Organization: Chaupal Gramin Vikas Prashikshan Evam Shodh Sansthan
Position: Program Manager - Creche Initiative (Full-time Consultant)
Location: Udaipur Block, Surguja District, Chhattisgarh
Reportingto: Director
NumberofPositions: 1
Last Date to Apply: 15 November 2026
About Chaupal: Chaupal Gramin Vikas Prashikshan Evam Shodh Sansthan is a grassroots civil society organisation established in 2006 in Chhattisgarh, working to advance the rights, dignity, resilience and sustainable development of Adivasi, rural and forest-dependent communities. Headquartered in Ambikapur, Surguja, Chaupal primarily works across 11 blocks of 5 districts of Northern Chhattisgarh. Initially focused on food security, social entitlements, employment, Adivasi rights and public accountability, Chaupal has expanded its work to forest rights and conservation, community governance, child and maternal health and nutrition, livelihoods, water security, sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, girls' education and youth development. Today, Chaupal follows an integrated, community-led approach to strengthen rights, well-being, resilience and sustainable development among underserved communities.
About the Creche Initiative: Community-based creches, locally known as Laika Ghar, operate from households within the community, providing safe nurturing care for children aged 7 months to 3 years for approximately 7-8 hours daily. The initiative enables parents and caregivers to pursue their livelihoods while ensuring young children receive essential nutrition, healthcare and developmental support.
- Each creche caters to an average of 20 children and provides:
- Three nutritious, calorie-dense meals daily, along with supervised feeding.
- Regular growth monitoring, age-appropriate care, stimulation and early learning.
- A safe, clean and hygienic environment.
- Attendance tracking and follow-up with families.
Children are regularly monitored through height and weight measurements to identify nutritional risks, including Severely Underweight (SUW), Moderately Underweight (MUW), Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM). Children identified as high-risk cases are referred to the nearest health facility and followed up to ensure appropriate care and treatment.
Programme Scale: The initiative covers approximately 40 creches under one Cluster Coordinator, supported by 11 Supervisors and 220 Caretakers.
About the Position: The Program Manager will be responsible for the overall planning, implementation, coordination and management of the Creche Initiative. The role involves ensuring quality childcare services, effective programme delivery, team management, monitoring and reporting, financial oversight, and coordination with government departments and other stakeholders.The position requires strong leadership, field engagement and programme management skills, with a commitment to improving early childhood care, nutrition and development in rural and underserved communities.
Key Roles and Responsibilities
1. Programme Planning and Implementation
- Lead the planning, execution and effective implementation of the creche initiative across the programme geography.
- Develop and oversee programme strategies, annual plans, budgets and implementation timelines.
- Ensure timely achievement of programme objectives, targets and deliverables.
- Provide overall guidance and support to the implementing team.
2. Team Management and Capacity Building
- Lead and supervise the programme team, including the Cluster Coordinator, Supervisors and Caretakers.
- Support staff recruitment, performance appraisal and team development.
- Organize regular training, capacity-building sessions and workshops to strengthen staff competencies.
- Establish effective feedback and accountability mechanisms for staff and programme beneficiaries.
3. Programme Quality Assurance
- Conduct regular field visits to creche centres to assess service quality and programme implementation.
- Ensure adherence to childcare, nutrition, hygiene, safety and child protection standards.
- Identify implementation gaps and take timely corrective measures.
- Promote quality care, age-appropriate stimulation and responsive feeding practices across centres.
4. Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
- Co-visits with different cadres for demonstration, observation and supportive supervision
- Tracking operations through Shishu Ghar App/Portal and guiding the team.
- Establish and oversee effective monitoring systems to track programme progress and outcomes.
- Ensure accurate documentation and maintenance of programme data, records and reports.
- Monitor children's attendance, growth, nutritional status, referrals and follow-up.
- Prepare and submit monthly, quarterly and annual progress reports.
- Conduct regular review meetings and use programme data to inform decision-making and improvements.
5. Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination
- Build and maintain effective relationships with government departments, particularly Women and Child Development (WCD), ICDS and Health, along with other relevant institutions and partners.
- Facilitate convergence with government schemes and services related to child health, nutrition and development.
- Represent the organization in relevant meetings, consultations and forums.
- Strengthen community engagement and enhance the visibility of the programme.
6. Financial and Administrative Management
Oversee programme budgets, expenditure tracking and financial utilization.
Ensure effective utilization of programme resources and compliance with organizational and donor requirements.
Ensure timely administrative processes, documentation and completion of assigned deliverables.
Uphold the organization's vision, mission, values and policies.
Educational Qualifications and Experience
- Postgraduate degree in Early Childhood Care and Development, Public Health, Social Work or any other relevant discipline from a recognized university.
- Minimum 5 years of professional experience in Health and Nutrition or related development programmes and managing, mentoring and supervising field-based teams.
- Prior experience in child nutrition, early childhood development or creche management will be an added advantage.
Required Skills and Competencies
- Strong programme planning, implementation and management skills.
- Experience in leading, mentoring and managing field-based teams.
- Good networking, coordination and stakeholder management abilities.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
- Proficiency in MS Office applications, particularly Word and Excel.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Hindi and English.
- Ability to manage multiple responsibilities, work under pressure and meet deadlines.
- Knowledge of relevant government policies, schemes and procedures related to child health, nutrition and early childhood care.
- Willingness to undertake extensive field travel and work in rural communities.
Employment Details
- Monthly Honorarium: INR 45-50 Thousand (Based on Experience) + INR 7,500 for travel & Mobile allowance.
- Probation Period: 3 months.
- Notice Period: 1 month.
- Travel Requirements: Willingness to travel up to 50% of the working time to the Head Office, cluster locations and villages within the programme geography.
Application Process
- Interested candidates are requested to email their updated CV and a cover letter of up to 200 words explaining why they consider themselves suitable for this position to:
- Email: chaupal.job@gmail.com
- Subject Line: Applying for the position of Program Manager (Creche Initiative)
Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. No regret emails or calls will be made to candidates who are not shortlisted.