Openings – British Asian Trust

Closing date for applications 2nd / 16 September 2023

The British Asian Trust was founded in 2007 by the then Prince of Wales and a group of British Asian business leaders, to tackle widespread poverty, inequality and injustice in South Asia.

In India, our focus is on improving outcomes in the areas of education, livelihoods, child protection and conservation, by using grants and outcome-based financing approaches. We are expanding our work in India, and now have a portfolio of several programmes including the Child Opportunity Fund, programmes in Conservation, and two impact bonds (one in education in a pre-launch phase and one in skill development in an implementation phase).

Closing date for applications 16 September 2023

1. Project Manager – Child Opportunity Fund (India)

Role overview:

This job contributes to the British Asian Trust’s success through effective project management of the Child Opportunity Fund. The ten-year, multi-million-dollar Child Opportunity Fund, which is one of the most ambitious programmes for the British Asian Trust, focuses on seven high prevalence states and seeks to address abuse, exploitation and violence against children. This job will report to the Head of Child Opportunity Fund, and work closely with the Programmes and Fundraising functions, in reviewing the strategy and plans so that that all the project deliverables are met within the timelines in a joined-up and coordinated approach across the organisation.

Reporting to Associate Director – Programmes

Line Management responsibility No

Location Gurgaon/Mumbai, India

Key Responsibilities

Job purpose
This job contributes to the British Asian Trust’s success, taking leadership in developing and delivering the child opportunity strategy programme. This includes taking responsibility for the design, delivery and proper management of programmes within the child opportunity portfolio, including working closely with the fundraising and communications teams to ensure proper funding and profile.

This job contributes to the British Asian Trust’s success, taking leadership for delivering the child opportunity. This includes taking responsibility for the design and delivery and proper management of programmes within the child opportunity portfolio, including working closely with the fundraising and communications teams to ensure proper funding and profile.

Main responsibilities

• Contribute to developing and delivering the child opportunity strategy programme delivery within British Asian Trust and working with relevant internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure development and implementation of rigorous monitoring and evaluation across child opportunity programmes, including reporting.
• Lead on programme development and grant management for child opportunity programmes
• Support communications and fundraising functions in relation to child opportunity
• Support the Associate Director – Programmes and the programmes team overall with specific projects and partnerships as they arise.

1. Contribute to developing and delivering the child opportunity strategy programme delivery within British Asian Trust, working with relevant internal and external stakeholders.

• Work with the Associate Director – Programmes to ensure that the child opportunity strategy is rigorous, and adequately reflects sector priorities as well as best practices.
• Maintain strong knowledge , build links with the child opportunity sector and ensure that this informs the development and delivery of our strategy programmes.
• Managing different projects and implementation of programmes
• Ensure the strategy is relevant and programmes are aligned to sector best practice and new approaches are considered as the strategy evolves.

2. Ensure the development and implementation of rigorous monitoring and evaluation across child opportunity programmes, including reporting.

• Ensure all child opportunity programmes have clearly defined metrics, rigorous Monitoring  Evaluation and Learning (MEL) plans, and communication.
• Manage clear and timely reporting of programmes.
• Ensure all targets and metrics are aligned with the larger strategy and MEL plan.
• Oversee the development of reports as required for internal and external audiences.

3. Lead on programme development and grant management for child opportunity programmes

• Ensure all projects and partnerships are being developed in line with strategy and are on track for success, supporting partners and problem solving as required.
• Manage relationships with all partners and stakeholders within programmes to ensure any opportunities for growth are identified and maximised.
• Capacity building of new partners
• Identifying partnerships for the programme
• Oversee all grant management processes including due diligence, safeguarding, management of data, reporting and financial management.

4. Support communications and fundraising functions in relation to child opportunity

• Facilitate clear updates on child opportunity strategy and programmes to guide messaging, technical inputs, and partner information for communications.
• Coordinate with colleagues on fundraising for child opportunity work
• Manage stakeholder updates around child opportunity strategy including to the Board, the  Investment Committee, funders, and other stakeholders.

5. Support the Associate Director – Programmes and the programmes team overall with specific projects and partnerships as they arise.

• Work with the Associate Director – Programmes to ideate, research, write and develop strategy papers for new programmes and products as defined by plan.
• Actively contribute to the development and delivery of the wider strategy
• Actively contribute to and support wider British Asian Trust activities and initiatives, particularly with regards to income generation and communications
• Consistently demonstrate the values and principles of British Asian Trust

Key Relationships

Internal:

Associate Director – Programmes
Head of Child Opportunity Fund
Programmes team
MEL Senior Manager
Fundraising Team
Communications Team

External:
Programme Partners include NGOs, private sector companies and academic institutions.British Asian Trust funding partners, including Trust and Foundations, Government, and private sector

Person Specification- Job related knowledge, experience and skills

• Educated to degree level or equivalent in a relevant subject.
• Considerable experience in developing the implementation of child opportunity programmes in collaboration with partners.
• Demonstrable experience of managing grants to include project design, defining outcomes and outputs, writing reports for various donors, developing and monitoring budgets.
• Significant understanding of child opportunity issues, laws, and systems
• Experience in reviewing programme targets and achievements with grantees and finding solutions to implementation challenges.
• Good working knowledge of databases, spreadsheets, and word-processing software
• Ability to think conceptually and analytically.
• Highly developed time management and organisational skills
• Ability to prioritise work and work well under pressure.
• Works methodically with high attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent numeracy skills
• Ability to problem solve and troubleshoot.
• Strong execution skills
• Ability to demonstrate a flexibility of approach and work effectively as part of a team

Closing date for applications: 2 September 2023

2. Communications Officer – Conservation

Role overview:

Part of our Communications Team, the Communications Officer will help ensure the British Asian Trust is seen as a thought leader in the conservation sector in India. The role is expected to contribute to and implement a wide range of communications activities according to the needs of each project and in line with the Conservation communications strategy. The incumbent is expected to work independently on a variety of activities, with minimum supervision, to translate communications strategies into concrete actions and deliverables, and drive their implementation. An interest in wildlife is necessary, but a career in wildlife is not required to apply.

Reporting to Communications Manager, India

Line Management responsibility None

Location India

About the British Asian Trust’s Conservation Programme
The British Asian Trust is a diaspora-led international development organisation, delivering highquality programmes in South Asia. We specialise in and champion the use of, social finance products to drive positive change across the region. Our programmes across South Asia are focussed on the areas of education, livelihoods, child protection, mental health and conservation.

Our Conservation programme is focussed mostly in India with an ambition to grow – we have worked in Myanmar, run the Climate Innovation Fund in Bangladesh, and may work in Pakistan in the future.

We work with leading indigenous conservationists, and communities on the ground to focus on important areas of biodiversity, supporting and pioneering lasting solutions to protect both habitat and wildlife. Our aim is to leave behind a legacy for wildlife and foster coexistence between people and the wildlife they share spaces with. We support innovative ideas and solutions; facilitate collaboration between the conservation community otherwise working in silos and highlight the stories and ethos of local people and communities. Going forward, as we better understand the impact of climate change on our work and the region, we aim to explore the convergence between climate change and our programmes and include related work to our portfolio as well.

We are now looking for a new member to be part of our Communications Team in India.

We are expanding our conservation work in India and now have a portfolio of several projects in Central and Northeast India and the Western Ghats. Communications helps boost conservation success and build support for our conservation agenda by helping catalyse change among key stakeholders while offering compelling stories and reinforcing our brand. The position will focus on conservation to begin with and then support other high impact programmes such as our work on livelihoods with British Telecom and the Child Opportunity Fund where we are working on creating sustainable systemic shifts for child protection. We are looking for someone who can leverage a number of communications channels to build and maintain a positive profile for our work and our
partners dedicated to achieving our mission.

Job purpose
Part of our Communications Team, the Communications Officer will help ensure the British Asian Trust is seen as a thought leader in the conservation sector in India. The role is expected to contribute to and implement a wide range of communications activities according to the needs of each project and in line with the Conservation communications strategy. The incumbent is expected to work independently on a variety of activities, with minimum supervision, to translate communications strategies into concrete actions and deliverables, and drive their implementation. An interest in wildlife is necessary, but a career in wildlife is not required to apply.

Main responsibilities
This role includes working closely with the Communications team for the following:

Support the Conservation Communications strategy

o Work with relevant internal stakeholders to support the development of a communication plan for each conservation programme, based on its objectives, audiences, and contractual requirements.

o Support the implementation of the communications plan for conservation.

o Liaise with BAT partners to ensure regular outreach on all social media platforms.

o Support the Communications Manager – India and Conservation team to implement

Conservation communications plans, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders to ensure a steady stream of high quality and relevant content.

o Create and manage calendars with partners to plan and work in an organised manner.

o Support the Communication Team and be the point of contact for the wider organisation to provide information about all conservation activities, especially Fundraising and

Communications and Marketing.
o Work with relevant internal and external stakeholders to plan and implement various events, workshops, webinars etc.

Develop Content

o Travel to field sites to understand and document the British Asian Trust’s various programmes for internal and external purposes.

o Source information and case studies and support the production of reports and presentations, working with Communications and Marketing to ensure key messages, branding etc. is consistent.

o Ensure Conservation news and relevant learnings are collected and shared internally at the British Asian Trust and with relevant external stakeholders.

o Provide relevant input into the global Communications and Marketing calendar.

o Coordinate with relevant internal and external stakeholders to secure input and approvals.

o Manage day-to-day liaison with third-party suppliers and consultants as required.

Building our conservation presence online

o Plan, execute and manage all conservation-related communications activities to generate strong and compelling content for communications materials including social media posts, blogs, videos, interviews, and case studies.

o Support the Digital Communications Officer in the design of social media content including graphics, reports, and infographics.

o Write first drafts of conservation content that will be reviewed and signed off by Comms and Marketing for the British Asian Trust website, digital newsletters, print publications and social networking sites.

o Find engaging ways to keep the British Asian Trust’s communication interesting and fresh.

Key relationships

Internal:
Director Communications and Marketing
Communications and Marketing Team
Conservation Team
In-country teams

External
Conservation partners (communications leads)

Person Specification

Essential

The role requires a motivated professional, able to work well independently and as part of a team
and who has:

• Passion for wildlife and nature conservation and understanding of the role of communications in this sector.
• At least 3-5 years of experience as a writer as well as developing compelling content across social media channels on different media and platforms. Proficiency in creating various forms of content such as articles, newsletters, blog posts, social media posts, videos, and graphics. Being able to tailor content for different platforms and audiences is crucial.
• Confident in using analytics to assess the effectiveness of communications and using feedback to improve future activities. Collecting and interpreting data and metrics related to communication efforts to assess the effectiveness of campaigns and make informed decisions for improvement.
• Able to write clearly, precisely and in an engaging manner, including experience of producing articles, reports and blog content. This includes the ability to convey ideas clearly and effectively, adapt communication style to different audiences, and craft compelling messages.
• Clear attention to detail with accurate proof-reading skills. Maintaining accuracy in all communication materials, including grammar, punctuation, and adherence to branding guidelines.
• Experience working in and/or an understanding of communication for international development/ development/ philanthropy/ social impact.
• Experience implementing multi-channel communication campaigns and activities. The communications field is ever evolving. Being open to learning new tools, techniques, and staying updated with industry trends is crucial.
• Ability to create and deliver engaging presentations to internal and external audiences, conveying complex information in a clear and concise manner.
• A strong understanding of how media works, the ability to pitch stories, write press releases, and manage media inquiries is important for promoting the organization’s messages and handling media coverage.
• Proficiency in functional software, such as Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier pro or similar video software) and mailing platforms, such as Mail Chimp, is desirable.
• Experience in writing for blogs, websites and publications is an advantage.
• Decent skills in photography and videography.

Personal attributes/qualities

• Entrepreneurial, self-starter, able to work independently.
• Ambitious, innovative, and self-motivated.
• Driven and dynamic.
• Creative thinking capability and the confidence to input with own ideas.
• Confident in communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds. Being aware of and respectful toward diverse cultures, languages, and customs to ensure effective communication in a global context.
• A great relationship builder. Being able to build and maintain relationships with colleagues, clients, stakeholders, and media is vital. This involves active listening, empathy, diplomacy, and conflict resolution.
• Enjoys working as part of a small and active team.
• Open to new ways of working, learning new tasks and skills as required.
• Passionate about wildlife and conservation.
• Having the ability to manage and respond to crises effectively, including creating communication plans, addressing negative feedback, and maintaining a positive public image during challenging times.

Applicants are required to share samples of their writing and content.