Young Professional – Working Group of Millets (WGoM) – RRA Network

Last Date of Application 30th August 2023

Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network We are a network of 600 organisations, researchers and Individuals focused on reviving rainfed agriculture; functioning with the vision to facilitate the establishment of productive & resilient rain-fed agriculture systems. We work in 8 states with over 80 organisations to make the diverse rainfed agriculture systems productive and resilient. With 9 thematic groups, we work systematically to affect the nature, amount, and delivery of public investments into rainfed agriculture for equitable and sustainable development.

Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network is seeking a Young Professional to join our team! As a member of the Working Group on Millets (#WGoM), s/he will be responsible for coordination with partners and other thematic working groups of RRA-N, scheduling activities, and follow-up conversations, among other tasks.

To excel in this role, we are looking for an individual who is self-motivated, passionate about development-oriented work, and possesses a critical mindset to understand and learn on the job. S/he must also have the ability to prioritize tasks, escalate issues for timely decision making, and work effectively with the diverse members of the RRA network.

JOB SUMMARY:

The rainfed areas of India are among the most variable and unpredictable environments for modern agriculture. Over generations, communities living in this area have learnt how to harness these variabilities to power their economies, societies, and agro-ecosystems, carefully breeding livestock and varieties of crops that can thrive in their local conditions. RRA Network, spread across 11 states in India, in collaboration with the farmers, draws lessons from this indigenous knowledge through action-research projects and uses it for formulating enabling policies to revitalize rainfed agriculture.

The Communications Specialist will need to create and maintain a strategy for enabling an inclusive, regular, and decentralized system of communication that showcases the work of our thematic groups and state/regional networks. The ideal candidate would have strong interpersonal skills to collaborate with a large, diverse group of people as well as be able to work autonomously, defining one’s targets and achieving them.

The Working Group on Millets emerged from the National Convention on Rainfed Agriculture on 14th February 2019 with several experts from across the country collaborating to form this group. The Working Group on Millets (WGoM), is a group of organizations and individuals working towards the revival of millet cultivation and consumption in India. The key objectives of the WGoM are

• Engagement with government and other policy makers for policies that support and enable the revival of millets across states and nation,
• Organizing, supporting and participating in round tables, meetings or consultations on the millet agenda,
• Development of resources on millets processing that partner organizations can access and
• Contributing to millets policies and programs in the states as well as union governments. RRAN is an equal opportunity employer and the selection process does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, disabilities or sexuality.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
We are looking for a Young Professional to work closely with WG members. This would entail coordination, with partners and other thematic working groups of RRA-N, scheduling activities, and follow up conversations, etc. The candidate needs to also support compilation of evidence, and in documentation. We are looking for a self-motivated person with passion for development-oriented work, a critical mindset to understand and learn on the job; ability to prioritize among different tasks, escalate issues for timely decision making, and the social skills to work with the diverse members of the network. This role requires extensive travel (12-15 days a month). Some of the core responsibilities include but are not limited to;

• Coordinate with network partners: conduct regular meetings, maintain regular communication with network partners to align objectives and share progress.
• Compilation of documents, research papers, market studies, guidelines, and policies related to the millet value chain; organize, update and maintain a repository of information for easy access by stakeholders.
• Assist in preparing reference guides / booklets / reports / reading materials, modules / manuals / posters, IEC materials, videos, articles, etc. to effectively communicate key messages and best practices.
• Facilitate in organizing training, workshops, webinars, and millet festivals as required.

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture or Master’s Degree in Agriculture or Rural Development/Management/ Development Studies, environmental studies or Social Work.
• At least two years of relevant work experience in agriculture or allied sectors.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite and Google Suite.
• Professional knowledge of English & Hindi. Additional knowledge of one or more regional languages will be an added advantage.
• Strong communication and management skills and any prior experience in stakeholder management will be preferred.
• Should be willing to travel extensively.
• Ability to multitask and work independently with minimal supervision, and deliver quality outputs under deadlines.
• Strategise, as and when needed, online campaigns, workshops and coverage of key consortium events in collaboration with communications teams of other related Indian and international networks/collectives working on the rainfed agenda.
• Other duties on a need basis such as press engagement and media outreach of events.

COMPENSATION:

Compensation will be 30,000 INR per month. The hiring will be for a 1-year period on contract basis from the date of joining

HOW TO APPLY
Interested candidates must apply using the Google Form– Click here to apply – with their latest resume/CV and cover letter mentioning their motivation for the job and the specific skills and experience that makes them suitable for this position.

NOTE:

• Please send in your CV and a letter to the above form. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview.
• RRA Network is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages women to apply. RRA Network retains the right to withdraw the advertisement at any point in time without any further notice or explanation. Advertisement does not mean recruitment.