Role Overview
The Associate Manager – Operations is a mid-level role responsible for ensuring smooth day-to-day operational delivery while actively managing and growing key external partnerships. A significant and distinctive component of this role is the ownership of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) engagements from identifying the right opportunities to writing compelling, credible proposals and tracking their real-world impact. This is a role for someone who is equally comfortable building partnerships through a programme delivery and crafting a well-argued funding proposal.
Key Responsibilities
Government Liaison & Relationship Management
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with key officials in relevant ministries, departments, and agencies.
- Act as the primary point of contact between the organization and government stakeholders.
- Support in organizing high-level meetings, workshops, and joint initiatives with government counterparts.
Partnership Development
- Identify opportunities for collaboration with government schemes, flagship missions, and state-level programs.
- Develop proposals, concept notes, and presentations tailored to government priorities.
- Support in signing MoUs /partnership agreements with government institutions.
Policy & Program Alignment
- Track and analyse relevant government policies, guidelines, and notifications.
- Ensure organizational programs are aligned with government frameworks and contribute to national/state priorities.
- Provide inputs to internal teams for adapting interventions to suit government mandates.
Portfolio Management
- Develop portfolio roadmaps, timelines, and milestone tracking systems.
- Define and manage the overall portfolio strategy aligned with organisational goals.
- Prioritize projects based on impact, feasibility, risk, and financial returns.
- Ensure alignment of all programs with business objectives and long-term vision.
- Conduct regular portfolio reviews and decision-making forums.
Program Implementation
- Coordinate with internal teams to ensure smooth execution of government-partnered initiatives.
- Facilitate government approvals, clearances, and permissions as required.
- Monitor and report progress on government-supported projects.
Documentation & Reporting
- Prepare briefing notes, policy updates, and advocacy documents for senior leadership.
- Develop dashboards, MIS reports, and performance insights.
- Use data-driven approaches for decision-making and optimization.
- Present portfolio performance to senior leadership.
- Ensure compliance with all reporting requirements mandated by government partners.
Advocacy & Representation
- Represent the organization in government forums, consultations, and public policy discussions.
- Build visibility for the organization through participation in government-led campaigns, events, and conferences.
CSR proposal Writing
- Support development of CSR proposals, concept notes, and presentations
- Compile inputs from internal teams (program design, budgets, timelines)
- Adapt existing proposals for different corporate partners
- Conduct basic background research on potential CSR partners and their focus areas
- Maintain a repository of past proposals, templates, and supporting documents
Essentials
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
- 6 to 8 years of experience in operations, partnerships, project management, portfolio management, & proposal writing.
- Master's degree in business, Public Policy, or related field; MBA/MPA preferred.
- Experience managing multiple large-scale projects and with external stakeholders across sector.
- Demonstrated experience writing funding proposals, concept notes, or grant applications with at least one or two examples of proposals successfully funded.
- High proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Excel/Sheets (for trackers and budgets) and Word/Docs (for proposal drafting).
Preferred
- Experience with CSR funding ecosystems in India or relevant regional context — awareness of key corporates, foundations, and compliance requirements
- Familiarity with results frameworks, log frames, or theory of change tools.
- Exposure to social sector programmes in areas such as education, livelihoods, health, or skilling.
- Experience using project management or CRM tools (e.g., Asana, Salesforce, Zoho, or similar).
