Manager - Skilling, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship

Balrakshabharat; Hinoba-an; On-site; PHP 995,000 - 1,724,000; Full time

Job summary

Bal Raksha Bharat invites a Manager for Skilling, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship to lead a critical programmatic portfolio in India. You will drive strategy, engage CSR donors, and coordinate with government ministries to strengthen livelihoods and skills for vulnerable children and youth.

The role requires strong strategic thinking, proven management experience, and a track record of building partnerships with public and private stakeholders to scale impact.

Qualifications

• Post-Graduation in Economics, Social Work, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Proven experience in programme thematic and implementation strategy development within child well-being or social development in Indian context and CSR donor engagements.
• Experience leading large-scale design and programme implementation on Skilling, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship development.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to develop and strengthen the Skilling, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship portfolio.
• Formulate long-term strategy for the portfolio aligned with priorities and evidence.
• Lead proposal development and donor-aligned strategy with Resource Mobilization.
• Prepare concept notes and evidence-based programme products for donor engagement.
• Engage government ministries at national and state levels to build partnerships.
• Build partnerships with NSDC, State Skill Missions, NRLMs and academic bodies for scale and sustainability.
• Lead market analyses to identify job trends and entrepreneurship opportunities.
• Represent the organization in external platforms and consultations.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Problem-solving

Decision-making

Education

Post-Graduation in Economics, Social Work, Business Administration, or related field

Job description

Manager - Skilling, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship

Job ID - 1093

Job Title: Manager - Skilling, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship

Grade: F

Department: Programme Strategy, Impact and Evidence

Reporting to: Functional Director

Contract duration: 5 years (Extendable)

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 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 implement programmes 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

Lead the program thematic portfolio of Skilling, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship within the organisation and provide strategic and technical guidance to programme design and implementation to ensure quality and impact. This includes driving thematic excellence by aligning all initiatives with the function and established quality benchmarks. The sub-themes under this portfolio include Livelihoods, Skill Building, Entrepreneurship and Child-Sensitive Social Protection, thus ensuring overall economic-wellbeing of children youth and their families. The incumbent will work on building technical capacities of teams, generate evidence from programming, and develop, establish and disseminate knowledge products for policy engagement and, thereby enabling impact at scale. The role will also be responsible for designing and promoting innovative programming models aligned with strategic thematic and sub-thematic priorities.

SCOPE OF ROLE

Scope: Program Thematic Leadership

Reports to: Functional Director

Staff reporting to this post: Nil

Budget Responsibilities: Functional Budget

Context: Development /Humanitarian - Both

KEY AREAS OF Responsibilities

Provide overall leadership in developing and strengthening the Skilling, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship strategic thematic portfolio

• Lead the formulation of a long-term Strategy for the portfolio, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities, emerging evidence, and the evolving external landscape.
• Support the development and review of the Annual Thematic Programme Plan, ensuring it reflects the strategic direction and operational feasibility of the theme. Lead the design of high-impact, scalable, and cost-effective programmes focused to Indian institution and corporate (CSR) requirements to drive sustainable change for vulnerable children, adolescents, and youth and their families.
• Lead and provide strategic & technical inputs in proposal development, collaborating with the Resource Mobilization team to align proposals with Indian institution and corporate (CSR) donor priorities and thematic focus.
• Prepare concept notes, approach papers, and evidence-based programme products, Anecdotes, and models to position the organization effectively with Indian institution and corporate (CSR) donors and partners.
• Engage with government ministries and departments at national and state levels to develop partnerships and convergence opportunities in Livelihoods, Skilling, and Child Sensitive Social Protection.
• Build and nurture partnerships with key institutions like NSDC, State Skill Missions, NRLMs, SRLMs and Academic Institutions and other relevant agencies to support program implementation, scale-up, and sustainability.
• Develop a Resource Directory on Skilling, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship Programs of the Country and update on a regular basis to build the capacity of the team and explore potential opportunities.
• Lead and conduct periodic market analyses to understand job trends and entrepreneurship opportunities both nationally and in specific geographies, and accordingly define and develop strategic plans to support the implementation teams on this thematic area.
• Represent the organization in external platforms, working groups, and consultations related to the thematic and organizational priorities.
• Provide technical support and guidance to implementation teams to ensure quality implementation of, both remotely and through regular field visits.
• Create and build the capacity of a pool of staff members to serve as experts in the thematic portfolio, encompassing Livelihoods, Skill Building, and Entrepreneurship).
• Ensure alignment of ongoing interventions with programme design, donor commitments, and organizational quality benchmarks.
• Promote cross-thematic collaboration with other sectors (e.g., Education, Health, Child Protection, Climate Action and Disaster Risk Reduction) to drive integrated programming.
• Work with the Impact and Evidence Management teams to generate evidence, undertake feasibility studies, and pilot innovative models aligned with the thematic strategy.
• Lead the documentation and dissemination of key learnings, success stories, and best practices to inform programming and influence the eco system.
• Design and facilitate capacity-building programmes for staff and partners on key aspects including market-led livelihoods, vocational skills, and social protection programs.
• Foster a culture of learning, innovation, and evidence-based programming within the organization.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability

Holds self and others accountable for delivering high-quality results aligned with organizational goals.

Demonstrates ownership and responsibility in delivering on commitments with integrity.

Ambition

Sets ambitious and bold goals to advance the theme, ensuring impact at scale.

Inspires others by demonstrating commitment to creating lasting change for the most deprived children youth and their families.

Builds strong relationships across teams, themes, and external stakeholders including government and partners.

Encourages a culture of mutual respect, transparency, and knowledge sharing.

Creativity

Brings innovation and fresh thinking into programme design, strategy, and partnerships.

Champions new solutions to complex development challenges.

Integrity

Upholds the highest ethical standards and transparency in all dealings.

Promotes a rights-based approach and puts children’s best interests at the centre of all actions.

QUALIFICATIONS

Post-Graduation in Economics, Social Work, Business Administration, or a related field.

Proven experience in programme thematic and implementation strategy development and design, especially within child well-being or social development in Indian context and specially with CSR donor

Experience leading large-scale design and programme implementation on Skilling, Livelihood and Entrepreneurship development.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Experience

• 8–10 years of experience in skilling, employability, livelihoods, or entrepreneurship programmes.
• Experience working with NGOs, CSR initiatives, government programmes, or development agencies
• Demonstrated experience in programme management and multi-state implementation.
• Experience managing donor-funded projects.
• Strong industry engagement and partnership development experience

Behavioral Skills

Strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Excellent communication, networking, and