Position: Project Lead – Skilling, Livelihood & Community Health
Functional Area: Programme
Reporting To: Director
Location: Head Office, New Delhi
Experience: 8–10 Years
Team Management: 12–15 Project Team Members
About Smile Foundation
Smile Foundation works for the welfare of underprivileged children and their families through intensive programs focused on education, healthcare, skilling and women empowerment and Empowering Grassroots. Started in 2002 by a group of young corporate professionals, today Smile has evolved into a national level development organization impacting lives of over 1.5 million underprivileged children and their families with project presence in 25 states across India, 10 offices in strategic locations and over 650 employees, besides countless volunteers, well- wishers and
supporters.
The organization also holds Special Consultative Status with United Nation's Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC), accredited with global organizations like GuideStar, United Way, CAF America, Give2Asia and many more. Furthermore, continuously for the past Six years Smile is a Great Place to Work © Certified organization and is considered Gold Standard in identifying and recognizing Great Workplace Cultures.
Currently SF has been implementing projects worth Rs 120 Crore across India directly or with the help of grassroot organizations, primarily CSR funded projects of varied scale both in urban slums and rural areas including aspirational districts in thematic areas mentioned above. The wealth of knowledge emanated from the same is immense, however the same is grouped in systematic manner which can be used for pitching for large projects of long term in nature leading to data driven knowledge products which can be further used in creating large scale impact.
Visit our website to know more about us and our latest development: www.smilefoundationindia.org
About The Role
The Project Lead will provide strategic, technical, and operational leadership for the implementation of large-scale Skilling, Livelihood, and Integrated Community Health projects. The role is responsible for end-to-end project planning, execution, stakeholder engagement, quality assurance, monitoring & evaluation, financial management, donor reporting, and team leadership.
The incumbent will ensure effective utilization of project resources, achievement of project outcomes, compliance with donor and organizational requirements, and development of sustainable partnerships with government agencies, industry partners, community institutions, and donors. The
role requires close coordination with Advocacy, Research, Monitoring & Evaluation, Finance, and Communications teams to ensure high-quality program delivery and measurable impact. The position may require 20–30% travel.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Project Planning & Implementation
Lead the overall implementation of Skilling, Livelihood, and Community Health projects in alignment with approved work plans, donor commitments, and organizational objectives.
Develop annual, quarterly, and monthly implementation plans, budgets, resource allocation plans, procurement schedules, and project timelines.
Ensure operational readiness of project sites, training centers, and field interventions.
Drive achievement of project milestones, outputs, outcomes, enrolment, certification, placement, and community health targets.
Oversee implementation of Mobile Medical Units (MMUs), health outreach initiatives, skill development centers, and livelihood interventions, as applicable.
Conduct regular field visits to monitor quality, compliance, beneficiary engagement, and program effectiveness.
- Team Leadership & Capacity Building
Lead, supervise, mentor, and develop project teams including Project Coordinators, Trainers, Mobilizers, Placement Officers, Community Facilitators, Health Staff, and field teams.
Establish performance goals, review mechanisms, and accountability frameworks.
Conduct regular review meetings and performance discussions.
Identify training needs and implement capacity-building initiatives to strengthen project delivery.
Foster a collaborative, high-performance, and learning-oriented work culture.
- Training Quality Assurance & Program Excellence
Ensure compliance with Sector Skill Council standards, government guidelines, and project specific quality frameworks.
Monitor training delivery, lesson plans, assessments, certification processes, and learner outcomes.
Ensure quality implementation of community health interventions and adherence to public health standards.
Strengthen learner engagement, beneficiary participation, and retention.
Promote innovation, continuous improvement, and adoption of best practices across projects.
- Community Mobilization & Stakeholder Engagement
Lead community outreach and mobilization efforts to ensure beneficiary participation and project visibility.
Build and maintain strong relationships with Panchayats, SHGs, educational institutions, healthcare institutions, community leaders, and local stakeholders.
Ensure inclusion of women, youth, and marginalized communities in project interventions.
Represent the organization in community forums, workshops, and stakeholder meetings.
- Government Liaison & Partnerships
Develop and maintain strong partnerships with Government Departments, NHM officials, Sector Skill Councils, district administration, and relevant public institutions.
Coordinate with industry partners, employers, NGOs, CSR partners, and technical agencies.
Facilitate approvals, reviews, inspections, and government convergence opportunities.
Support dissemination of project outcomes, policy recommendations, and knowledge products.
- Placement & Livelihood Linkages
Develop and strengthen employer partnerships for skilling and livelihood initiatives.
Organize placement drives, employer interactions, job fairs, and recruitment events.
Monitor placement quality, retention rates, and post-placement support mechanisms.
Establish feedback mechanisms with employers to improve training relevance and employability outcomes.
- Monitoring, Evaluation, MIS & Reporting
Establish robust monitoring systems and result-based performance frameworks.
Ensure accurate beneficiary data management and MIS reporting.
Track And Analyze Key Indicators Including
- Mobilization
- Enrolment
- Attendance
- Training Completion
- Certification
- Placement & Retention
- Health Service Delivery
- Project Outcomes & Impact
Develop dashboards and data-driven insights for decision-making.
Coordinate with Research, Monitoring & Evaluation teams for assessments, studies, and learning initiatives.
Prepare and submit high-quality monthly, quarterly, annual, donor, and management reports.
- Financial Management & Administration
Manage project budgets and ensure optimal utilization of financial resources.
Monitor project expenditure against approved budgets and donor commitments.
Review and approve bills, invoices, reimbursements, procurement requests, and project documentation.
Support budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, and fund utilization tracking.
Ensure compliance with procurement policies, financial controls, and audit requirements.
Oversee asset management and administrative operations related to project implementation.
- Donor Management & Reporting
Serve as the primary focal point for donors and funding partners.
Facilitate donor visits, project reviews, presentations, and progress discussions.
Coordinate with internal departments to compile financial and impact reports.
Ensure timely submission of narrative and financial reports in line with donor requirements.
Build strong donor relationships and support fundraising and proposal development efforts.
- Quality Assurance, Compliance & Risk Management
Ensure adherence to donor guidelines, organizational policies, statutory requirements, and project protocols.
Conduct internal quality reviews and compliance assessments.
Maintain comprehensive project documentation, evidence, case records, and audit trails.
Identify implementation, financial, operational, and compliance risks.
Develop mitigation plans and escalate critical risks to management.
Support project audits, evaluations, project closure processes, and knowledge management activities.
- Documentation, Learning & Knowledge Management
Document best practices, innovations, case studies, and success stories.
Capture beneficiary testimonials and evidence of impact.
Generate knowledge products and learning documents to support scale-up and replication.
Promote continuous learning and evidence-based program improvement.
Education Qualification & Skills
Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW), Rural Management, Public Health, Development Studies, MBA, MBBS, BAMS, or related field.
8–10 years of experience in Skilling, Livelihood, Community Development, Public Health, or CSR-funded development projects.
Minimum 3–4 years of experience in a leadership or project management role.
Experience managing large-scale projects (minimum 3 Crore budget) with multiple stakeholders.
Strong understanding of Government systems, NHM programs, public health frameworks, skill development ecosystems, and livelihood promotion initiatives.
Experience working with donors, CSR programs, government agencies, and development sector partners.
Proven experience in monitoring, research, budgeting, team management, and stakeholder engagement.
Competencies
- Initiating action: Taking prompt action to accomplish objectives; taking action to achieve goals beyond what is required; being proactive.
- Communication: Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message. Able to give and take during a conversation in a balanced way, listening as well as speaking at appropriate intervals.
- Planning and organizing: Establishing courses of action for self and others to ensure work is completed efficiently.
- Decision Making: Identifying and understanding issues, problems, and opportunities, comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences.
- Continuous learning: Actively identifying new areas for learning; regularly creating and taking advantage of learning opportunities; using newly gained knowledge and skill on the job and learning through their application.
How To Apply
Share your CV/Profile with a brief note (cover letter) telling you why you find yourself a right fit for the role Smile Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer If you would like to apply to this position, please find the link below -
https://smilefoundation.keka.com/careers/jobdetails/81994
Please Note: Candidates will be reviewed on rolling basis.
Please Note: Only shortlisted candidates would be contacted by the Human Resources Team
