Lead – Early Childhood Care & Development – HCL Foundation (HCLF)

Last date for application 11th February, 2022

HCL Foundation (HCLF) was established in 2011 as the CSR arm of HCL Technologies. It is a not for-profit[1]organization, that strives to contribute towards national and international development goals, bringing about lasting positive impact in the lives of people, through long term sustainable programs. The foundation aims to alleviate poverty and achieve inclusive growth and development. Active community engagement ensures optimal long-term gains and upward accountability. HCL Foundation works through Life Cycle Based, Integrated Community Development Approach with thematic focus on Education, Health, Skill Development & Livelihood, Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction & Response. Child protective strategies, inclusion and gender transformative approaches remain central in all initiatives of HCL Foundation, thus ensuring comprehensive development. Presently HCL Foundation is implementing four flagship programs, namely HCL Samuday & HCL Grant – Rural Development programs; HCL Uday & Clean Noida – Urban Development programs and 3 special initiatives – Power of One, Sports for Change and HCL Foundation Academy.

VISION To be the source code for sustainable socio-economic and environmental development.

MISSION Nurture clean, green and healthy communities where everyone is empowered and equipped to reach their full potential in partnership with its employees, communities and stakeholders, while promoting volunteerism and establishing international standards of strategic planning, implementation and measuring impact.

HCL Foundation’s flagship urban community development programme – HCL Uday, seeks to create green, clean, healthy and empowered communities. Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, it is developing an integrated solution to break the vicious cycle of urban poverty.

Defining Uday’s approach is its intrinsic belief that urban poor aspire to a life of dignity and self- respect. With the right opportunities, they can take charge of their lives, dare to imagine a different future and work towards it. Our strategies are carefully designed, such that they speak both to their environment and to their ambitions.

Uday’s unique ‘Convergence’ approach brings this philosophy to life. Uniting critical stakeholders– the state, non-profits and HCL volunteers in a rich partnership, it meets its responsibility to the community and supports them in realising their dreams.

Aligned to HCL Foundation’s vision statement, HCL Uday also aims to create source codes for urban socio[1]economic development, prototypes, using step by step approach, convergence and dialogue with duty bearers such that these can be adopted and scaled up by diverse set stakeholders, including communities themselves.

HCL Uday addresses vital issues prevalent in urban areas like access to quality education, universal access to health, sustainable livelihood opportunities, improved water, sanitation and hygiene, environmental conservation including enhanced green cover and solutions to city waste, through campaigns and on ground action for positive urban transformation. Child protective strategies, inclusion and gender transformative approaches remain fundamental.

Currently, HCL Uday is being implemented in 11 cities in partnership with like-minded organisations.

Early Childhood Care and Development (Henceforth referred as ECCD)

ECCD aims at holistic development of all children under six years through improving access to home and centre based quality responsive care, stimulation and early childhood education that actualize their development potential, in both emergency and development situations. Taking cognisance of the fact that early years form the foundation for life, ECCD is central to all initiatives undertaken by HCL Foundation.

Under ECCD, HCL Foundation aims to build supportive and enabling policy and implementation environment for holistic development of the young child, in the most disadvantaged and vulnerable settings though improving access and quality of early childhood education, care and development services.

HCL Foundation Invites applications for the post of ‘Associate Manager – Lead – Early Childhood Care & Development’ under the flagship programme ‘HCL UDAY’

VACANCY DETAILS

Position: Lead – Early Childhood Care & Development

Location: Noida

Position Description

The incumbent will be responsible for providing technical leadership and expertise on systems strengthening interventions for promoting rights of young children. The Lead will be responsible for planning, strategizing and monitoring of the ECCD projects of HCL Foundation under HCL Foundation’s urban flagship programme – HCL Uday across locations.

This full-time position will report to the Director, HCL Foundation.

Staff reporting to this position:

Two This position will be responsible for – Strategic Direction, Programme Design and Development

§ Develop policy briefs and position papers and other technical products on ECCD.

§ Design and implement strategies in accordance with National programme & polices and in line with global frameworks.

§ Identify and pursue opportunities for synergistic, inter-sectoral programmes to address the holistic needs of young children, especially those who need it the most.

§ Assist M&E team in designing evaluation methods and monitoring project data.

§ Regularly review progress of the ECCD component against programme objectives and indicators.

§ Support internal and external programme/project evaluations as necessary in coordination with the M&E team, and ensure project learning is captured and integrated into current and future projects.

Programme Management

§ Provide technical line management and supervision to ongoing projects and staff working on those programmes.

§ Closely monitor budget spending and forecasts for the overall ECCD programme budget

§ Ensure that projects comply with all regulations and ensure submission of high quality and timely reports.

§ Support in the development of a planning cycle under the vertical, including annual, quarterly and monthly planning and work plan follow up.

§ Ensure that all programmes have effective Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) practices throughout the programme cycle.

Team Management and Capacity Building

§ Build and maintain effective relationships with team and colleagues.

§ Build technical capacity of staff enabling them to support with policy analysis that can/will influence ECCD programmes.

Coordination and Representation

§ Represent HCL Foundation to external stakeholders, such as, Government, and partners; disseminate learnings and best practices; and participate in technical working groups.

§ Identify key stakeholders and develop relationships to support scale up of the programme, as aligned with and contributing to the overall strategic objectives.

§ Networking with the concerned local and government authorities and ensuring that the projects are in sync with the larger policy framework so as to leverage their support.

Qualifications and Experience Required

§ At least 10 years’ experience in design, management and implementation of ECCD projects, and desired experience in early education/development programmes.

§ Excellent knowledge of holistic child development and understanding of global evidence, best practices, and gaps around early childhood development interventions.

§ Strong analytical ability to design, implement and evaluate programmes from a gender equality and social inclusion lens.

§ Ability to deliver on time, independently, to work with a range of stakeholders, including ability to perform in a corporate environment and present the work at various forums.

§ Experience of managing complex and time-sensitive processes.

§ Proven experience of working and advocating with government agencies, donors and other stakeholders.

§ Extensive experience managing and supervising teams. Desirable

§ Experience working with children and families experiencing deprivation, exclusion and vulnerability.

§ Previous experience with implementation of CSR projects focused on ECCD, child protection and/or early education is desirable.

§ Understanding of key issues and strategies in Early Childhood Development, formal and non[1]formal Education theories, and Education in Emergencies.

Travel Requirements

• Travel would be based on the nature of assignments.

Compensation Offered

• The offered compensation for this position is competitive to market rates. The offer made to the selected candidate shall be commensurate with qualifications, experience and salary history.

How to apply:

Personal Profile:

o Updated CV & cover letter

o Membership/Committees international and national institutions, if any

o Published work, if any

o Details of three references, current cost to organization/notice period

•  Attach write up on ‘How do we build ECCD as a core investment in CSR world’, not exceeding 800 words.
•  Send your application to Ms. Shruti Misra  shrutimi@hcl.com marking Manu Khanna manu.khanna@hcl.com in cc latest by 11th February, 2022

Please note: HCL Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and promotes a culture of inclusivity. We would encourage females, people with disabilities, people with different gender identities and all orientations to apply.