Job Description – Consultant – Branding & Packaging

Designation

Consultant – Branding & Packaging

Positioned at State Mission Management Unit (SMMU), SERP – Telangana

About the Organization

The Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) in Telangana is an autonomous organization under the Department of Rural Development, Government of Telangana, dedicated to reducing rural poverty by strengthening self-help groups (SHGs) and enhancing livelihoods. It focuses on social mobilization, financial inclusion, and promoting sustainable income opportunities for rural women. 

SERP under the government’s flagship programme “Indira Mahila Shakti”, aims to empower women by transforming them into entrepreneurs and providing financial independence. It supports Self-Help Groups (SHGs) by skill building, technology support and market linkages, eCommerce platform along with Branding, Packaging support and also facilitates the compliances which are essential to reach global markets. The women federations area also supported with other initiatives like managing solar power units, operating buses, and setting up food enterprises to strengthen rural economies. 

Role Overview

The Consultant – Branding & Packaging will function as a State-level technical specialist providing strategic and operational support for developing and institutionalizing branding, packaging, product positioning and market presentation strategies for enterprises promoted under various non-farm initiatives of SERP across Telangana.

The Consultant will work for development of a branding strategies for women-led micro and small enterprises, enhance product competitiveness through professional branding and packaging solutions to enable enterprises to transition from local markets to structured retail and digital marketplaces.

The role will focus on improving product visibility, consumer appeal, market penetration, compliance standards, and value realization for enterprises across manufacturing, food processing, craft, trading, and service sectors.

The Consultant will support in providing technical and structured guidance to various stakeholders and field functionaries involved in implementation of the key branding initiatives.

The position requires close coordination with designers, packaging vendors, marketing agencies, e-commerce platforms, and relevant government departments.

The position requires significant field engagement across identified districts and close coordination with government departments, financial institutions, and market stakeholders.

Mode of Employment

• Fixed tenure contractual position with consolidated remuneration.
  Initially for a period of one year (extendable based on performance and project duration).

Qualifications

Essential

• Postgraduate degree in Management (MBA – Marketing / Retail Management / Product Development / Management) or
• Post Graduate degree in Design, Packaging Technology, Rural Development or related discipline.
• Strong understanding of branding strategy, product positioning, packaging standards, consumer behaviour and retail marketing.
• Hands-on experience in brand development, packaging design coordination, labelling compliance, and market integration strategies.
• Strong leadership abilities, experience in working with government systems, and fluency in Telugu.

Desirable

• Certification in Branding / Packaging Technology / Digital Marketing / Retail Management.
• Exposure to FSSAI compliance, barcoding systems, export packaging standards, and e-commerce product listing requirements.

Experience

Minimum 05 years of relevant post qualification experience in:

• Relevant experience in brand strategy development and market positioning for MSMEs or rural enterprises.
• Product standardisation, Packaging design and vendor coordination.
• Retail market integration including institutional sales, supermarkets, and e-commerce platforms.
• Supporting micro and small enterprises in improving product presentation and competitive differentiation.
• Developing branding toolkits, marketing collaterals, and promotional campaigns.

Job Roles and Responsibilities

• State-Level Branding Strategy Development
  • Support in developing a comprehensive Branding and Packaging Strategy for enterprises promoted under various non-farm initiatives under SERP.
  • Support in creating a structured branding framework for individual enterprises, cluster level enterprises and common branding strategy for Telangana Women led enterprises
  • Support in developing branding guidelines aligned with market segments such as local retail, urban markets, institutional buyers, and digital marketplaces.
• Packaging Standardization and Compliance
  • Support in developing standardized packaging guidelines for different sectors such as food processing, handicrafts, manufacturing, and service products.
  • Ensure packaging designs meet statutory requirements including:
    • FSSAI labelling norms (where applicable)
    • Batch coding and traceability systems
    • Shelf-life declaration and nutritional labelling standards
  • Support women led enterprises in transitioning from basic packaging to professional retail-ready packaging formats.
• Product Positioning and Market Readiness 
  • Conduct market assessments to understand consumer preferences, price sensitivity and product benchmarking.
  • Guide the enterprises in refining product presentation and branding strategies
  • Facilitate product standardization to ensure consistency in quality and packaging.
  • Support enterprises in developing product brochures, and promotional materials.
• Digital Branding and E-Commerce Integration
  • Support developing guidelines for digital branding including product presentation through photos & videos, online descriptions and social media presence.
  • Support onboarding of enterprises onto e-commerce platforms by ensuring compliance with platform-specific packaging and branding requirements.
  • Coordinate development of digital catalogues and product listings.
  • Support enterprises in building brand identity.
  • Encourage brand development, packaging improvement and quality standardization.
  • Support enterprises in transitioning from informal to formal business ecosystems.
• Convergence and Stakeholder Coordination
  • Facilitate convergence with MSME Department, Industries Department, Food Processing Department and relevant certification bodies.
  • Coordinate with packaging institutes, design institutes, marketing agencies and retail partners.
  • Support collaboration with state and national level branding initiatives.
  • Represent SERP–Telangana in branding and marketing forums, exhibitions and sectoral consultations.
• Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building
  • Support to design and deliver capacity-building modules for various stakeholders and field functionaries of SERP.
  • Training themes to include product standardisation, brand positioning, packaging compliance, consumer communication, pricing strategies and digital marketing basics.
  • Support in designing and executing structured training modules and reference manuals for enterprises and SERP Teams.
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
  • Support in developing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for branding and packaging interventions including:
    • Number of enterprises adopting standardized packaging
    • Increase in product price realization
    • Market expansion into organized retail
    • Growth in digital sales
    • Consumer feedback and brand recognition indicators
  • Facilitate district teams to establish periodic review mechanisms.
  • Document best practices in branding transformation and packaging innovation.
  • Submit monthly, quarterly, and annual reports.  
• Administrative & Coordination Support:
  • Work closely with other functionaries of SMMU – SERP, SVEP – PMU, District teams and thematic experts in designing and monitoring key initiatives.
  • Support in preparation of Annual Action Plans (AAPs), review reports and policy briefs.
  • Represent the program in various district forums, industry conclaves and knowledge-sharing events.
  • Any other works as assigned by the senior management time-to-time.

• Remuneration: Consolidated pay of ₹80,000/- – ₹1,00,000/- per month (commensurate with qualification and experience)

Apply Link: https://serprecruitment.cgg.gov.in/erecruitment/