Senior Programme Officer – Climate Change and Natural Resource Management

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About the Organization

Better Cotton is a global not-for-profit organisation supporting the production of more equitable and sustainable cotton at farm level. We exist to catalyse the cotton farming community with partners, governments and others to continuously drive positive impact by setting standards and facilitating the supply and demand of more sustainable cotton from farm to brand. In just 15 years we have aligned more than a fifth of the world’s cotton with our standard and helped farmers and farming communities thrive. Join us in building a better, more sustainable future for cotton worldwide.

Job Description

We are looking for a Senior Programme Officer to join the India Programme team and support us in advancing our work on climate action. A significant focus of this role will involve working closely with our programme partners to support them in - a) the implementation of impact credit projects and b) capacity strengthening to equip them with the knowledge and tools to integrate and execute climate strategies that align with Better Cotton’s strategic goals.

Are you purpose-led and ready to embark on a journey to shape the future of sustainable cotton? Join us at Better Cotton as Senior Programme Officer and lead a global team responsible for delivering high impact communications for the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative – we support more sustainable farming practices and farm livelihoods for nearly 3 million farmers in the Better Cotton network in 23 countries around the world.

Job Responsibilities

We are seeking a motivated Senior Programme Officer – Climate Change and Natural Resource Management to join our India Programme Team. In this role, you will be responsible for:

Research, Capacity Strengthening and Stakeholder Engagement

• With the guidance of the Senior CC & NRM Coordinator support PPs in the effective implementation of projects based on Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES).
• Conduct/coordinate action-oriented technical research to understand climate related risks and vulnerabilities in project areas and help Better Cotton Programme Partners (PPs) identify measures to mitigate those and integrate them in their programmes.
• Support in the development of high-quality CC deliverables for PPs – tools, training courses, guidelines, modules and other research products. 
• Support Better Cotton Programme Partners in climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies that align with Better Cotton’s India strategic goals.
• Support Better Cotton Partners identify meaningful and effective ways to engage with communities in villages on climate action where Better Cotton Programme is implemented and contribute to their social and economic development.
• Identify appropriate and context relevant climate-smart agriculture and NRM technologies and techniques, and support Partners identify and implement their practical applications.
• Support PPs monitor project outcomes and impact and support them to effectively communicate progress made and challenges faced internally and where relevant externally.
• Support in identifying and engaging with relevant stakeholders who can support and further Better Cotton’s 2030 strategy in India

Facilitating and Supporting Continuous Improvement

• Encourage and support PPs in continuous improvement in their field-level performance, especially in selected thematic areas.
• Support Better Cotton Partners to continuously improve the delivery of their capacity strengthening programmes; support them undertake effective monitoring and evaluation of those programmes.
• Support Better Cotton Partners to identify barriers to adoption of key sustainable practices faced by farmers and support them find and implement solutions

Relationship Management of Programme Partners

• Under the guidance of Senior Programme Coordinator, effectively manage relationship of selected Programme Partners to support them to deliver the programmes with quality.
• Review and analyse important general trends from Monthly Progress Report received from the PPs to facilitate cross learning and support them where needed.
• Support PPs in effective cascading of Capacity Strengthening (CS) facilitated by Better Cotton Programme team to the appropriate level and follow up on actions from these activities.
• Motivate PPs to identify improvement areas, support them address those.
• Continuous and effective engagement with local partners of the relationship managed projects and ensure that they receive support, and address any challenges faced as part of the implementing the project.

Data Management and Communication

• In collaboration with Better Cotton Partners, monitor outcomes and impact related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and support Better Cotton communicate those internally and externally. 

Resource Mobilisation

• Collaborate with Fundraising and Impact team to develop fundraising proposals in consultation with Programme Partners and relevant Better Cotton teams

Others

• Support the Programme team with ongoing cross-functional collaborations with other teams and functions
• Support in identifying and preparation of case studies and success stories by PPs and preparing reports for internal and external communication.
• Support development of materials to communicate about the India programme, its approaches, and achievements.
• Undertake other duties as determined by the Line Manager, Senior Programme Manager and the India Country Director which are compatible with the role and job description.

Education Qualification/Required Skills & Experience

the following skills, knowledge, and experience:
Essential

• Master’s degree in any relevant field such as Climate Change, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Sciences, Soil Science
• At least 5 years’ work experience in a related sector, with at least 2 years’ experience of working with grass-roots organisations and rural communities
• Proven ability of managing/assisting action-oriented research among rural communities
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate different projects involving multiple external stakeholders and internal teams
• Excellent skills to communicate with diverse set of stakeholders
• Ability to identify stakeholders, build relationships with them and manage those relationships
• Good understanding of ‘training of trainers’ process and ability to support organisations to identify and implement effective capacity building methods
• Demonstrated ability to identify best practices, cross-fertilise ideas and support learning among different stakeholders
• Fluent in English – ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both written and verbal
• Fluency in Hindi – ability to communicate clearly in Hindi.
• Proven ability to work productively in a fast-paced multi-cultural environment with minimal supervision
• Strong problem-solving skills, and demonstrated ability to understand behaviour change, and ability to influence change 
• Proven experience in knowledge management
• Proven interest in climate action and climate justice, sustainable agriculture, natural resource management and gender justice
• Excellent IT Skills including MS Office
• Willingness to travel – up to 30% of time
• Demonstrated experience writing fund raising proposals

Desirable

• Fluency in one of the following Indian languages – Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Kannada
• Experience working with international non-profit organisations
• Familiarity with Carbon accounting Systems
• Prior experience working in the cotton sector/ agriculture
• Understanding of the legal and policy framework governing agriculture in India
• Experience with Standard Systems and Assurance
• Experience working with remote teams

For more information please check the Link

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