achieving shared goals.
• Experience conceiving and implementing strategic and creative initiatives.
• Experience managing a multi-million-dollar annual budgets in a complex organizational contexts.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Multi-lingual and multi-cultural experience.
• Background in regenerative agriculture and/or experience in improving the sustainability of agricultural practices in India.
• Fluency in Punjabi.  
• Experience making independent strategic decisions based on analysis, ambiguous or uncertain information, experiential learning and context.
• Experience developing practical applications of scientific concepts and technical innovations for conservation purposes.
• Knowledge of politics and society in India with respect to agriculture and environmental affairs.
• Proficiency in synthesizing complex data from multiple sources into a coherent and accurate summary.
• Vast experience negotiating and in fundraising.