Job Title:  Manager | Food and Agri | Lucknow | Operations, Industry & Domain Solutions

Role Summary

The Manager will lead end-to-end delivery for the UP OTDE engagement focused on agriculture and allied sectors, driving measurable improvements in farmer incomes, productivity, market integration, climate resilience, and institutional effectiveness. The role integrates program management, policy design, stakeholder engagement, analytics-enabled monitoring, procurement/process reforms, and capacity building across multiple government schemes and thematic tracks (e.g., Fasal Bividta se Samridhi (crop diversification), mechanization, PM-KUSUM, UPAGREES, soil health, NFSM, insurance, natural farming, rainfed area development, farm ponds, organic transitions under Namami Gange, etc.).

You will coordinate multi-agency delivery (Departments of Agriculture/Horticulture/Animal Husbandry/Cooperation/Power/Rural Development, state PSUs, line directorates), manage a multidisciplinary consulting team, and ensure outcomes are achieved against agreed KPIs within time, budget, and compliance frameworks.

Key Responsibilities

1) Program & Delivery Management

• Lead planning, execution, and governance for assigned OTDE workstreams; develop detailed project plans, RACI, risk registers, dashboards, and review cadences.
• Manage scope, timelines, budget burn, quality, and change control; ensure adherence to Deloitte and client PMO standards.
• Drive weekly/monthly reviews with client leadership; convert decisions into actionable trackers; unblock dependencies.

2) Policy, Scheme Design & Process Reforms

• Conduct policy analysis, scheme re-engineering, and outcome-focused redesign for thematic areas (e.g., Fasal Bividta se Samridhi rather than generic crop diversification; mechanization; PM-KUSUM; insurance; seed policy; soil health; millets revival where applicable; natural farming; rainfed area development).
• Translate strategy into implementable SOPs, guidelines, beneficiary targeting frameworks, convergence pathways, and resource mobilization plans.

3) Stakeholder Engagement & Institutional Strengthening

• Orchestrate multi-stakeholder coordination across departments, district administrations, cooperatives/FPOs, private partners, and development agencies.
• Facilitate governance forums, MoUs/PPP frameworks, and institutional capacity building for sustained delivery excellence.

4) Monitoring, Evaluation & Data-Driven Delivery

• Define KPIs/SLAs and build MIS/BI dashboards to track scheme outcomes (coverage, timeliness, fiscal utilization, outputs/outcomes).
• Lead baselines, midline/endline evaluations, process audits, and outcome assessments; ensure credible data quality and triangulation.
• Use analytics to identify bottlenecks and run targeted improvement sprints.

5) Procurement, Finance & Compliance

• Support demand aggregation, e-procurement packaging, market engagement, and bid evaluations in line with applicable rules (e.g., GFR, state procurement, GeM usage where relevant).
• Track budgets, fund flows, utilization certificates, and audit observations; ensure risk, ethics, and confidentiality protocols are followed.

6) Field Operations & District Enablement

• Run district implementation sprints: beneficiary onboarding, last-mile service delivery, extension/capacity building, and grievance redressal.
• Document best practices and scale-up playbooks; support rapid pilots and replication.

7) Communications & Change Management

• Prepare high-quality executive briefs, policy notes, SOPs, training modules, and public-facing communications (as approved by the client).
• Design change management plans to improve adoption, including behavioral nudges and digital enablement.

8) Team Leadership & Quality Assurance

• Lead and coach consultants/analysts; enforce Deloitte QA standards on all deliverables.
• Maintain a safety-first, respectful, and inclusive work environment.

Required Qualifications

• Education: MBA/PGDM/MPP/PG in Agri-Business/Economics/Rural Management/Public Policy/Engineering or equivalent.
• Experience: 8–12 years in consulting, program management, or public-sector delivery; demonstrated experience in large-scale government schemes in agriculture/allied sectors.
• Domain Knowledge: Familiarity with key schemes/themes such as crop diversification (Fasal Bividta se Samridhi), mechanization, PM-KUSUM, UPAGREES, soil health, NFSM, seed policy, insurance, natural farming, rainfed area development, farm pond interventions, organic transitions (e.g., Namami Gange corridors), and value-chain integration.
• Languages: Strong proficiency in English and Hindi (written and spoken).
• Tools: Advanced MS Excel, PowerPoint, Word; experience with Power BI/Tableau, and comfort with GIS/MIS tools; basic statistical analysis.

Preferred Qualifications & Certifications

• PMP / PRINCE2 / Agile Scrum / Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt or above).
• Hands-on experience with government PMOs, e-procurement/GeM, public finance tracking, and social protection delivery mechanisms (e.g., DBT).
• Prior work in UP public sector or comparable state-wide programs; familiarity with district administration workflows.

Key Competencies

• Delivery Excellence: Structured planning, governance, risk management, and milestone discipline.
• Policy & Analytical Rigor: Ability to synthesize complex data/policy inputs and produce practical, outcome-focused solutions.
• Stakeholder Leadership: Executive presence; convening and consensus building across departments and partners.
• Communication: Crisp executive writing, storytelling with data, and facilitation skills.
• Problem Solving: Bias for action; ability to unblock dependencies and drive last-mile execution.
• Integrity & Compliance: Strong ethics, confidentiality, and adherence to Deloitte/client protocols.