Senior Consultant – Enterprise Promotion and Development, STREE 

Type: Consultancy 

Location: New Delhi (with travel to partner states) 

Duration: Full-time 

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience 

About LEAD at Krea University: 

LEAD is an action-oriented research centre of IFMR Society (a not-for-profit society registered under the Societies Act), leverages the power of research, innovation and co-creation to solve complex and pressing challenges in development. LEAD specialises in developing in-depth granular understanding of socio-economic contexts and harnessing actionable insights that have a wide range of applications in industry, policy, and academia. LEAD is a collaborative hub that brings experts from diverse disciplines and sectors together to develop innovative solutions by harnessing innovation, technology and analytics.

About STREE:

STREE is a technical assistance initiative spearheaded by LEAD at Krea University in collaboration with (DAY-NRLM), which aims to drive women-led enterprise development, with research at the core of its work. 

About the Position: 

We are seeking a dynamic professional for enterprise promotion and development to support rural SHG-made products and services. The role involves strategising, implementing, and monitoring enterprise development programs with a focus on women-led and community-based businesses. This will focus on supporting community-based enterprises to enhance their sustainability and profitability.  

Responsibilities: 

• Support the identification, incubation, and scaling of rural enterprises, including micro-enterprises, producer enterprises, and livelihood clusters promoted under NRLM;
• Support in promoting sector-specific rural enterprises in handicrafts and rural services;
• Promote enterprise diversification and value addition for non-farm livelihoods;
• Support in strengthening SHG-based enterprises, rural start-ups, and social enterprises by providing technical support and business advisory services;
• Support in strengthening enterprise incubation centres and rural business accelerators to support innovation and entrepreneurship;
• Conduct ToT programs for SHG members, Community Resource Persons (CRPs), CRP-EP (Community Resource Persons- Enterprise Development) and other key stakeholders on enterprise management, business planning, and financial literacy;
• Assist in developing training modules and manuals for enterprise promotion in rural areas;
• Ensure enterprises comply with quality, safety, and legal standards to enhance market access and scalability;
• Provide support in strengthening the business planning capacities of producer collectives and SHG-based enterprises;
• Provide support in facilitating access to finance for enterprises through SHG federations, banks, MFIs, and government schemes such as the Community Investment Fund (CIF) and Startup Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP);
• Support enterprises in preparing business proposals and credit linkage documentation;
• Help monitor the financial health of enterprises and support them in ensuring sustainability;
• Facilitate market access and linkages for rural enterprises through e-commerce, rural haats, bulk buyers, and corporate partnerships;
• Support in developing branding, packaging, and certification strategies for SHG-led enterprises;
• Conduct studies and feasibility assessments to identify high-potential sectors for enterprise promotion;
• Support the entrepreneurs in enhancing product quality and design;
• Work closely with government departments for convergence and resource mobilisation;
• Engage design experts and technical design institutions to provide hands-on support in improving product aesthetics, product innovation and functionality;
• Develop policy recommendations and innovative approaches to strengthen rural entrepreneurship ecosystems;
• Participate in the existing non-farm programs and initiatives; 
• Build relations with potential clients, government departments, and private players for potential collaborations; 
• Develop guidance notes, guidelines and other documents at the national level for supporting programme implementation; 
• Support the NRLM team in collating inputs and preparation of annual action plan, data collection, periodic reports for NMMU based on SRLM’s inputs and rural enterprises/non-farm;
• Perform other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of NRLM. 

Key Qualifications and Requirements:

• A postgraduate degree in Business Administration, Rural Management, Agribusiness, or related fields from an institute of national and international repute;
• 8+ years of relevant experience in enterprise development, entrepreneurship promotion, value chain strengthening, and business incubation, preferably under NRLM and/or other rural development programs;
• Experience in designing entrepreneurship development programs and fostering business sustainability;
• Familiarity with social media and web analytics; 
• Strong understanding of NRLM frameworks, policies, and guidelines on enterprise promotion;
• Knowledge of government schemes like DAY-NRLM, SVEP, PMFME, DAY-NULM, and Mudra Yojana, etc., for enterprise promotion;
• Excellent communication and people skills;
• Proficiency in spoken and written English and Hindi is required.

Preferences: 

• Experience in managing for rural poor and/or experience in enterprise promotion, business advisory services, forward and backward linkages; 
• Strong expertise in promoting SHG-based enterprises, producer collectives, rural startups, and social enterprises;
• Understanding of rural business models, microfinance, and public-private partnerships for enterprise growth;
• Experience working with groups like SHGs, producer companies, joint liability groups, etc;
• Ability to travel as and when needed.

Application Instructions: 

Deadline: Applications will be open till the position is filled. To apply, please collate your resume, a cover letter and writing sample in a single PDF and apply in the form here. 

Note: Due to the large volume of applications we receive, we are unable to contact each candidate individually regarding the status of their application. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview purposes.