Program Officer , Ford Foundation

Expanding Livelihood Opportunities for Poor Households Initiative 
India, Nepal and Sri Lanka 
Financial Assets 
Economic Opportunity and Assets

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION: The goal of the Ford Foundation’s livelihood work is to reduce economic and social inequality and poverty in rural and urban areas by strengthening the capacity of poor and marginalized households to access financial, business development, and organizational development services that have the potential to improve productivity, sustainability and marketability of their products or services.

The Program Officer, Expanding Livelihood Opportunities for Poor Households (ELOPHI) will be responsible for developing, monitoring, and coordinating grant making activities to improve the livelihoods of poor rural and urban households in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Currently, the largest share of the funding is to grantee partners focused on these issues in India. The program has focused particularly on rural areas, but is exploring opportunities to work in urban areas. Rural poverty overlaps closely with dependency on rain-fed agriculture, particularly in eastern and central India, and the program has used both a market and public investment lens to create economic opportunities in these areas.

Under the direction of the Foundation’s Representative in India and the Director of the Financial Assets unit in New York, the new Program Officer will develop grant making and other activities to implement three strategies to achieve the goals of this work: research and development of effective and scalable livelihood development solutions, via either access to markets or efforts to reshape public investments; building and strengthening the infrastructure for the delivery of livelihood development services, including intermediary organizations, networks, and government agencies; and supporting advocacy with public and private agencies and organizations to promote livelihood development strategies.

Over the past few years the program has sought to leverage large scale government supported livelihood promotion interventions in India such as the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Forest Rights Act (FRA), Farmer Producer Companies (FPOs) and the proposed Bharat Rural Livelihood Foundation (BRLF).  The Program Officer is expected to provide intellectual leadership in linking the potential of government and market interventions with innovative civil society efforts in the field. The ELOPHI Program Officer will work closely with other Program Officers throughout the Foundation, both in the India office and in other Foundation offices working on related themes. The portfolio on enhancing livelihoods for rural and urban poor will fit into the New Delhi office’s broader strategic goal of strengthening civil society to advance human rights and gender justice, reduce economic and social inequality, and improve governance. The work seeks to create a more just, inclusive and pluralistic society, with a particular focus on expanding the economic opportunities and assets of the most vulnerable including women and girls and people from marginalized communities, including caste, ethnic, tribal and religious minorities.

QUALIFICATIONS: The ideal candidate will have a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the challenge of providing decent livelihoods for poor households and should be familiar with public and private sector policies and practices in agriculture, watershed development and rural development and the influence of local, regional and global markets on rural markets and livelihoods. Additional familiarity with livelihood challenges in the context of urban settlements will be helpful as the Foundation expands work in the urban space. Knowledge of the regional context; written and oral fluency in English and at least one regional language; ability to work effectively with colleagues from diverse disciplines; and a strong commitment to integrating gender is required and proven experience in work on gender and livelihoods would be preferred. Willingness to travel widely across the region, flexibility, and comfort with spending time in the field with poor communities is required. A graduate degree in agriculture, economics, rural development, livelihood promotion, finance, social sciences or a related field is a requirement as well as at least 10 years of experience in the livelihood promotion field.

Location: New Delhi, India

Anticipated Start Date: Second quarter of 2014

Salary is based on experience and on the Foundation’s commitment to internal equity. A generous benefits package is provided.

To apply for the position visit http://www.fordfoundation.org/careers/current-openings. Applications are due by January 3, 2014.

Equal employment opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at The Ford Foundation, where employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/affectional preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law.