|
About Bal Raksha Bharat
Bal Raksha Bharat (also known as Save the Children) is India's leading independent child rights organisation. It is a member of the Save the Children movement that operates globally with the mission to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and achieve immediate and lasting changes in their lives. We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
- No child dies from preventable causes before their fifth birthday
- All children learn from a quality basic education and
- Violence against children is no longer tolerated
We run programs in the remotest corners of India and urban areas in the areas of Health & Nutrition, Education, Child Protection and Livelihood & Economic Wellbeing in order to facilitate quality education, healthcare and protection from harm and abuse and life-saving aid during emergencies to children
|
|
ROLE PURPOSE
The Project Coordinator will lead and coordinate district-level implementation of Project in Coimbatore, covering 10 participating government and private schools and contributing to the project’s objective of strengthening whole-school approaches to prevention of childhood overweight and obesity among children aged 6–14 years. The role will translate the approved district workplan into timely, high-quality school-level implementation across screening and early detection, physical activity promotion, mental well-being and psychosocial health, and healthy school policy and governance. The Project Coordinator will supervise the three Coimbatore Project Assistants, coordinate closely with the Project Manager and technical/MEAL functions, and work with school leadership, School Wellness Committees, teachers, students, parents, community actors and district/state government stakeholders. The role will ensure quality implementation, supportive supervision, stakeholder coordination, data and reporting, documentation, risk mitigation and progressive institutionalisation of practices.
|
|
SCOPE OF ROLE
Scope: The Project Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing implementation of Project across 10 schools in Coimbatore district, covering both government and private school settings and supporting activities that contribute to reaching approximately half of the project’s 20-school target along with the MEAL of the Project. The role will ensure that school-level interventions are sequenced and delivered in line with the approved annual workplan, quarterly targets, school activity calendar and program protocols, while adapting implementation to school context without changing approved technical messages or standards. The role will strengthen School Wellness Committees, School Wellness Charters and School Wellness Action Plans; support screening and referral processes; facilitate nutrition, physical activity and mental well-being activities; promote child and parent engagement; ensure government convergence; maintain implementation quality; and provide timely field intelligence, data and reports to the Project Manager.
Reports to: Project Manager
Staff reporting to this post: Project Assistants – Coimbatore (3).
Role Dimensions: Development context; district-level multi-school implementation; government and private school engagement; field team supervision; cross-functional program coordination.
|
|
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The key area of accountability required will be as follows:
- Lead district-level annual, quarterly and monthly implementation planning for Coimbatore, ensuring sequencing of school, family/community and system-level activities in line with the approved Project workplan and milestones.
- Project coordinator will Coordinate and implement the project at the field level and reporting back to the Project Manager.
- Coordinate implementation across the four strategic pillars: screening/early detection/counselling/referral; physical activity promotion; mental well-being and psychosocial health; and healthy school policy and governance.
- Coordinate onboarding and ongoing engagement of the 10 participating schools in Coimbatore, ensuring establishment and effective functioning of School Wellness Committees, School Wellness Charters and School Wellness Action Plans with clear responsibilities and review mechanisms.
- Supervise, mentor and support the three Coimbatore Project Assistants, including work planning, field accompaniment, performance follow-up and troubleshooting to ensure consistent quality across schools.
- Coordinate school-level baseline assessments and support schools to use findings to prioritise wellness actions, identify implementation gaps and establish realistic activity calendars and targets.
- Coordinate and support biannual BMI screening and related screening activities, ensuring appropriate school-level preparedness, accurate documentation, identification of children requiring additional support, and linkage with agreed referral pathways including RBSK and other relevant services.
- Support delivery of nutrition and healthy food environment activities, including nutrition education, healthy tiffin/food environment initiatives, Eat Right School alignment and orientation of relevant school food vendors where applicable.
- Support physical activity promotion activities including active classrooms, movement breaks, sports and recreation, yoga, Fit India activities and inclusive participation, with attention to the “She Moves” strategy and participation of girls.
- Support integration of mental well-being and psychosocial components such as social-emotional learning, mindfulness, positive body image, stress management, anti-bullying, peer support and appropriate referral pathways in coordination with technical experts and schools.
- Coordinate selection, training, mentoring and engagement of Health Champions and other student-led wellness activities, ensuring meaningful child participation and safe, inclusive peer leadership.
- Plan parent and community engagement activities, including quarterly parent learning meetings, parent–teacher wellness dialogues, family wellness messaging and other approved community activities.
- Maintain regular coordination with district stakeholders including District Education Officers, Chief Medical and Health Officers, District RBSK and RKSK teams, District Mental Health Program representatives, DIET, District Sports Officers and other relevant government and school stakeholders.
- Participate in and support quarterly District Coordination/Review Meetings, joint supportive supervision visits and other review platforms; track action points and ensure timely follow-up at school level.
- Ensure timely and accurate collection, verification and submission of school implementation data, activity records, screening/referral information, attendance, training records and other MIS/MEAL requirements; flag data quality issues to the Project Manager/MEAL function.
- Contribute to monitoring implementation quality through regular school visits, supportive supervision, use of approved checklists/tools, feedback to field teams and follow-up of corrective actions.
- Document implementation learning, success stories, innovations, challenges and case studies from Coimbatore and contribute to periodic reports, knowledge products and dissemination activities.
- Support district-level coordination of communication and advocacy activities, including approved digital wellness messaging, campaigns, school events and dissemination platforms.
- Support phased institutionalization and sustainability of through capacity transfer to school teams, strengthening of School Wellness Committees, integration of activities into school calendars and preparation for handover and scale-up.
- Ensure all implementation is aligned with BRB policies and project protocols on child safeguarding, gender equality, inclusion, confidentiality, accountability and ethical engagement with children and families.
- Any other task assigned by the line manager.
Key Performance Indicators
- % of Coimbatore schools with functional School Wellness Committees, Wellness Charters and School Wellness Action Plans as per project milestones.
- % of planned school-level activities delivered on time against the approved implementation calendar.
- % of participating schools receiving planned supportive supervision/coordination visits and documented follow-up.
- % of eligible children covered through scheduled biannual BMI/screening cycles with complete and accurate records.
- % of children identified through screening who receive appropriate counselling/referral and documented follow-up as per protocol.
- % of planned teacher, school staff, Health Champion and parent engagement activities completed against targets.
- Completeness, accuracy and timeliness of MIS/MEAL and district progress reporting.
- Number/% of identified implementation issues resolved within agreed timelines and corrective actions documented.
- Progress in school institutionalization, sustainability actions and integration with relevant government/school platforms.
|
|
BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)
Accountability
Takes ownership for district implementation quality, team performance, timely delivery and transparent follow-up of commitments.
Ambition
Demonstrates drive to achieve agreed program results and contribute to a credible demonstration model for school health and wellness.
Collaboration
Works across program, technical, MEAL, finance/admin, school and government teams to achieve outcomes greater than can be delivered in silos.
Creativity
Uses practical problem-solving and adapts coordination and facilitation approaches to different school contexts while maintaining program standards and technical fidelity.
Integrity
Acts honestly and ethically, maintains transparency in records and decisions, and complies with BRB policies and professional standards.
Empathy and child-centredness
Demonstrates active listening, respect for children’s and families’ realities, non-stigmatising communication and child-centred decision-making.
Learning orientation
Uses supervision, monitoring data, stakeholder feedback and field evidence to improve implementation quality and district performance.
|
|
QUALIFICATIONS
Preferred qualifications: Master’s degree in Social Science, Social Work (MSW), Health Management or a related discipline along with understanding of data analytics and various MEAL tools. A qualification relevant to health, nutrition, program management or social development will be preferred.
|
|
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
Minimum: 5+ years of relevant experience in program/project implementation, preferably within the development/NGO sector and with responsibilities involving field coordination, team supervision and stakeholder engagement along with Management of Project MIS and data analytics.
Preferred: Experience in school health, nutrition, public health, child/adolescent wellbeing, community-based programs or related multi-stakeholder initiatives; experience working with government systems and local government/district stakeholders; and demonstrated experience in program monitoring, review and reporting.
|
|
KEY COMPETENCIES
Technical competencies
- Strong program/project coordination skills, including planning, implementation tracking, field supervision, review and problem-solving.
- Good understanding of school health promotion, child/adolescent health, nutrition, physical activity and mental well-being approaches, with ability to coordinate integrated school-level interventions.
- Familiarity with BMI/anthropometric screening, identification of overweight/obesity and undernutrition risks, referral pathways and working within approved technical protocols.
- Strong stakeholder coordination and government liaison skills, including ability to work with education, health, sports and school-system stakeholders.
- Ability to supervise, mentor and motivate field staff and coordinate delivery across multiple schools.
- Good understanding of monitoring data, MIS requirements, data quality and use of evidence for implementation decisions; proficiency in MS Office/Excel and relevant digital systems.
- Strong documentation, report writing, presentation and communication skills.
- Ability to facilitate trainings, school reviews, parent/community meetings and participatory learning processes.
- Strong understanding of safeguarding, confidentiality, gender equality, inclusion, accountability and ethical engagement with children and families.
Generic Competencies
- Being the Voice of Children: Utilizes being part of a global movement to promote change in the policy and public sphere on child-related issues.
- Advancing Equality & Inclusion: Drives an enabling environment for gender equality and inclusion, prioritizing the most deprived and marginalized children.
- Builds & Strengthens Partnerships: Inspires others to embrace the values and principles that underpin partnerships and the localization agenda.
- Child Rights: Promotes the rights of children in own work and in work with colleagues and peers.
- Empathy, active listening and non-judgmental engagement with children, families, teachers and school stakeholders.
- Commitment to confidentiality, data protection, safeguarding and ethical engagement with children and communities.
|
|
Additional job responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
The Project Coordinator is expected to coordinate implementation within approved program protocols and delegated authority and is not expected to independently provide clinical diagnosis, prescribe medicines or deliver clinical treatment beyond the scope of their qualification and approved program responsibilities.
|
|
CHILD SAFEGUARDING (Strike out whichever is not applicable)
Level 1: NOT APPLICABLE for this role.
Level 2: NOT APPLICABLE as the primary safeguarding classification for this role.
Level 3: The role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work in programs or visit programs; therefore a police check will be required.
|
|
Child Safeguarding
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
The role holder must comply with all BRB child safeguarding policies and procedures and immediately report any safeguarding concern through the prescribed mechanisms.
|
|
Safeguarding our Staff
The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the BRB's anti-harassment policy.
|
|
Equal Opportunities
Bal Raksha Bharat aims to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all applications irrespective of age, race, colour, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief or creed. Women candidates are encouraged to apply.
|