NRM and WASH Expert, UdGram

About The/Nudge

The/Nudge is an action institute building resilient livelihoods to alleviate poverty. We work with women, farmers, tribals and youth on rural development, agriculture, skilling and economic inclusion, along with 15+ central and state government partners.

Our economic inclusion journey for 25 million Indians has reached 10 states with $250M of government funding to cover 1.25M people. Our incubator, accelerator and grand challenges have supported 200+ social entrepreneurs including 17 Forbes 30U30, 3 EarthShot Prize winners, 1 Time Magazine cover and more.

Set up with support from 90+ eminent philanthropists, 40+ corporates and 15+ foundations including Gates, Mackenzie Scott, Vinod Khosla, Nandan Nilekani, Tata Trusts, Skoll, Meta, LinkedIn, HDFC, Mphasis, KPMG and L’Oreal, we are contributing towards a “poverty-free India, within our lifetime.”

Who are we solving for?

We are solving for households in poverty who are financially and socially vulnerable through a whole village programme. UdGram targets last-mile villages where poverty is multidimensional and intensified by climate and market constraints, and where communities are largely dependent on agriculture but are unable to make enough from it.

• •Whole-village populations
• •Priority groups for community integration: women and youth, tribal communities, landless and marginal farmers, and excluded households
• •Targeting approach: geography selection based on high MPI deprivation and vulnerability indicators (low cropping intensity, low irrigation, high climate risk, weak service access), followed by household-level diagnostics to tailor support

What are we solving for?

The/Nudge aims to design a time-bound village-level economic inclusion model that is intuitive, locally rooted, and lifts the income levels of the entire village while building climate resilience. UdGram combines intensive graduation support for the most vulnerable with village-wide investment in irrigation, market linkages, climate-smart agriculture, health and sanitation.

Natural resources and water are the foundational layer on which agriculture and livelihoods stand. In Rayagada’s rain-fed, hilly terrain, water scarcity and land degradation are not secondary issues — they are the binding constraints. The NRM & WASH Expert is the person who addresses these constraints: ensuring villages have productive water, protected land, and the sanitation and drinking water infrastructure that underpin household health and economic participation.

Position Overview

The NRM & WASH Expert is UdGram’s thematic lead for Pillar 3 (Climate Resilience & Village Infrastructure), the programme’s foundational pillar for environmental sustainability and basic services. This role is responsible for everything that connects land, water, and health: watershed development, soil and water conservation structures, irrigation planning, drinking water supply (JJM convergence), sanitation and ODF sustainability, and the village-level natural resource governance that makes all of it last.

You will plan and supervise the construction of agri-water structures (farm ponds, check dams, diversion channels) through MGNREGA convergence, train Field Coaches and households on soil and moisture conservation, lead WASH behaviour-change campaigns, support the village WASH committees, and work with Gram Panchayats and block administration to ensure every UdGram village has functional drinking water and sanitation infrastructure.

This is a role that lives at the intersection of engineering, ecology, and community governance. You need to read a contour map, size a check dam, estimate earthwork volumes — and then sit with a village water committee and help them decide which structure to build first and how to maintain it. The technical depth matters, but so does the ability to translate it into community-owned action in a tribal, rain-fed context.

What are some of the principles and approaches we use?

• •Ridge-to-valley planning: NRM investments follow the watershed logic — treat the upper catchment before building storage in the valley
• •Community ownership: build village-level institutions (WASH committees, water user groups) that manage and maintain assets after the programme steps back
• •Convergence-first design: UdGram does not build what the government can build — the role is to unlock MGNREGA, JJM, SBM, PMKSY, and Watershed Mission resources and ensure quality execution
• •Behaviour before hardware: sanitation outcomes depend on sustained behaviour change, not just toilet construction; WASH work leads with community-led total sanitation (CLTS) principles
• •Climate-smart sequencing: water harvesting and soil conservation structures are planned and built before the monsoon so that the benefit is captured in the same agricultural season

What will you do?

A. NRM Planning and Agri-Water Structure Development

You will lead the planning, convergence, and quality supervision of all natural resource management and agri-water interventions across UdGram villages. These structures are the backbone of the programme’s climate resilience strategy.

• •Conduct a participatory village-level NRM assessment at programme entry: map existing water sources, drainage lines, soil types, land use, degraded patches, and seasonal water availability using transect walks, PRA tools, and secondary data (watershed atlas, MGNREGA shelf of projects)
• •Prepare a village NRM action plan for each village: prioritised list of structures (farm ponds, check dams, gabion structures, diversion channels, contour bunding, land levelling) with estimated costs, MGNREGA convergence potential, and sequencing aligned to the monsoon calendar
• •Coordinate with the Block Development Officer (BDO), MGNREGA Programme Officer, and Gram Rozgar Sahayak to get NRM structures sanctioned under MGNREGA — prepare estimates, submit proposals, and follow up on work orders
• •Supervise construction quality: visit sites during execution, verify dimensions and specifications, flag deviations, and ensure geo-tagged photo documentation for every completed structure
• •Identify and facilitate household-level micro-irrigation support: linkage with PMKSY (Per Drop More Crop), drip/sprinkler subsidies through Horticulture Mission, and farm-pond-based lift irrigation where feasible
• •Train Field Coaches and Cluster Leads on basic NRM concepts: watershed logic, soil moisture conservation, and the rationale behind each structure type — so they can explain the “why” to households, not just supervise the “what”

B. WASH: Drinking Water and Sanitation

You will lead all WASH interventions — both infrastructure convergence and behaviour change — ensuring every UdGram village moves toward functional, sustained access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

• •Conduct a WASH baseline in each village at programme entry: map all drinking water sources (functionality, quality, seasonal reliability), household toilet status (built, functional, used), drainage conditions, and solid waste practices
• •Facilitate convergence with Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) for piped water supply: work with the PHED/RWS department and Gram Panchayat to ensure village-level JJM plans include all UdGram habitations, and follow up on scheme progress
• •Support the formation or revival of Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs): orient members on roles, water quality testing, source protection, and minor repair and maintenance of hand pumps and piped water systems
• •Lead community-led total sanitation (CLTS) triggering exercises and follow-up campaigns for ODF sustainability: this includes monitoring toilet usage (not just construction), addressing slip-back, and working with ASHA and Swachh Bharat Grameen functionaries
• •Facilitate water quality testing (bacteriological and chemical) for drinking water sources using field test kits; coordinate with the district PHED lab for confirmatory testing and remediation of contaminated sources
• •Design a