FordFoundation Representative, India

Application Deadline	22 March 2012
Location	New Delhi, India Find out more about our work in India

Summary Description

The Representative directs the Foundation’s activities in India, providing overall leadership to the Foundation’s grant-making programs, managing the office in New Delhi and representing the Foundation to government, business, nonprofit leaders and the donor community. The Representative reports to a supervising Program Vice President based in New York.

The Representative is the Foundation’s leader in the region to many important constituencies. Specifically, the Representative assesses local political, social, cultural and economic developments, helps shape the Foundation’s strategy in the region, and guides its programming and grant-making priorities in alignment with the Foundation’s mission, values and set of global initiatives. The Representative seeks to promote innovative grant-making; enhance the quality and impact of programming; and promote a collaborative working environment in the office and across areas of expertise that maximizes the diverse backgrounds, perspectives and skills of staff to accomplish Foundation goals. In collaboration with the thematic Directors based in New York, the Representative supervises and works closely with program staff in developing, monitoring and evaluating grant programs and projects within the office’s major fields of concern.

Additionally, the Representative prepares and manages the office’s $16 million grant and management budgets, oversees all legal matters, and supervises local administrative staff with responsibilities for accounting, grants administration, and general services functions. The Representative facilitates development of communications strategies; and maintains effective ties and promotes strategic partnerships with local leaders, non-governmental organizations and government agencies, the media and other donors to leverage of new resources, scale impact, and advance the goals of the office.

The Representative also manages a modest grants portfolio of his/her own; collaborates with the Foundation’s other representatives in Asia to develop and implement Pan-Asian grant-making strategies; and works with senior management staff from around the world in helping shape various aspects of the Foundation’s work globally.

The Foundation’s programs in India currently strive to:
• Promote livelihood opportunities among the poorest populations
• Advocate for economic and social rights
• Make government’s development efforts more transparent and accountable
• Work to create more sustainable agricultural policies
• Enable women and girls to address their sexual and reproductive health and rights
• Broaden the participation of marginalized groups through public service media.

In Nepal and Sri Lanka, we focus more narrowly on supporting groups advocating for economic and social rights and free expression as these countries go through complex post-conflict transitions.

CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS

• Proven record of leadership, planning, and management success
• Substantial previous experience in and deep knowledge of the history and culture of India and South Asia
• In-depth understanding of development and social changes processes
• A proven ability to think analytically, critically with agility to translate ideas and insights into action through coherent and viable program work
• An action oriented, entrepreneurial person who is a self starter that can work independently, as well as in teams
• Ability to effectively lead a local office within a larger global organization with headquarters in New York
• Demonstrated people management skills, including the ability to manage complex relationships with private and public sector stakeholders in the region
• An understanding of the civil society landscape in India
• Administrative skills, in particular an appreciation for the importance of strong fiscal management
• Strong facilitation skills – the ability to listen and learn from diverse perspectives
• Exemplary communication skills, both oral and written
• Demonstrated organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously
• Strong time management proficiency
• Sound, mature judgment and integrity
• Personal qualities of humility, capacity for self-reflection, and a sense of humor
• Ability to motivate staff through effective leadership, mentoring, coaching, development, facilitation, evaluation and rewards
• Commitment to the Foundation’s mission and core values of equity, fairness and diversity

---

Qualifications

• An advanced graduate degree in public policy, economics, development or related fields
• Ability to travel extensively on behalf of the Foundation
• Creativity, energy and non-traditional thinking capacity




Please submit a 5-20 page sole-authored writing sample in English with your application materials.

Representative, India