Title: Project Lead, WPF Project, Jharkhand

Location: Littipara, Pakur, Jharkhand

Reports to: State Program Manager

CTC: INR. 10,00,578

Employment Status: Full Time

Last update: 12 May 2025

Since 1979, Trickle Up has been enabling extremely poor people to build resilient livelihoods and emerge from the cycle of poverty adopting graduation approach. Trickle Up has focused on the poorest and most vulnerable, helping empower participants who live in extreme poverty and face multiple levels of exclusion due to gender, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We target those who are most socioeconomically excluded across Asia, Africa, and the Americas- women, youth, people with disabilities, indigenous people, refugees, and other vulnerable groups who live beyond the reach of most social services and development programs. We drive large-scale change for these populations by partnering with governments, global institutions, and local organizations. The organization has worked with over 450,000 participants and their families, helping to sustainably lift over two million people out of extreme poverty in India, Africa, and the Americas. In FY19, we reached 170,000 people across 19 countries. We have been registered and operating in India since 2005; our current footprint is focused on Jharkhand and Odisha States, where we reached 129,000 people in FY19.

Program Overview:

The Whole Planet Foundation (WPF) Project aims to empower 1,200 extremely poor women from the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Pahariya and Malpahariya in Littipara Block, Pakur District, Jharkhand, over 36 months (July 2024 - June 2027). By implementing a tailored Ultra-Poor Graduation Approach, the project seeks to equip these women with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary for diversified income generation and sustainable livelihoods.

The approach involves a comprehensive set of interventions, including market and socio-economic assessments, consumption support, savings and financial inclusion, asset transfer, livelihood training, coaching, and linkages to government schemes. This will address key challenges such as limited access to productive assets, markets, and credit, inadequate infrastructure, and low entrepreneurial activity among the PVTG women.

Position Overview:

We are seeking an experienced Project Lead who has significant project management experience working closely with the field and partner organization and its staff on the delivery of program objectives. The Project Lead will lead project targeting 1200 PVTG women through Graduation Approach in Littipara block of Pakur district in Jharkhand to scale Trickle Up’s evidence-based Graduation Approach to bring the PVTG community out of extreme poverty and contribute to Trickle Up’s continuous programme innovation efforts. We are seeking a highly motivated development professional with significant expertise in livelihood development for vulnerable populations, especially through Graduation Approach, expertise in capacity building, training and managing partners. The Project Lead will report to the State Program Manager. This position offers a unique opportunity to play a critical role in enabling the partner organization to scale a proven programmatic approach.

This is an excellent opportunity for the right individual, who is energetic, motivated and who desires to expand his/ her skills and expertise in Program Management, working with the poorest of the poor. Trickle Up provides professional growth opportunities for qualified professionals who are seeking to develop and broaden their technical and management skills and who will be working with a highly dynamic, fast-paced and energetic team. 

The Project Lead will work with Implementation Partner, Govt. line departments at block and district level and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that all project mandates are delivered as per plan ensuring required quality parameters.

Principal functions

Programme Management

• ·  Lead the program in Jharkhand to scale Trickle Up’s approach to graduating vulnerable populations out of ultra-poverty.
• ·  Facilitate and lead the Ultra-Poor Graduation Approach program to scale Trickle Up’s approach to graduating vulnerable populations out of ultra-pover in line with project deliverables and the MoU between Trickle Up & local partner.
• ·   Support the work of Trickle Up’s partnership with local organization through training and ongoing coaching to build the capacity of partner employees to plan, manage, execute, and learn from programmes.
• ·   Contribute to the development of monitoring and evaluation systems
• ·   Manage grants funding of the project.
• ·  Regularly communicate programme progress, results, and lessons learned to team members, partner organization, and donors to support organizational learning and external representation.
• ·   Manage the successful execution of the project in compliance with requirements, regulations, and good practices.
• ·   Supervise the team of the implementing partner and ensure quality implementation within the timeline
• ·   Facilitation during monitoring and evaluation systems and provide necessary information of the project as and when necessary.

Training and Capacity Building:

• · Facilitate and lead the capacity-building of partner staff on program management and thematic areas including ultra-poverty, livelihood development, financial inclusion, convergence with government initiatives, gender and agency.
• ·   Support in building coaching models across programs and monitoring the progress of project participants based on the coaching provided
• · Support development of training and knowledge tools for improving coaching in the intervention community with focus on areas of WaSH, Gender Empowerment and other indicators followed by Trickle Up for wellbeing of life.
• ·        Support contextualization of training modules as per the state specific needs.

Networking and stakeholder Management

•   Maintain contacts with local, block and district government bodies / authorities to ensure their cooperation and convergence with program activities.

•  Identify local resources that can support / complement TU’s presence in the Program area.

Budget Management

• ·        Ensure effective and timely monitoring and appropriate expenditure of project budget
• ·        Ensure budgets cover costs, including M&E, admin, overhead, and communications
• ·        Ensure Budget is managed appropriately. Expenses are spent on time and correctly

Staff Management

• ·        Ensure the partner staff have clear roles and responsibilities and are held accountable for delivering results
• ·        Ensure partner staffs have support and tools they need to effectively do their jobs well
• ·        Capacity Building, training and support staff

M&E Management

• ·        In coordination with the M&E officer, ensure that project collect and analyze data in a timely manner
• ·        Assist the M&E officer in the analysis of data and generate lessons learned

Reporting

• ·        With State Program Manager, ensure consistency between program deliverable, budget, implementation and reporting
• ·        Ensure high quality reports are submitted on time
• ·        The Program Manager will be the first node of data management and reporting.
• ·        Facilitate smooth data collection from the field for digital M&E process.

Representation

• ·        With relevant other staff, and when appropriate, represent Trickle Up at local and state level
• ·        With State Program Manager, liaise with the donor

Others: Any other task assigned by Trickle Up

Qualification:

Academic:

• Post-graduation or equivalent in Social Work/Sociology/Rural Development / social science/ Development/ Agriculture/ Agri business Studies or any relevant field

Working Experience:

• ·        Demonstrated minimum 7-8 years of proven work experience in program implementation of livelihood programs, Program Management experience at field level working with field-based staff to ensure timely and quality program facilitation for international NGO
• ·        Overall experience managing livelihood programs working in partnership with local NGOs and/or CBOs.
• ·        Knowledge of Micro Enterprise development, management and marketing would be an added advantage.
• ·        Experience working in partnership with government at the state, district and block level (e.g. Depts and SRLM)
• ·        Proven experience of handling projects involving linkages with industries, NGOs, National/State/ local organizations and government.
• ·        Experience of implementing Graduation Approach programs and working experience with PVTGs will have preference

Knowledge and skills

• ·        Strong writing and verbal skills in English and Hindi and exemplary communication skills.
• ·        Skills in data analysis (quantitative and qualitative), and ensuring data quality, integrity and efficiency of collection.
• ·        Knowledge of Micro Enterprise development, management and marketing 

Behavioral competencies

• ·        Strong attention to detail
• ·        Able to prioritize, manage multiple tasks, and consistently meet deadlines
• ·        Works well both independently and as a member of a team  
• ·        Optimistic, creative, and solutions-oriented; tackles challenges with maturity and accountability
• ·        Superb people skills and diplomatic demeanor
• ·        Understands the challenges and opportunities of working in a small nonprofit setting
• ·        Demonstrated commitment to mission-driven work

Others:

• ·        Deep commitment to Trickle Up’s core values and ability to model those values in relationships with colleagues and partners.
• ·        Prior experience working in teams in a leadership role.
• ·        Prior experience working in Jharkhand is preferable
• ·        Experience with training quality is highly desirable.
• ·        Ability to travel frequently in the project area.
• ·        Ability to prioritize, organize and carry out multiple tasks efficiently under pressure and with little supervision; ability to accept supervision.

POSTING & TRAVEL Requirements

The Project Lead needs to be stationed at Littipara block in Pakur district of Jharkhand. Must be able to travel domestically at least 30% of the time to remote areas, at short notice.

Salary and Benefits:

Trickle UP offers a compensation package that will be commensurate with qualification & experience for this full-time position. The successful applicant will join a dynamic, passionate, multicultural team deeply committed to the alleviation of extreme poverty. Trickle Up promotes a collegial, high-performing organizational culture in which staff communicate clearly and openly, and are reflective, innovative, and mutually accountable.

To Apply:

• To be considered, all candidates must fulfill the above prerequisites, provide a complete CV, covering letter. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
• To submit your application, go to the Web Link given below and click on “Apply for this Position” button at the bottom of the page, and follow the instructions. 

Web Link:

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until 12 May 2025. We are sorry that we are unable to entertain phone calls related to this posting. Trickle Up is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value a diverse workforce and extend equal opportunity to all applicants and employees regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability, or any other status protected by law.