Theme Lead - Youth Skills and Enterprise

Reports to: Programme Director

Position Summary

• The Theme Lead - Youth Skills and Enterprise Development will provide strategic leadership and technical oversight for AKRSPIs initiatives aimed at enhancing employability, skills, and entrepreneurship among rural youth and community members.
• The position will be responsible for designing, strengthening, and scaling placementlinked vocational skills programmes and entrepreneurship development initiatives aligned with emerging livelihood opportunities.
• The role requires deep domain expertise, strong programme leadership, and the ability to build partnerships with government institutions, private sector, training providers, and development partners.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Provide strategic direction and technical leadership for AKRSPIs Youth Skills and Enterprise Development thematic area.
• Develop and implement strategies to enhance employability and entrepreneurship opportunities for rural youth and communities.
• Identify emerging sectors, future skills, and new livelihood opportunities, including digital and IT-enabled employment.
• Support programme expansion and scaling of successful models across programme geographies.

Programme Development and Management

• Lead the design, planning, and implementation of placement-linked vocational skills programmes.
• Develop and strengthen initiatives for rural entrepreneurship, enterprise promotion, and livelihood diversification.
• Ensure effective programme implementation, monitoring, and quality assurance.
• Establish systems for tracking training outcomes, job placements, and enterprise performance.

Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop and maintain strong partnerships with government departments, skill development missions, and relevant institutions.
• Build collaborations with industry partners, employers, and training providers to strengthen placement linkages.
• Represent AKRSPI in relevant networks, platforms, and forums related to skills and enterprise development.

Donor Engagement and Resource Mobilization

• Lead development of programme proposals, concept notes, and project documentation.
• Maintain effective relationships with donors and development partners.
• Ensure compliance with donor requirements and high-quality reporting.

Team Leadership and Capacity Building

• Provide leadership and mentorship to programme teams across locations.
• Strengthen internal capacities related to skill development, entrepreneurship promotion, and programme management.
• Promote a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability within the team.

Financial and Project Management

• Lead programme planning, budgeting, and financial monitoring of projects.
• Ensure efficient utilization of resources and adherence to organisational and donor guidelines.
• Monitor programme progress and ensure timely documentation and reporting.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• MBA/Rural Management/ MSW/ Engineering or post-graduation in any related disciplines.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience in skills development, placement-linked vocational training, and/or entrepreneurship development.
• Demonstrated experience in programme design, strategic planning, and project management in the development sector.
• Experience working with government programmes, skill missions, business incubators and industry partners.
• Proven track record of managing multi-stakeholder partnerships and donorfunded projects.

Required Competencies

• Strong understanding of rural livelihoods, youth employment, and enterprise development ecosystems.
• Knowledge of future skills, emerging job markets, and IT-enabled service sectors.
• Strategic thinking and ability to translate ideas into scalable programmes.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Excellent communication, partnership development, and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Ability to work in diverse rural contexts and manage multi-location programmes.

Key Benefits:

• Opportunity to work with a renowned NGO.
• On-site and off-site training opportunities.
• 5-day work week.
• Comprehensive medical insurance for employee, spouse, and children.
• Maternity and paternity leave as per organizational policy.
• 15 General Leaves and 16.5 earned leaves annually (earned leaves can be encashed if not utilized).
• 10 declared public holidays and 3 optional holidays.
• Diwali break for 5 days every year.

We strongly encourage women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and specially abled candidates to apply