Job Summary

The position will provide structured incubation and acceleration support to FPOs, enabling them to transition from formation and compliance to viable, professionally managed agri-enterprises with proven business models, access to working capital, strong market linkages, and the capacity to sustain operations beyond project support. The role will support the development of designated FPOs, including those receiving grants under the GAP Fund, with the objective of developing them as Model FPOs.

Project Summary

ACCESS is implementing project Investment in Agri-value Chain Project (IAVCP) as Fund Manager, supported by IFAD. The Investments in Agroecology Value Chains Project (IAVCP) seeks to strengthen agroecological enterprises, producer-owned enterprises, and Agri-MSMEs by addressing persistent gaps in governance, market readiness, compliance, risk management, and investment alignment. While several enterprises demonstrate strong production and social foundations, they require structured incubation and acceleration-type support to become institutionally robust, market-validated, and investment-ready.

As on date, ACCESS has sanctioned 72 grants to enterprises including FPC/ SMEs/ Cooperatives. The enterprises are located on Pan India basis. Of the 72 enterprises, 30 falls under SME categories and 42 falls under Farmers Producers Companies. The approved grant for the enterprises is approximately Cr. and about Cr. has been disbursed. Total estimated grant approval under the IAVCP is approximately 92 Cr., under the IAVCP with estimated number of entities to be benefitted range between 92-100.

Responsibilities

- Incubation - building the business foundation
- Diagnose the maturity of each FPO across governance, membership, business operations, compliance, and financial health, using a standard assessment framework; classify FPOs into incubation and acceleration cohorts.
- Facilitate the preparation of realistic business plans and annual operating plans with FPO Boards and CEOs - commodity selection, volume projections, margin assumptions, break-even analysis, and working-capital requirements.
- Set up basic business systems: procurement and sales protocols, inventory and quality norms, member-wise transaction records, MIS, book-keeping, and statutory compliance calendars.
- Strengthen governance - Board orientation,



sub-committee functioning, AGMs, membership engagement, share capital mobilisation, and transparent decision-making.
- Handhold FPO CEOs and managers as a coach with clear milestones and a defined exit path from handholding.

- Acceleration - growth, markets, and capital

- Identify and negotiate market linkages for cohort FPOs: institutional buyers, processors, exporters, e-NAM and mandi channels, retail and e-commerce, and value-added product lines including organic and agroecology-certified produce.
- Build investment and credit readiness - bankable proposals, working-capital and term-loan applications, and access to Equity Grant, Credit Guarantee, NABARD/NCDC/SFAC schemes, AIF and other blended-finance instruments.
- Support licensing, certification and branding where relevant: FSSAI, GST, seed and fertiliser licences, organic and participatory guarantee system certification, packaging and market positioning.
- Design and run cohort-based accelerator activities - bootcamps, buyer-seller meets, exposure visits, peer-learning platforms
- Track unit economics and business performance of each FPO - turnover, margin, member participation, credit repayment - and intervene where trends deteriorate.

- Capacity building, knowledge and systems

- Develop and refine the incubation and acceleration toolkit - assessment tools, business plan templates, training modules, SOPs, dashboards, and graduation criteria for FPO maturity stages.
- Train and mentor ACCESS field staff, cluster coordinators, resource agencies, and grantee teams so that incubation quality does not depend on a single person.
- Document case studies, business models, failures and lessons; contribute to proposals, donor reports, CSR reviews, and ACCESS s national knowledge platforms and events.

Education Experience

- Postgraduate degree in agri-business management, rural management, agriculture or allied sciences, management, development studies, or economics.



Graduates of institutions such as IRMA, IIM/IIFM, MANAGE, XIMB, TISS, or the agricultural universities are particularly encouraged to apply.
- An MBA or a finance-oriented qualification alongside an agriculture or rural background is an advantage.

Experience

- 8-12 years of relevant experience in FPO management
- Demonstrable hands-on experience of promoting, incubating or turning around FPOs, producer companies, or cooperatives - with specific, verifiable examples of business growth achieved.
- Practical exposure to at least two of: agri value chain development, agri-marketing and buyer negotiation, agri-finance and credit facilitation, food processing and value addition, or certification and quality systems.
- Experience of running or supporting an incubator, accelerator, or challenge fund portfolio will be valued highly.

Skills and Competencies

- Strong business and financial acumen - able to read an FPO balance sheet, build a cash-flow projection, and challenge unrealistic assumptions.
- Solid writing skills in English for proposals, reports and case documentation; working fluency in Hindi and preferably one other regional language relevant to the project geographies.
- Proficiency in Excel and MIS tools; comfort with digital platforms used by FPOs.
- Self-driven, able to work with minimal supervision across dispersed teams, and willing to travel to remote locations and stay in modest field conditions.
- Commitment to smallholder livelihoods, gender equity and social inclusion.

Key Deliverables in the First Year

- An agreed incubation and acceleration framework, with maturity-stage criteria, adopted across the FPO programme and the GAP Fund portfolio.
- Business plans in place and under implementation for the identified cohort of FPOs.
- A defined number of FPOs achieving measurable turnover growth, first-time credit access, or recent institutional market linkages.
- Grantee support and milestone review systems running to the fund s reporting cycle, with technical inputs delivered on time to IFAD

Disclaimer: This job posting has been aggregated from external source. Role details, content, and availability are subject to change. Applicants are advised to confirm the latest information directly on the company website before applying.

📌 Manager - FPO Incubation & Acceleration (New Delhi)
🏢 ACCESS Development Services
📍 New Delhi