Vice President – Operations

Role Overview

Farmers for Forests (F4F) is seeking a full-time employee for the Vice President – Operations position to manage field operations in the organization. The role will support the COO in managing the operations team and the VPRC in field data collection. We are looking for someone with 3–6 years of experience in a similar role.

About Us

F4F is a hybrid social enterprise working to protect and increase India’s biodiverse forest cover in close collaboration with rural communities. Founded in December 2019, F4F is one of the few organizations in India working in the forestry sector and using a payment-for-ecosystem-services model for its environmental protection and restoration activities.

F4F was incubated at Mulago, Fast Forward, NSRCEL-IIMB, The Nudge Institute and Shakti – The Empathy Project. Our work has been supported by several organizations, including Accenture, ACT Grants, Opus Software Solutions, Rainmatter Foundation and Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies.

We have also featured on DW TV and Scroll’s Eco India series, as well as DW Hindi. We have been selected as one of India’s top innovators working in the ecosystem restoration and conservation sector by the World Economic Forum.

Position

The Vice President – Operations will be based at our head office in Pune and will be responsible for ensuring that all field operations at F4F run smoothly and efficiently across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, where we currently operate.

The day-to-day role will involve managing field teams, procurement, inventory management, quality implementation, SOP adherence and government relations. This position involves significant travel. We will only consider applicants who can travel or spend at least 70% of their time in field locations.

You will also work closely with local implementation partners and our government partners in district administrations and the forest department.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Project Budgeting: Prepare block-wise project budgets for agroforestry implementation, ensuring alignment with project scope, targets and available resources.
   

2. Plan vs Actual Tracking: Monitor project progress and budgets against planned targets, identifying deviations and ensuring timely corrective actions.
   

3. Quality and SOP Compliance: Ensure field implementation is carried out in accordance with defined SOPs, quality standards and project-specific requirements.
   

4. Stakeholder Coordination: Act as the key coordination point between donors, investors, operations, field and technology teams to ensure smooth project execution.
   

5. Expense Management: Track project expenses end-to-end against approved donor budgets, ensuring effective utilization and timely reporting of variances.
   

6. Team Performance and Reviews: Conduct regular team reviews to assess progress, identify operational bottlenecks and drive timely solutions and corrective actions.
   

7. Procurement and Inventory: Ensure timely procurement, availability and distribution of project inputs while maintaining appropriate inventory levels and controls.
   

8. Vendor Management: Coordinate with vendors for quotations, agreements, invoices, documentation, payments and timely delivery of project requirements.
   

9. Implementation Partner Management: Coordinate with implementation partners and field agencies to ensure adherence to project timelines, quality standards and agreed deliverables.
   

10. Field and Project Monitoring: Conduct regular field reviews and audits to assess plantation progress, farmer engagement, survival rates and overall project performance.
    

11. Project Reporting and Escalation: Consolidate operational updates, highlight key risks and deviations to senior management, and ensure timely project reporting to internal and external stakeholders.
    

Requirements

• Entrepreneurial, self-motivated and operates with a growth mindset.
  
• Does not give up easily; the work involves challenges and requires out-of-the-box and jugaad thinking.
  
• Functions well in an unstructured, start-up environment.
  
• Excited about building a company and a team.
  
• Passionate about rural development, ecological restoration and fighting climate change.
  
• Enjoys working with a diverse set of people, managing large teams and collaborating with others.
  
• Comfortable taking on all types of tasks, including unglamorous and menial ones, and is humble, generous and kind.
  
• Holds an MBA in Operations, Agriculture or Rural Management.
  
• Has 5–8 years of overall experience, with extensive experience working in rural India.
  
• Fluent in Marathi, Hindi and English; fluency in Kannada is a plus.
  
• Holds valid driving licences for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers.
  

Benefits

The salary band for this position starts at INR 12 LPA.
The actual salary will be mutually decided based on the candidate’s experience, skills and fit with our team and culture