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1. POSITION VACANT: Senior Program Manager (Communications), Foundation for Ecological Security, Anand, Gujarat

2. ORGANISATION BACKGROUND:

The Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) is committed to strengthening, reviving, and/or restoring, the process of ecological succession and the conservation of land, forest and water resources in ecologically fragile, degraded and marginalised regions in India, through the collective efforts of village communities.

Spread across diverse ecological and social geographies, FES also works towards the conservation of nature and natural resources through the collective action of local communities. The crux of FES efforts lies in locating forests and other natural resources within the prevailing economic, social and ecological dynamics in rural landscapes.

FES presently works with 36,400+ village institutions in 100 districts across 12 states and assists village communities in protecting 11.38 million acres of common lands, including revenue wastelands, degraded forest lands and Panchayat grazing lands, positively impacting 22 million rural people across India.

For more information about FES, please visit: https://fes.org.in/

3. JOB DESCRIPTION/ RESPONSIBILITIES:

FES is seeking a dynamic and strategic Senior Program Manager (Communications) (SPMC) to lead narrative building around community stewardship of the commons, drive organisation-wide storytelling, and ensure cohesive messaging across internal and external platforms. This role requires someone with a deep understanding of the development sector and the ability to translate complex, field-based insights into compelling, context-sensitive communication. As a senior team member, the person will play a pivotal role in amplifying FES’s impact, shaping public discourse, and engaging a wide spectrum of stakeholders, from local communities to policymakers.

Key Responsibilities: (Essential Functions but Not Exhaustive)

(A) Strategic Communication & Narrative Building

(1) Lead the development of compelling narratives around community-led natural resource governance, with a focus on the Promise of Commons initiative;

(2) Support the execution of a communications strategy, while keeping organisational and thematic focus in mind;

(3) Integrate insights from on-ground initiatives, research, and NGO and Government partnerships into powerful communication strategies and products;

(4) Build and manage campaigns that engage diverse audiences including rural communities, policymakers, civil society, donors, academia, and media;

(5) Ensure coherence and consistency of messaging across all teams and channels.

(B) Ecosystem Engagement & Thought Leadership

(1) Enhance visibility and positioning of community stewardship of Commons through authored pieces, op-eds, media engagement, and high-impact storytelling;

(2) Elevate the agenda of community stewardship of Commons across convenings, campaigns, and collaborative initiatives;

(3) Forge and manage strategic relationships with media, NGOs, and other suitable platforms aligned with FES’s mission.

(C) Events & Campaigns

(1) Provide narrative and communications oversight for high-stakes events, campaigns, and launches;

(2) Collaborate with program and other thematic groups to shape learning products, event collateral, and post-event dissemination plans;

(3) Ensure alignment of communication objectives with campaign and event outcomes.

(D) Digital, Media & Design Oversight

(1) Guide FES’s digital presence including social media, website, and blogs with a focus on quality, engagement, and strategic positioning;

(2) Build partnerships with media platforms and knowledge collaborators for building the narrative around Commons;

(3) Oversee visual communication standards and content planning, ensuring brand and narrative consistency;

(4) Oversee the management of external vendors and consultants to deliver high-quality multimedia and digital content.

(E) Internal Communication & Knowledge Management

(1) Manage internal communications to ensure transparency, alignment and engagement across the organisation;

(2) Strengthen and manage the communications team;

(3) Strengthen internal communication flows between states to enhance learning and strengthening the vision across the organisation;

(4) Ensure documentation and sharing of institutional learnings, case studies and stories from the ground;

(5) Oversee building capacities across the organisation to use communications tools effectively.

(F) Vendor & Partner Management

(1) Oversee management of external communication vendors, creative agencies, designers, writers, media consultants, production teams, etc.;

(2) Lead development of clear briefs and timelines to ensure timely, high quality, and brand-aligned outputs.

4. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES:

(1) Applicants must have 12-15 years of experience in communications with about 5 years in development sector. Preference for candidates who have earlier experience in natural resource management and nature-based rural livelihoods programs;

(2) Postgraduate degree in Communications, Development Studies, Journalism, Public Policy, or related fields;

Mindset:

(1) Strategic thinker with a hands-on approach;Deep empathy and sensitivity to context and community voice;

(2) Deep empathy and sensitivity to context and community voice;

(3) Curious, collaborative, and grounded in values of equity and ecological justice.

Skills and Competencies

(1) Prior experience in managing a team, showcasing effective leadership skills;

(2) Sound familiarity and relationships with the Indian media landscape, encompassing both online and offline platforms;

(3) Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling abilities and strong visual and editorial judgment;

(4) Proficient project management skills, capable of multitasking and effectively managing conflicting deadlines;

(5) Experience managing creative teams or vendors;

(6) Demonstrated ability to develop and execute communication strategies, plans and campaigns that align with organisational objectives;

(7) Familiarity with the ecology-livelihoods-governance inter-relations.

5. COMPENSATION OFFERED:

The gross salary and benefits package budgeted for the position ranges from Rs. 12 to Rs. 18 lacs per annum plus performance based incentives and other benefits as per the rules. Please note that the offer made to the selected candidate shall be commensurate with qualifications, experience and salary history. (Note: FES provides renewable contractual employment.)

6. LOCATION: Anand, Gujarat

7. REFERENCE: SPMC-FES

8. CONTACT INFORMATION:

Team SAMS

Strategic Alliance Management Services P Ltd.

1/1B, Choudhary Hetram House, Bharat Nagar

New Friends Colony, New Delhi 110 025

Phone Nos.: 011- 4081 9900; 4165 3612

9. APPLICATION PROCESS:

Eligible candidates interested in the position are requested to apply at the earliest.

FES is an equal opportunity organization and women candidates are encouraged to apply.