Organization profile

Over the years, Reliance Foundation’s initiatives have continued to evolve, while remaining responsive to the ever-changing needs of society. The Foundation is currently focusing on creating change in areas of Rural Transformation, Health, Education, Sports for Development, Disaster Response, Arts, Culture & Heritage and Urban Renewal.

To know more about Reliance Foundation, visit our website: www.reliancefoundation.org

Read our latest Annual Report on https://www.reliancefoundation.org/AnnualReport-2020-2021/v1/index.html

1. Why the Change

We had earlier looked at RCs’ role largely to monitor on ground work, facilitate district level and block level government linkages, and support in reporting and documentation.

But now with experience, we realize that the need for PMU’s intervention is different. At a level of principle, RCs should still be playing an important role in government linkages at sub state level. But the FIAs are better placed to take a lead in that. And instead of only monitoring – we should think of complementing the FIAs role and especially add to the competencies that they are missing.

One need that has clearly emerged in this space is making some of the enterprises successful and profitable. These enterprises are largely to operate at the MSME level – with local and nearby markets and maybe eventually federate at a larger commodity (multi commodity) level.

Hence we want RCs who will play a dual role of supporting certain specific enterprises as well as government coordination and monitoring in the districts they are responsible for.

The RCs will primarily be responsible for a particular enterprise in their area but they will be expected to offer support to other RCs as per their expertise and also receive same from others.

1. Specialization areas required

Considering the number of potential of the enterprises and geographies, following are the specializations proposed.

• Agriculture commodities processing, for example dal mills, millets mills – MP
• Stitching centers – MP
• NTFP like honey, lemon grass etc – Odisha
• Poultry and Goatery - Odisha
• Homemade Food products like pickles, namkeen, condiments etc– Gujarat

1. Geography and Language

Between the RCs (as a team) we would like to cover at least three languages Hindi, Gujarati and Oriya.

1. Specific Roles: Regional Coordinator - Agriculture commodities processing

• Mapping of the existing dal mills, millet processing units and other processing units in the area with the support from SRLM and FIAs
• Identifying the potential for new processing units and executing them of the existing units- ensure feasible business plans for each of the unit and execute it
• Analyze the existing performance of each of the processing unit – capacity utilization, raw material planning and inventory, man power planning, working capital requirement, quality standards, packaging and marketing. Provide need based support
• Ensure market linkages and ensure that production and market is as per the business plan
• Establishing few processing units as prototypes/models with end to end support – fund mobilization (internal investment and external grants), business planning, right machinery identification, raw material procurement planning, man power planning, quality standards, packaging and marketing

1. Specific Roles: Regional Coordinator - Stitching centers

• Mapping of the existing stitching, dress making and other related enterprises in the area with the support from SRLM and FIAs
• Identifying the potential for establishing stitching, dress making and other related enterprises and plans for establishing units
• Review the existing business plans and or support in preparing business plans for each of the unit
• Analyze the existing performance of each of the processing unit – capacity utilization, raw material planning and inventory, man power planning, working capital requirement, quality standards, diversification of the products
• Establishing few units as prototypes/models with end to end support – fund mobilization (internal investment and external grants), business planning, right machinery identification, raw material procurement planning, man power planning, quality standards, packaging and marketing
• Mobilize the orders from the market for achieving the target

1. Specific Roles: Regional Coordinator - NTFP

• Mapping of the availability of Non-Timber Forest Produce in the area with the support from SRLM and FIAs and estimating the people dependent on the NTFP
• Understand the value chain from production/availability, development and sustainability, harvesting, value addition and marketing to identify the gaps
• Providing support in value addition, processing and marketing of the NTFP
• Establishing and strengthening collective enterprises in the NTFP
• Explore the possibilities of introducing technology for processing and value addition
• Identify better markets/private sector players for marketing

1. Specific Roles: Regional Coordinator – Poultry and Goatery

• Develop suitable models of backyard poultry and goatery to the local context
• Poultry and Goatery Clusters development – develop plans, promotion and strengthening of units, bringing business approach into the backyard poultry and goatery, resource mobilization from the schemes/government programs for facilitating more investment into goatery and poultry etc
• Develop a cadre of service providers for providing health care, feed management, better shelter and marketing facilities to the women engaged in poultry and goatery on sustainable basis
• Establish the community enterprises with revenue model like livestock resource center/goat resource centers/poultry cooperatives for providing services (health care, input supply and output marketing)
• Promote small scale household/group enterprises for feed preparation/manufacturing
• Facilitate the linkages with technical service providers like veterinary universities and experts

1. Specific Roles: Regional Coordinator – Homemade food products

• Identify the potential areas for promoting enterprises in homemade food products such as namkeen, aachaar, pickles, jams, condiments etc
• Work with the women on the product development, improvement – quality raw material use from own sources or procurement, products design and development, diversification of the products portfolio etc
• Introduce technology to improve the quality, efficiencies in production
• Support women in obtaining necessary licenses – GST, FASSAI etc
• Support in enterprises in developing marketing channels – wholesale, retail, online, intermediation etc

1. Specific Skills and Competencies

• Agriculture commodities processing
• Experience of engaging in agriculture commodities processing – dall mills, millet processing units etc
• Exposure of working with farmer/women collectives in procurement, processing or working in a processing unit
• Stitching Centers
• Experience of working in garment/textile unit specifically dress making or stitching center
• Academic background in fashion/textiles will be an added advantage
• Non-Timber Forest Produce
• Experience of working in 2-3 Non-Timber Forest Produce with community
• Experience of facilitating market linkage of NTFP with market players or managing a NTFP based community enterprise or private company/business engaged in NTFP
• Poultry and Goatery
• Experience of working in small ruminants and poultry sector
• Experience of facilitating market linkage or managing a poultry cooperative or FPO engaged in goatery
• Specific Skills and Competencies
• Experience of working in homemade food products business
• Academic background in food processing or food technology

1. Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Mapping of existing enterprises, women engaged in the specific activities and also identify potential geographies for promotion of enterprises in their respective field
• Identity critical gaps in the existing enterprises at different levels (raw material sourcing, product development, packaging, branding, orders from the market etc) to provide necessary solutions for business growth
• Work closely with the Field Implementation Agencies to develop prototypes for wider replication
• Promote enterprises with end to end support in the new areas as per the prototype
• Documentation of the prototype models, business plans for replication
• Apart from the specialist functions, candidates are expected support State Program Manager in coordination with the FIA teams in the districts, convergence between district administration and district teams of FIAs and documentation

1. Qualifications and experience:

Must haves / Essential:

• Professional qualification in the areas or PG in any relevant area
• At least 5 years of experience in the relevant enterprise sector- it is important that the candidate should have hands on experience of working on a similar enterprise in personal or private business or non-profit. We don’t necessarily need a person with NGO background, but even someone who has run a poultry business or dal mill is a good candidate. Or someone who has worked in a garment industry is essential for stitching centres and having design sense in that person is an additional achievement.
• Proven track record and accomplishments in the relevant enterprises
• Experience in developing marketing channels (direct, retail, wholesalers, online, reselling, franchising etc) is a must in all the enterprise areas

Preferred:

• Experience of working in the rural development projects
• Experience of working with women SHGs and SHG federations

Key Competencies:

• Adequate computer skills and proficiency in English
• Willingness to travel extensively in rural areas and stay in remote villages
• Ability to interact easily with Rural Communities
• Business (business planning, product knowledge, technology etc) and marketing skills