JOB DESCRIPTION
National Lead
Position Title: National Lead – The Birds and Bees Talk (TBBT) Program and Dettol Banega Swasth India (DBSI) Program
Apply to: hr@amarjyotifoundation.org
Deadline: 29.06.2026
Department: Management and Coordination
Contract Duration: One Year from 31 July 2026 (renewable subject to performance and project continuation)
Duty Station: New Delhi, India
Reporting To: Executive Director, AJ Foundation
Supervises: Regional Managers, Senior Program Officers, Program Officers, Technical Specialists, Consultants, Monitoring & Evaluation Personnel, Communication Personnel, and Implementing Partners
Travel Requirement: Extensive travel (40–50%) across project states and districts, including rural, remote, and underserved locations, for program oversight, government engagement, monitoring, quality assurance, and donor engagement.
Level of Contact with Children: Level 2 – Sporadic or occasional contact with children.
Safeguarding Statement:
The position holder shall adhere to and work within the ambit of AJ Foundation's Safeguarding Policy, Child Protection Policy, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Policy, and Gender Equality Policy.
POSITION SUMMARY
The National Lead will provide overall strategic, technical, operational, and managerial leadership for AJ Foundation's flagship programmes, namely The Birds and Bees Talk (TBBT) Program and Dettol Banega Swasth India (DBSI) Program, across India. The position will be responsible for driving programme excellence, ensuring achievement of donor commitments, strengthening government partnerships, expanding programme reach, maintaining compliance standards, and delivering measurable social impact.
The National Lead will serve as the principal interface with donors, national ministries, technical institutions, development partners, and senior organizational leadership. The role will ensure effective coordination among regional and state teams while promoting innovation, evidence-based programming, sustainability, and organizational growth.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Strategic Leadership and Programme Direction
• Provide strategic leadership for the planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and expansion of TBBT and DBSI programmes across India.
• Develop national programme strategies, annual operating plans, implementation frameworks, and growth roadmaps.
• Ensure programme alignment with AJ Foundation's vision, mission, strategic priorities, donor expectations, and national development goals.
• Identify opportunities for innovation, programme expansion, and strategic partnerships.
• Lead periodic programme reviews and strategic planning exercises to improve effectiveness and impact.
2. National Government and Policy Engagement
• Establish and maintain high-level relationships with national ministries and government agencies, including education, health, women and child development, youth affairs, sanitation, and related sectors.
• Represent AJ Foundation in national consultations, policy dialogues, technical working groups, conferences, and stakeholder forums.
• Advocate for evidence-based approaches in adolescent education, life skills, school hygiene, behaviour change, and public health promotion.
• Support integration of programme learnings into policy and government systems.
• Facilitate government ownership and sustainability of programme interventions.
3. Programme Oversight and Quality Assurance
• Provide technical and managerial oversight to Regional Managers and programme teams.
• Ensure effective implementation of programme activities across all project states and districts.
• Monitor programme performance against approved targets, indicators, and donor commitments.
• Ensure adherence to organizational policies, safeguarding standards, donor requirements, and quality benchmarks.
• Lead adaptive management processes and ensure timely resolution of implementation challenges.
• Promote innovation, digital solutions, and continuous improvement across programmes.
4. Team Leadership and Capacity Building
• Lead, mentor, supervise, and support Regional Managers and senior programme personnel.
• Establish performance management systems and accountability frameworks.
• Conduct performance reviews and identify staff development opportunities.
• Facilitate national learning platforms, cross-state knowledge sharing, and capacity-building initiatives.
• Promote a culture of excellence, collaboration, innovation, diversity, and inclusion.
5. Financial Management and Compliance
• Provide overall oversight of programme budgets, resource allocation, and financial performance.
• Monitor budget utilization and expenditure trends across all programme locations.
• Ensure compliance with donor financial regulations and AJ Foundation financial policies.
• Review financial forecasts, variance analyses, and corrective action plans.
• Coordinate with finance and administration teams to ensure timely reporting and compliance.
• Promote cost efficiency and effective utilization of programme resources.
6. Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Research
• Strengthen programme monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems.
• Review programme dashboards, performance reports, and evidence-generation activities.
• Ensure data quality, reporting accuracy, and effective utilization of programme evidence.
• Support operational research, assessments, evaluations, and impact studies.
• Promote documentation and dissemination of best practices, innovations, and lessons learned.
• Guide the development of national knowledge products, publications, and case studies.
7. Donor Relations and Reporting
• Serve as the primary programme focal point for donor engagement and communication.
• Lead preparation and submission of high-quality donor reports, presentations, and programme updates.
• Coordinate donor visits, programme reviews, and stakeholder consultations.
• Ensure compliance with donor branding, visibility, and reporting requirements.
• Support development of impact reports, success stories, and communication materials.
8. Partnership Development and Resource Mobilization
• Develop strategic partnerships with government institutions, development agencies, foundations, academic institutions, and corporate partners.
• Support proposal development, fundraising efforts, and new business opportunities.
• Contribute to programme sustainability and resource diversification strategies.
• Identify opportunities for scaling successful programme models nationally.
9. Organizational Leadership and Representation
• Represent AJ Foundation at national and international forums, conferences, workshops, and strategic meetings.
• Contribute to organizational strategic planning and institutional strengthening initiatives.
• Support development of organizational systems, policies, and standards.
• Promote AJ Foundation's visibility, credibility, and leadership within the development sector.
• Provide strategic advice and recommendations to the Executive Director and senior leadership.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Education
• Master's degree in Public Health, Social Work, Development Studies, Education, Management, Public Policy, Sociology, Behavioural Sciences, or a related field.
• Additional qualifications in Project Management, Leadership, Monitoring & Evaluation, Public Health, or Public Policy will be advantageous.
Experience
• Demonstrated experience in education, adolescent health, SRHR, school hygiene, behaviour change communication, WASH, public health, or community development programmes.
• Proven experience working with national and state government systems.
• Extensive experience managing donor-funded projects and complex stakeholder relationships.
• Strong experience in strategic planning, financial oversight, team leadership, and partnership management.
• Experience in proposal development, fundraising, and resource mobilization is highly desirable.
SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
• Exceptional leadership and people-management skills.
• Strong strategic thinking and decision-making abilities.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and partnership-building skills.
• Strong understanding of public systems, government processes, and policy environments.
• Advanced programme management and organizational development capabilities.
• Strong financial management and budgeting skills.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and risk-management abilities.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and report-writing skills.
• Proficiency in digital reporting systems, data analytics, and project management tools.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in complex and dynamic environments.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)
• Achievement of national programme targets and donor commitments.
• Quality, timeliness, and compliance of programme implementation.
• Strength and effectiveness of national and state government partnerships.
• Budget utilization, financial compliance, and resource efficiency.
• Quality and timeliness of donor and management reporting.
• Team performance, leadership development, and staff retention.
• Programme visibility, recognition, and influence at national level.
• Successful resource mobilization and partnership development.
• Quality of monitoring, evaluation, learning, and evidence-generation systems.
• Compliance with safeguarding, child protection, and donor requirements.
• Expansion, sustainability, and long-term impact of TBBT and DBSI programmes.