1. POSITION VACANT: Chief Program Officer, Grameen Foundation India (GFI), Gurugram/ Delhi

2. ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND:

Grameen Foundation India (GFI) is a pioneer and a leader in the social impact space in India. A wholly owned subsidiary of Grameen Foundation USA, GFI has been working since 2010, with the poorest communities, especially women, on access to financial services, sustainable livelihoods, micro- enterprise development, women’s economic empowerment, and health and nutrition. GFI uses the power of digital technology to connect low-income and excluded communities to sources of information, markets, capital, technology and capacity development opportunities. Working closely with Governments, Financial Institutions, Agri businesses and farmer organizations, GFI helps people build assets, weather crises, manage risks and become resilient.

GFI is known for its pioneering work in leveraging digital platforms for social impact, data, evidence and measurement frameworks for driving social performance, and innovative financing models. GFI has established two subsidiaries- Grameen Foundation for Social Impact (GFSI, a not-for-profit, Section-8 company) and Grameen Impact Ventures (GIV, a for-profit social business). Together, these three entities work on three distinct revenue models- philanthropic grants, fee for service, and revenue based social business. With a total staff of over 135, GFI and its subsidiaries work directly in five states in India (UP, Maharashtra, MP, Bihar and Delhi-NCR) and in another eight states, in partnership with other partner organizations. Grameen’s, Grameen Mittra Network, is a network of over 2,200 digitally enabled women entrepreneurs working across 16 districts delivering financial and non-financial services to their community.

GFI is a partner of choice for leading philanthropic donors and foundations, such as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Walmart Foundation, Swiss Development Cooperation, GIZ, ICRISAT, IFPRI, Metlife Foundation, Bajaj Holdings, Citi Group, Amazon, Skoll Foundation, J. P. Morgan, Total Oils, UPDASP- Government of UP, SIDBI, Vaccine Confidence Fund (Global Impact), Water.org, UNCDF etc.

For more information about GFI, please visit: https://grameenfoundation.in/

3. JOB DESCRIPTION/ RESPONSIBILITIES:

Position Summary

With a view to better managing the substantial growth witnessed in GFI’s program portfolio in recent years, both in scale as well as in diversity, GFI is looking to recruit a Chief Programs Officer (CPO), who will take leadership in program design, business development, effective and quality program execution, people management, budget management, risk assessment, stakeholder relationships and thought leadership.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the CPO will be a seasoned professional with deep experience and knowledge in one or more of GFI’s program domains- innovations in digital finance, agriculture and livelihoods, women’s economic empowerment, and health and nutrition.

As a recognized leader, the CPO will have business acumen, entrepreneurial mindset, result orientation, ownership of building and upholding team culture and core values, and a strong commitment to creating impact.

Working closely with the CEO, the CPO will lead the program strategy, build and maintain stakeholder relationship, mentor and coach the team, identify and resolve challenges and barriers, work towards enhancing program quality and position Grameen as a thought leader and as a partner of choice in its domains of work. The CPO will be committed to promoting gender inclusion and diversity in our programs, and mainstream the same internally across the organization.

The CPO will be a strategic thinker, effective communicator, creative problem solver and a relationship builder. S/he will use experience, skills and knowledge to design and implement multi-stakeholder partnerships, build innovations in program design, develop and track programmatic theory of change, oversee development of detailed implementation plans, monitor programs for timely, quality and effective implementation and reporting, develop program budgets and monitor budget utilization.

Key Accountabilities
(1) Provide leadership in the areas of program design and implementation, team recruitment, coaching and performance management, and developing and managing partnerships with donors and other partner organizations;
(2) Use strategic thinking to translate ideas and concepts into action research/ pilot projects and anticipate long term challenges and trends to develop appropriate strategies;
(3) Lead development of proposals, negotiation with donors, tracking programme deliverables, reviewing program quality and managing budgets, utilization and reporting;
(4) Oversee the documentation and knowledge management function related to different program verticals;
(5) As a member of Grameen’s Senior Leadership Team, contribute to strategy development, represent the organization at external fora, and build and strengthen organizational positioning and credibility;
(6) Develop detailed project implementation plans and lead effective Project Management including Risk Management, Partner Engagement, Budget Management, Vendor and Partner contracts, Internal and External Communication, and Program Monitoring and Evaluation;
(7) Provide subject matter expertise in relevant domains, as applicable;
(8) Review and quality assure reporting and documentation and lead stakeholder discussions, including but not limited to, Monthly Updates and Quarterly Reports;
(9) Actively participate in internal and external Knowledge Exchange and dissemination to share lessons learnt (conferences, roundtable meetings, webinars, blogs, case studies, etc.) and support other GFI representatives in internal and external communication;
(10) Track and analyse developments that can have an impact on the social impact industry, ensuring organizational preparedness to deal with such developments.

4. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES:

Qualification and Experience
(1) MBA/ Master’s degree from leading institutions such as the IIMs / IRMA/ IIFM/ XIMB/ TISS/ ISB, or any leading international academic institution;
(2) 15 years of relevant professional experience in India, or elsewhere, in one or more of the programmatic domains in which Grameen works.
(3) Applicants having experience in both the financial inclusion/ financial services industry and the social impact space, will have an advantage in understanding and leading Grameen’s diverse program portfolio.

Skills and Competencies
(1) Outstanding project management skills with proven track record of achievement under challenging situations and multi-stakeholder arrangements with an outcome focused outlook;
(2) Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Hindi;
(3) Cross-cultural understanding and sensitivity, concern for diversity, and commitment to gender mainstreaming;
(4) Expertise in developing program theory of change/ results frameworks/ log frames, and program budgets for multi-year programs;
(5) Proven people management skills;
(6) Strong stakeholder orientation, ensuring all program actions are undertaken with a view to beneficially impacting the end-client;
(7) Outcome focused with the ability to stay on top of plans, targets and budgets and course-correct, realign and address impediments, to ensure their accomplishment;
(8) Build partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives;
(9) Study and determine the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement;
(10) Manage ambiguity by operating effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear;
(11) Gain the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity;
(12) Demonstrate fiscally responsible decision making as applicable to one’s role;
(13) Recognize the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization;
(14) Handle conflict situations effectively, with a minimum of noise;
(15) Nurture and develop people to meet both their individual and organizational goals;
(16) Demonstrate a strategic mindset, looking ahead towards future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies;
(17) Build strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals;
(18) Demonstrate resilience, rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations;
(19) Demonstrate courage, stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said.

(Note: The GFI head office is in Gurugram. The job shall entail frequent travel, upto 40% of the time, to project sites and other locations.)

5. REPORTING:

The position reports to the CEO. Direct reports include all Program Directors/ leads of all program verticals.

6. COMPENSATION OFFERED:

Gross compensation budgeted for the position is attractive. The offer made to the selected candidate shall be commensurate with qualifications, experience, and salary history.

7. LOCATION: Gurugram/ Delhi

8. REFERENCE: CPO-GFI

9. CONTACT INFORMATION:

Team SAMS
Strategic Alliance Management Services P Ltd.
1/1B, Choudhary Hetram House, Bharat Nagar 
New Friends Colony, New Delhi 110 025
Phone Nos.: 011- 4081 9900; 4165 3612

10. APPLICATION PROCESS:

Eligible candidates interested in the position are requested to apply using the link https://recruitment.samshrm.com/JOBS/GFI, by or before January 31, 2023.

Grameen Foundation India is an equal opportunity employer and particularly encourages women candidates to apply for this role.