Manager Programs - Creche Initiative

About the Creche Initiative

Azim Premji Foundation is running 1800+ creches for children aged between 7 months and 3 years, in partnership with civil society organizations across rural and urban areas in more than 7 states in India. The programme aims to –
Ensure access to safe spaces for children,
Provide nutritious meals, and
Identify children experiencing malnutrition and facilitate timely interventions through health referrals.
More details about the programme can be found here.

About the Role
The Program Manager will work closely with Foundation’s field teams and partner CSOs to support the design, implementation, and review of the programme. The role will focus on strengthening existing creche operations across geographies, while also supporting the scale-up of creche operations in new programme locations.
Key Responsibilities
Support Foundation’s field teams in effective implementation of the Creche programme, including -
Identify credible organizations for implementing the programme.
Support the development and review of grant proposals
Guide our teams in budget preparation and support the finance team in budget review and financial due diligence, as required.
Programme Management and Strengthening -
Identify areas where partner CSOs may require support (e.g., programme implementation, MIS, finance, compliance, etc.) and facilitate appropriate capacity building support
Undertake regular field visits to engage with partner CSOs, Foundation field team members and communities to understand challenges, and support problem-solving.
Track programme progress using data and field insights
Document programme reflections on field visits and data analysis.
Prepare reports and presentations capturing progress, challenges, and insights.
Regularly communicate programme progress, achievements, challenges, and recommendations to the CSO leadership and other stakeholders.

What we are looking for
We invite individuals committed to social change and motivated to build community-based solutions with marginalized and vulnerable communities.
5-8 years of experience in programme management, including hands-on implementation of grassroots or large-scale development programmes, preferably in areas such as child development, health and nutrition
Experience working with frontline workers and community-based programme
Strong problem-solving ability and high ownership
Ability to work independently while collaborating across teams
Comfort with data analysis
Willingness to travel extensively
Master’s degree in Rural Management / Development / Social Work / Public Health / Allied fields (preferred)
Strong communication skills in Hindi and English
Proficiency in additional regional language is an advantage

Locations: Patna/Bhubaneswar/Hyderabad/Lucknow/Kolkata/Guwahati/Delhi/Mumbai (any one of the locations)