Job Opportunity for Project Lead at American India Foundation in Karnataka

ABOUT AMERICAN INDIA FOUNDATION

The American India Foundation Trust (AIF) is committed to improving the lives of India’s underprivileged, with a special focus on women, children, and youth. The Foundation does this through high-impact interventions in education, health, and livelihoods because poverty is multidimensional. Founded over two decades ago, in the aftermath of the devastating Gujarat earthquake, as a humanitarian initiative by Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji and Bill Clinton, American India Foundation Trust (AIF) has impacted the lives of 16.51 million of India’s poor across 36 States and Union Territories of India. Registered as a Trust in India, with an independent Board of Trustees, AIF adheres to strict financial and governance standards, ensuring transparency, accountability, and responsible management of resources. As per statutory mandates, AIF is registered under FCRA, CSR, 80G, and 12A. Learn more at www.aif-india.org

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The Learning and Migration Program (LAMP) works with children at risk of distress seasonal migration by facilitating their access to seasonal hostels, quality education opportunities, while also training school teachers, and empowering communities on the Right to Education Act (2009).

Technical partnerships with State Governments have provided the opportunity to replicate similar models across other migration affected states. Since its inception in 2004, LAMP has impacted 1.35 million children at risk of distress seasonal migration through access to quality education opportunities; and steered 5,238 villages across 17 States and Union Territories across India to eliminate obstacles to quality education.

Briefly about the project

The project support LAMP program is implemented on the LAMP core model, which is School / community-based Learning Resource Centre and cluster approach. The project is to be executed across select village/ communities of the implementation. The project will target children from migration affected or migration prone locations who will be enrolled into the LAMP program activities.

KEY ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The role of a project lead is to act as the end accountable person for the program’s projects across planning, implementation/execution/delivery, reporting, donor driven requirements, financial & other statutory compliances. He/She will be required to plan, manage, supervise, and organize activities and ensure that project goals align with the program objectives & organization’s mission.

The project lead duties may vary between programs and by the actual needs of projects.

1. Project Planning, Implementation & Budgeting:

➢ Develop an operating plan & goals with detailed project plan (micro-plans), for the delivery of the project as per organizational protocols & contractual commitments.

➢ End accountability for timely execution of all project’s activities and operating plan as per organizational standards of time and quality to fulfill project’s MoU / contractual commitments.

➢ Ensure excellent project management and effective utilization of time and resources.

➢ Analyze project risks.

➢ Based on project monitoring, Implement and manage changes and interventions to ensure project goals are achieved.

2. Approvals, Documentation & Legal compliances:

➢ Proactively seek approvals from government, partners, any other stakeholders as applicable, to ensure timely on-ground implementation.

➢ Ensure timely and accurate documentations – legal and others, w.r.t project implementation activities, including but not limited to, contracts, budgets, expenses, fund utilization, manpower, administrative expenses etc.

➢ Ensure all legal compliances are adhered to within the project at all times including, labor compliances, taxation and other financial compliance, auditory compliances, POSH, Child protection, Code of Conduct, HR & admin policies.

3. Manpower hiring, HR management & contracting:

➢ Proactively plan manpower staffing for effective project delivery.

➢ Conduct recruit activities as per HR policies. Prepare JDs, NAFs, design & conduct technical assessments and participate in the selection process actively to ensure timely recruitment of qualified project manpower.

➢ Train the project team effectively to deliver to the needs of the project.

➢ Consultancy contract management for projects’ consultants to ensure 100% compliance and zero deviations w.r.t organizational & legal compliances. Ensure contracts are up-to-date and duly approved by Leadership before manpower is deployed on ground.

➢ Manage the project team to ensure project’s goals are met, esp. in the areas including donor satisfaction, safety, quality, and teams’ performance & motivation.

Set goals for the project team, monitor progress & performance monthly and give timely feedback and support to ensure the team performs well.

➢ Adhere to all HR policies for project staff & consultants.

➢ Proactively support HR in project staff hiring & HR operations such as performance management, development, data, MIS etc.

4. Financial management, Budget monitoring, expense management & approvals:

➢ Develop a detailed operational budget for the project.

➢ Proactively manage budget utilization & project expenses.

➢ Monthly monitor and report budget utilization, project expenses internally & externally;

➢ Local expense management incl. approvals, staff expense approvals, management of advances & reimbursements, local procurements,

➢ Collaborate proactively with Finance on all statutory & donor compliances w.r.t project finances;

➢ Vendor management for administrative & other services as per project needs & organizational norms;

➢ Optimal utilization of ERP for timely & accurate project expense management, procurements, reimbursements etc.

5. Reporting:

➢ Ensure monthly project monitoring through Smartsheets and timely updation to maintain accuracy at all times on Smartsheets for respective projects.

➢ Consistently provide excellent quality data and documentation that meet the quality standards of the organization;

➢ Produce accurate and timely reporting of project status throughout its life cycle – conduct project reviews monthly, quarterly for Leadership and as per project MoUs and contracts.

6. Communications:

➢ Share project updates and highlights from time to time including written notes & briefs, photographs & videos, presentations etc.

➢ Ensure success stories are documented and shared periodically for program communication through AIF social media handles;

➢ Facilitate field visit for any internal & external stakeholders incl Leadership, Board, Donors, Partners and any other.

➢ Support in planning & execution of events, training for the project at the groundlevel.

7. Evaluations & studies:

➢ Support in evaluation studies.

➢ Support in development of evaluation methods to assess project strengths and identify areas for improvement.

8. Government representation:

➢ Proactively engage with government bodies and relevant stakeholders for implementation success, project sustainability, scalability & replication.

➢ Actively foster new Government relationships and nurture existing relationships with government partners.

9. Stakeholder engagement:

➢ Ensure timely and effective communication & active engagement (including periodic meetings) with all internal & external stakeholders to make communication easy and transparent regarding project progress, issues and related decisions;

10. Donor engagement & Fundraising:

➢ Coordinate a system for regular feedback from donors and partners;

➢ Build excellent professional relationships with our donors & partners;

11. Technology utilization:

Utilize all technological tools and innovations as per organizational norms

12. Administration & Procurements:

➢ Proactively plan for procurement to meet MoUs and contractual commitments.

➢ Execute procurement activities timely, as per organizational policies & protocols.

13. Fundraising:

➢ Develop proposals timely and partner with the SP team to ensure uninterrupted project funding as well as for follow-up funding;

14. Field & facility management:

➢ Regulator visit to the field for effective monitoring.

➢ Ensure Field leasing, rent renewals and general office administration is planned & managed for safety, cost optimization & efficient project monitoring – adhere to all admin & HR policies applicable;

15. Organizational ambassadorship:

➢ Adhere and maintain utmost levels of integrity & urgency towards all legal, statutory & organizational compliances that may be required internally or externally from time to time and as per prevalent laws and/or donor requirements.

➢ Work smoothly with peers and managers and receive constructive feedback well;

➢ Go beyond own deliverables to support others in the team or the larger organization where required;

➢ Maintain the highest level of respect & integrity towards the organization’s policies, goals and values.

Required key skills, qualification & experience:

1. Post-graduation, with specialization in education themed social development projects/ program management or social entrepreneurship preferred.

2. Minimum 05 years of experience- either as a lead team member in a social enterprise and/or non-profit organization and/or eco-system building, with minimum 02 years of direct accountability as leader / manager of a project of upto INR 50 lakhs.

3. Prior experience in a consulting venture or strategic communication, fundraising and research functions would be preferred.

4. Strong personal demonstrable commitment to “serve” those who are underprivileged.

5. High personal Integrity.

6. Strong PowerPoint presentation design & delivery skills.

7. Excellent English skills –written and verbal. Preference for Kannada language skills.

8. Demonstrated excellence in time management, multi-tasking and problem-solving ability.

9. Adaptability, flexibility, and openness to feedback.

10. Ability to deliver under pressure and work on tight deadlines.

11. Ability to work in fast changing environment and continuously evolving needs,

12. Strong team playing skills.

13. “Can do” attitude.

14. Ability to work independently with large volumes of data with initiative.

15. Ability to work with across teams and supervisors.

16. Ability to respond positively to feedback.

17. Ability to respect diverse point of views.

OTHERS: Salary commensurate with experience. Initially, the fixed-term contract shall be issued
for a year based on performance, which shall be renewed yearly thereafter.

POSITION AVAILABILITY: Immediately