Assistant General Manager – Vocational Education & Scholarship in Delhi | Smile Foundation

Smile Foundation

Smile Foundation works for the welfare of underprivileged children and their families through programmes in education, healthcare, skilling, women empowerment and grassroots strengthening. Started in 2002 by a group of young corporate professionals, it has grown into a national development organisation that reaches over 1.5 million children and family members, with projects in 25 states, 10 offices and more than 650 employees. The organisation holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and is accredited with GuideStar, United Way, CAF America and Give2Asia. It has been certified as a Great Place to Work for six years running, and currently runs projects worth Rs 80 crore across urban slums, rural areas and aspirational districts. This role sits within Smile Foundation's Vocational Education and Scholarship programme, which helps students aged 15 to 19 build employable skills in school and supports deserving girls from underserved communities to finish school, vocational courses and engineering degrees.

Role

As Assistant General Manager for Vocational Education and Scholarship, you will lead the whole programme: running projects that are already live in 300 schools in Rajasthan and in 7 states through scholarships, and building the strategy to take them into new states. You will own programme quality, budgets and team performance, work closely with corporate and institutional donors to keep and grow their support, and shape how young people, especially girls, get the skills and confidence to make informed choices about their careers.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, review and innovation of the programme so it stays aligned to Smile Foundation's mission and to changing market and regulatory needs.
• Prepare annual strategic plans for the programme and review progress against organisational goals.
• Build strategic partnerships with corporate donors, institutional funders and high net worth individuals, and co-pitch with the resources team to expand the programme.
• Develop partnerships with government departments, UN bodies, private sector organisations, colleges and other NGOs.
• Create a single online scholarship portal that brings together information and links on scholarships, schemes and higher education opportunities.
• Drive the development, monitoring and review of annual operational plans, work plans and budgets across all projects.
• Manage project delivery to a high standard, address risks early, and make sure activities and deliverables match the MOUs signed with donors.
• Allocate responsibilities across the project team so the work runs efficiently, and build a culture of transparent performance monitoring and learning.
• Nurture donors by meeting committed deliverables, reporting on time in the required formats, and engaging them in expansion plans.
• Study new funding leads, write concept notes, detailed project proposals, international grant applications and renewal budgets, and follow up until MOUs are signed.
• Provide leadership to the team, monitor performance and identify capacity building opportunities.
• Strengthen project management systems, MIS and monitoring tools, and use technology to improve transparency and accountability.
• Represent Smile Foundation at public forums and prepare applications for national and international awards.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Education, Social Work, Business Administration or a related field.
• 10 to 15 years of proven experience managing large scale projects, preferably in vocational education, scholarships or skill development.
• Minimum 5 years of experience developing and managing partnerships with educational institutions, NGOs and government bodies.
• Experience leading a multicultural team with at least 5 direct reports.
• Expertise in drafting proposals, analysing data and handling donor reporting, with basic financial acumen.
• Understanding of the Indian education system, the vocational training landscape and scholarship programmes is an advantage.
• Willingness to travel across India.
• Strong written and verbal communication, with the ability to come across as credible and persuasive.
• Drive to achieve results and push past obstacles to meet and exceed goals.
• Analytical problem solving using both qualitative and quantitative information to reach timely and rational judgments.
• Ability to build and use collaborative external relationships to get work done.
• Skill in preparing and delivering presentations that suit the audience.
• Sound decision making, comparing information from different sources before choosing a course of action.
• Ability to develop others by planning and supporting the growth of their skills.
• Leadership presence that engages people, builds trust and balances empathy with professionalism.

Benefits

• Lead a national programme that is already live in 300 schools and 7 states, with a clear mandate to expand it further.
• Work with a Great Place to Work certified organisation, recognised for six consecutive years.
• Direct exposure to corporate, government, UN and institutional donors at a senior level.
• Be part of a 650 person team running projects worth Rs 80 crore across 25 states.
• Travel across India and see the programme's impact on the ground.

Apply

Interested candidates can apply through the link given below

Apply

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