Child in Need Institute, Jharkhand
Job Profile
Job Title: Program Manager
Place of Work: Purnia, Bihar
Reporting to: State Head, CINI Jharkhand
No. of vacancies: 1 (One)
Project or Program: Rural Creche Initiative
Period: 1 October 2026 – 30 September 2027
(Extendable based on performance and organizational requirements.)
Introduction
Child in Need Institute (CINI) has been implementing/facilitating different programs to demonstrate models in improving quality of lives of children, adolescent and women in need. CINI also provides technical support to different State Governments and at National level for strengthening existing services and build up capacities of personnel working at different layers. CINI’s core model is based on CINI method that promotes a rights-based convergence approach which has so far attracted the attention of policy makers and other different actors of development sector, and which has proven to be an effective design to promote local level solutions for improving care and protection of Children.
About the Project:
The creches being established under this initiative are called “Sishu Ghar” in Jharkhand & Odisha and “Laika Ghar” in Chhattisgarh. Which means “children’s home” in Hindi.
The Crèche Initiative aims to improve the nutritional status and early childhood development of children aged between 7 months and 3 years. The objectives of the Crèche Initiative are-
a) To enable access to crèches by all children between 7 months and 3 years in a selected geography.
b) To ensure supplementary feeding, early childhood development, and facilitation of access to government entitlements.
c) To identify growth faltering, underweight, and wasted children (7 months to 3 years), refer them to a health facility and follow up.
In rural areas, especially in remote villages inhabited by Adivasis, children between 7 months to 3 years of age are highly vulnerable to malnutrition.
As per the provisioning, these children are entitled to Take Home Ration (THR), immunisation, and other services during Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND) and referral to health facilities in case of illnesses. However, many of these children have poor access to these services due to geographical barriers and sub-optimal health-seeking behaviour. Further, these children are left behind by parents with older siblings and grandparents when they go out for work. This hinders the child’s access to proper nutrition and overall development. The first two to three years of the child’s life have the maximum potentiality to reduce malnutrition and promote cognitive development. If proper nutrition and care are not provided to children in these years, the damage could be irreversible.
In this context, the Rural Crèche Initiative (RCI) has been visualised as a platform for children under 3 years, in order to improve their access to proper nutrition, health and Early Childhood Development (ECD) interventions. The crèche would be a community-based centre run by Civil Society Organisation (CSO) partners supported by Azim Premji Foundation, where parents can leave their children when they go out for work. It would provide day care services for children for six hours a day for six days a week
Activities to be performed:
A. Pre-Setup Phase:
i. Building comprehensive understanding of the Creche Initiative (if existing)
ii. Participate in the required Human Resources recruitment (only when the person is an existing member of the organization and will be the PM—part time or full time).
iii. Coordinate and make necessary arrangements for the Pre-Service Orientation (to be done by the Foundation)
iv. Ensures regular coordination and discussions with the Foundation Point Person.
v. Interact and build rapport with the functionaries and inform and brief them about the initiative.
vi. Collect some basic and necessary information about the villages and the children in the given geography.
vii. Build a collaborative team culture through regular interactions and meetings
B. Setup Phase:
i. Make a plan of initial interventions based on the secondary data received from the ICDS.
ii. Co-visit and demonstrate community engagements, including Gram Sabhas, caregivers’ selection, etc.
iii. Coordinates with other personnel in the team on various matters like vendor identification, Shishu Ghar application, Anthro equipment, and other necessary requirements.
iv. Coordinates with the Foundation for Caregivers’ Pre-Service Training and ensures necessary arrangements are in place.
v. Regularly follows up with the team on the progress and guides the team wherever necessary.
C. Operational Phase:
i. Makes plan with the team for regular creche visits and handholding at the operational centers.
ii. Co-visits with different cadres to demonstrate, observe, guide and support supportive supervision.
iii. Creates systems and structures for all creche operations, like logistics requirements ranging from requisition to delivery, review and capacity-building mechanism, claim reimbursement processes, etc.
iv. Keeps a track of creche operations using Shishu Ghar App or Portal and guides team members on the desired path.
v. Regularly meets the functionaries and keeps them updated about the progress.
vi. Submits monthly report to the Foundation and coordinates on monthly call and in-person meetings with the team.
Qualification: Masters in any subject; preferably in Social Work with basic knowledge of Computer application and MS office
Experience: 5+ years of experience in Health, ECCE, Nutrition with 2+ years of experience of managing a team.
Age: 30 – 45 years
Competencies:
i. The candidate should possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong analytical and problem-solving skills and proficiency in MS Office, Excel, and Power point.
ii. Experience in budget management, working with Government Departments and working knowledge of the public health sector will be an added advantage.
iii. Working proficiency in local language, Hindi and English.
Expected travel: Candidates are expected to travel to other districts for monitoring and supervision
Remuneration / CTC: - Rs.50,000/- per Month
How to Apply:
• Interested candidates must also fill the following google form: -
https://forms.gle/GXpLs6dHVviC2NcB9
"CINI is an equal opportunity employer. Eligible female / third gender candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. "
"Child In Need Institute follows the Child Protection Policy, Sexual Harassment at Workplace policy, and all HR-related policies."
"CINI is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion."