Job Title: Assistant Village Director
Department: Family Like Care (FL)
Reporting to: Village Director- Family Like Care
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Please note: This is a residential role, so people with experience and interest in working with vulnerable youth in residential care settings will be preferred
About the Organisation:
SOS Children’s Villages of India are an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organization working for the holistic development of parentless children as well as women and children from vulnerable families. For over 60 years, we have reached over 65000 children through our 32 SOS Children’s Villages and 28 community projects in India positively impacting over 83000 lives. We continue to provide children without parental care or at the risk of losing it, a value chain of quality care services that goes beyond childcare alone, to ensure comprehensive child development as well as ways to strengthen communities and families as a preventive measure in the fight against abandonment and social neglect.
We are committed for safeguarding and protecting children in all our programmes by having zero tolerance policy in this regard. At our organization, we uphold a values-based culture built on the pillars of courage, commitment, trust, and accountability, guiding our actions and decisions to achieve excellence and integrity in all endeavors. We are further committed to provide a safe environment for staff and children, young people and adults with whom we work, where human rights are respected and upheld, and healthy relations fostered by building organisational systems, capacity, and awareness on PSHEA (prevention and protection against sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse) and Anti-Corruption guidelines. All our coworkers are obliged to follow SOS regulation on Child and Youth Safeguarding, PSHEA, Anti-Corruption Regulation and Code of Conduct. We are an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Purpose and Objective:
The Assistant Village Director leads the SOS Children’s Village. He/she coordinates all village activities and is responsible and accountable for the overall development of the SOS Children’s Village. He/she ensures the quality of child care within the framework of the SOS family childcare model. He/she supports the development of all village coworkers, directly guides and supports each SOS mother to ensure the well-being of the SOS families. The Assistant Village Director (In-charge) ensures that the individual needs and rights of children are addressed and respected. He/she ensures the implementation of the organization’s policies and guidelines, effective planning, evaluation, reporting and financial management & Statutory Compliances and is the face of the organization for the outside world.
Areas of Responsibility:
1. Ensuring the overall development of children of the SOS Children’s Village: The Assistant Village Director (In-charge) ensures that the needs of children and youth are identified, respected, protected and addressed. He/she builds positive relationships with children through day-to-day interactions. He/she interacts with children to support them in their development and to guide them to settlement as good and successful people. He/she is the legal guardian of the children and is responsible for the children under his care & accountable to their biological roots, to government machinery for child protection, to other legal bodies & all stakeholders.
2. Ensuring quality and value-based education and supporting Youth in Skilling for self- reliance: To empower Youth with skills and prepare them for employability.
3. Ensuring the overall management (Finance & Administration) of the SOS Children’s Village: Prepare annual budget for the Village, seek approval and monitor operations of the program to ensure compliance to the budget. He /She coordinates the planning and budgeting, monitoring and evaluation processes for the SOS children’s villages. He/she accounts for the implementation of the organisation’s policies, manuals, standards and guidelines and implements administrative systems promoting the efficient and responsible use of financial resources and property. He/she presides over the Village Committee, Child Admission Committee and Child Protection Committee, and cooperates closely with representative / coordinating functions. As legal representative of the organization, he ensures compliance with all legal requirements of the work.
4. Guiding and supporting SOS Mothers and SOS families: The Assistant Village Director ensures that framework conditions for a high quality of child care within the SOS families are given. He/She supports the development of strong and long-term family ties and ensures a secure and developmental environment for children. He/she visits SOS Families on regular basis. He is available, accessible and dependable to SOS Mothers as a guide and support in their responsibilities. He monitors services for SOS Mothers, ensures secure environment for them and coordinates for their professional development.
5. Guiding and supporting SOS Youth Co-workers: The Assistant Village Director ensures that framework conditions for a high quality of youth care within youth facilities/youth care Programs are given. He/She ensures that youth Programs offer career, learning and development opportunities for youths and maintains an overview of and interest in the needs and development of youths. He visits the youth facilities on a regular basis and supports youth co-workers. The Assistant Village Director coordinates the professional development of youth co-workers and ensures the required support and monitoring services for youth care co-workers.
6. Guiding and supporting SOS Children’s Villages’ co-workers: The Assistant Village Director (In-charge) leads and supports all SOS Children's Village's staff in a strategic way according to SOS Children's Villages' policies and values and acknowledged and contextualized guidelines of leadership, management and human resource development. He/she delegates tasks with trust and gives co- workers the space to perform effectively.
7. The Assistant Village Director creates an open working environment where village coworkers learn and question with confidence and strive for participation. He/she promotes strong links (communication, team work and the sharing of knowledge) between SOS families, youth care co-workers and other village co-workers.
8. He/She coordinates the professional recruitment in consultation with the Zonal Director and careful orientation for all village and youth facility/youth Program co-workers, provides ongoing feedback, carries out performance appraisal discussions with every village coworker, encourages co-workers to take responsibility for their own learning and development (according to the HR’s principles and guidelines) and ensures that they receive the support they need to fulfil their tasks. He/she manages routine personnel administration tasks, including management of personnel files and leave administration. He ensures compliance of co-workers to the service rules of the organization. He/She consults the Zonal Director/DND-FL /Secretary General on key staff issues.
9. Promoting strong and long-term partnerships with Government/Civil Society Organizations & communities: The Assistant Village Director would be responsible for liasioning with government (Child Welfare Committee, Department of women and child development, Education & Health) department to ensure project deliverables and reporting. The resource is also expected to establish relationships and partnerships between SOS families, youths in youth facilities/youth care Programs, youth care co-workers and the community. He/She forges strong links with like-minded and complementary organisations and represents the organisation in local NGO networks and advocacy initiatives. He/She assures effective co- operation with the local media as per organization’s guidelines (so that the organisation’s aims and objectives are continuously promoted) and represents the organisation’s interests as well as child and youth care expertise (integrated approach) to the local authorities. He/She ensures appropriate accessibility of village facilities to the neighbouring communities and makes conscious efforts for integration of CV into the community.
10. Contributing to the development of the National Association: The Assistant Village Director learns from other SOS Children’s Villages and shares his/her own experience. He/She participates actively in national planning and evaluation processes and actively contributes to the further development of the organization policies. He/she contributes to local and National child and youth care initiatives and contributes to National advocacy efforts where appropriate. He/She seeks recognition of the SOS family model. He/She helps fundraising staff understand how the SOS Children's Village assists children and families and provides background information, text and photo material, supports them to realise fundraising plans and familiarises village co-workers on the importance of fundraising.
Key Performance Indicators
• Academic performance of children
• Quality settlement of youth
• Satisfaction Index of mothers and coworkers
• Capacity utilization of project
• Timeliness and accuracy of information
• % deviation in budget vs actual expenditure
• Number of disciplinary & child abuse issues arising
• Adherence to admission policy
Qualifications & Experience:
Education:
Master’s degree in Social Work/Social Sciences (Bachelor’s degree in Education will be added advantage).
Experience:
Leadership experience at a senior management/executive level, preferably within the NGO or public sector; minimum 10 years practical experience in one or more of the following functional areas: child and/or youth care, community development, human resource management, psychology, education.
Languages:
Excellent communication skills (English and Regional languages). Proficiency in 1-2 regional languages is mandatory for locations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Odisha. Must have significant and proven human, writing, presentation and people management skills.
Competencies:
Execution orientation Operational excellence Relationship building Passion to serve Providing leadership Change orientation Strategic thinking
Working conditions
Posted in Children’s Village as a residential coworker. Travel as and when required.
Child and Youth Safeguarding Commitment:
The incumbent must commit to the organization's Child and Youth Safeguarding Policy and ensure its implementation in all aspects and activities.
Applications can be shared at soscvindia.vacancies@soscvindia.org with the subject line- ‘Application for Assistant Village Director- Bengaluru’.