Executive Director - NGO

Organization: WOMEN'S EDUCATION PROJECT - INDIA

Job Title: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Reporting to: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF WEP-INDIA & WORKS CLOSELY WITH WEP FOUNDER

Location: BANGALORE (PREFERABLY) / HYDERABAD

Introduction:

Women's Education Project (WEP) educates young women to become knowledgeable, confident and skilled leaders. It does this by providing NGO partners with its Leadership Academy, a locally-sourced, holistic curriculum for women, ages 15 to 24. At the Leadership Academy young marginalized women learn to make informed choices for themselves and positive change in their families and communities. Within a spirited group of peers, they gain knowledge, skills, and a broad understanding of their opportunities, before entering formal sector careers or entrepreneurial livelihoods of their own choosing.

Women's Education Project-India (WEP-India), a Trust registered and headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka, oversees implementation and expansion of the WEP program in India. Currently, WEP-India supports three partners and has expansion plans to reach the most vulnerable young women across India.

WEP-India is announcing the position of Executive Director (ED) WEP-India to be responsible for and oversee all operations, functions, activities, and the strategic direction and vision of WEP-India.

Mission:

For young marginalized women to become confident, knowledgeable and skilled leaders, earners, and changemakers.

Read more about Women's Education Project work at: https://womenseducationproject.org/

Reason for the hire:

WEP-India is announcing the position of Executive Director (ED) WEP-India to be responsible for and oversee all operations, functions, activities, and the strategic direction and vision of WEP-India.The Executive Director (ED) WEP-India will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for the WEP-India staff and the expansion and execution of its administration, fundraising, finance and program. She or he will initially develop deep knowledge of WEP's over 20 years of work in the field, its values, policies, core programs, operations and strategic plans. Reporting to the WEP-India Board and working through its committees the Executive Director WEP-India (ED) will work in consultation with the Founder and Executive Director of WEP-US.

Roles and Responsibilities:

While upholding the Operations and Policy Manual, the goals of the WEP-India Strategic Plan and the values of WEP and WEP-India, the Executive Director will manage the following:

1. Leadership Management

- Guide and supervise the senior administrative and program team to ensure ongoing excellence of administration and program.

- Lead, coach, develop, and retain WEP-India's senior management team, while ensuring their high performance.

- Taking leadership and responsibility for managing resources engaged for programs, with emphasis on team development and capacity building activities.

- Steer the organization towards a sustainable future by adopting sound, legal governance, and financial management policies.

- Work closely with and support a strong Board of Directors and Advisory Council; serve as ex-officio of each committee; seek and build board involvement with strategic direction for both ongoing local operations and expansion; periodically inform of program progress.

- Actively engage and encourage an integrated team of board members, committees, staff, volunteers, students and alumni, partnering organizations and donors.

2. Fundraising and Communications:

The Executive Director is WEP-India's chief fundraiser. Working closely with the WEP fundraising office and WEP-India Development Committee and Development staff, the ED will:

- Establish a fundraising strategy to fund in-country operating expenses and develop dependable income streams.

- Train and guide the development team to raise funds as per the strategy and:

- Cultivate and solicit individuals, corporate and other funding prospects, agencies, foundations and trusts.

- Ensure all donor compliances, maintain the donor database.

- Support the WEP and WEP-India 2023-2025 capacity building campaign.

- Write and submit grants, ensuring reporting requirements and deadlines are met.

- Conduct fundraising activities, events and campaigns to meet income goals.

- Develop, deepen various aspects of communications such as social media presence, an effective website to build visibility for the organization.

- Network at state, national and international levels by engaging in forums to learn, present papers, share resources, meet potential partners and donors.

- Mobilize and ensure the availability of funds for the Collab Lab supported by the current network of WEP and increase the funding through local institutional, and corporate donors.

3. Human Resource Management:

- While adhering to the Operations and Policy Manual, create a professional environment that recruits, retains and supports quality staff and volunteers and a fair process for selecting, developing, motivating, and evaluating the same.

4. Financial Management:

The Executive Director is responsible for the financial operation and well-being of WEP-India. Working with the Finance Team, the ED will:

- Seek for Board approvals - and track at regular meetings - an annual, positive, budget to meet income and expense objectives.

- Establish and maintain, as needed, other financial management systems, processes and controls to comply with professional standards and prevailing legal requirements.

- Ensure that financial accounts are annually audited, and all legally required reports are promptly filed.

- Guide finance team to prepare and submit high-quality quarterly and annual financial and program reports.

- Comply with relevant Indian laws and regulations and promptly file all legal and regulatory documents.

- Ensure compliance with all MOUs and contracts.

- Ensure that any financial and regulatory issues are addressed in a timely manner.

5. Program Management

While respectful of individual differences, the ED will ensure that the mission, goals and objectives, spirit, standards and values of WEP-India are maintained at its partner Centers. Working with the program team, the ED will be responsible for the following:

- Ensure each Centre has a valid board-approved WEP, WEP-India and partner contract.

- Monitor and evaluate the operations of these Centers.

- Approve annual budgets and track the same through quarterly and annual financial reports from the Centers to the WEP-India Board.

- Review each Centre's program report.

- Guide program to regularly monitor and mentor the partner staff.

- Maintain open communication with Centers and NGO Directors: Be responsive to them needs; Visit Centers periodically and as needed, maintaining regular communication between visits; Hold quarterly review meetings with the program team; Devise remedial actions for any identified issues and conduct crisis management when necessary; and facilitate an annual retreat of Centre Directors and staff.

6. Growth and Planning

The Executive Director is the prime driver of WEP-India's in-country expansion. Working with the Program team, the ED will:

- Implement a realistic Growth Plan and Timeline identifying new locations and potential NGO partners for each.

- Facilitate and ensure that the program team orients and trains new Centre Directors on WEP curriculum, mission, goals, objectives, spirit and values.

- Facilitate a process and criteria for certification and recertification for new Centers

COMPETENCIES & SOFT SKILLS:

- Ability in managing multiple stakeholders.

- Desire to explore innovative approaches and new ideas to solve problems

- A deep desire to work for lesser-privileged sections of society

- Ability to manage and align multiple diverse stakeholders and their expectations, including Donors, the internal Leadership, and Partner NGOs;

- Comfort and willingness to travel to remote locations and build relationships;

- Strong orientation towards women empowerment and Grassroot community work

- Strong networks within the development sectors to create new and effective partnerships is an added advantage

Personal Attributes:

- A deep desire to work for lesser-privileged sections of society and willingness to connect with the community

- A passion for working on grassroot initiatives and bringing values to the organization

- Excellent communication skills

- A person with deep compassion towards the community

- Ability to organize work to meet deadlines.

EXPERIENCE:

Must Haves:

- Post Graduate degree in social work, business administration or relevant field

- Minimum of 10 years senior level experience as Executive Director or other leadership position(s).

- Genuinely interested in the cause of women and girls' leadership and education

- Excellent communication skills: conversational, written and public speaking

- Ability to multitask, take initiative, and solve problems

- Compassionate individual

- Go getter attitude and intellectually curious about new changes through which solutions can be achieved for women.