AVP/VP - Child Marriage Prevention & Girl Empowerment

Our partner works towards building girl capital, empowering women and nurturing resilient communities by creating inclusive and sustainable solutions including but not limited to policy development, capacity building, adaptive management, community mobilization, behavioral change communication, deepening social safety nets, beneficiary feedback analysis, poverty assessment, and evidence-based monitoring.

They seek an experienced and visionary leader to spearhead a high-impact strategy to eliminate early marriages in India in line with the Government of Indias Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign. The Leader will be responsible for designing, leading, and coordinating a comprehensive strategy to combat the root causes of early marriages while working with government bodies, community leaders, civil society organizations, and other key stakeholders to create a supportive environment for children. The leader will be expected to have a strong understanding of the socio-cultural, legal, and policy frameworks surrounding child marriage in India and a commitment to driving long-term change through multi-sector collaboration.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Programme Strategy and Planning and Execution

• Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive strategy for eliminating child marriages in India, addressing both the immediate and underlying drivers.
• Understand and analyse the key drivers of child marriages in India, including cultural norms, economic vulnerabilities, gender inequality, lack of education, and weak enforcement of existing laws.
• Develop context-specific, culturally sensitive, and evidence-based interventions targeting communities with high rates of child marriage, particularly in rural and high burden regions.
• Oversee the implementation of targeted interventions aimed at preventing child marriages, including girl empowerment programs, school retention initiatives, legal awareness campaigns, and economic empowerment schemes for families.
• Monitor and assess the effectiveness of implemented programs through data collection, research, and evaluation, ensuring constant improvement and adaptation of strategies.
• Manage the delivery of timely and measurable results, working with teams to adjust interventions as necessary based on ongoing feedback.

2. Government Engagement and Partnership Management

• Build and sustain strong relationships with government agencies at local, state, and national levels, particularly with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Home Affairs, and relevant departments in child protection.
• Engage with the private sector and development partners to mobilize resources and promote the adoption of initiatives that prevent child marriage and support at-risk girls.

3. Leadership and Team Management

• Lead a multidisciplinary team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability.
• Provide technical mentorship and build team capacity for effectively delivering programme objectives.
• Represent the programme at national and international forums, sharing knowledge and steering a case for investing in actions to combat early marriages.
• Prepare policy briefs, reports, and research papers to support efforts and contribute to public discourse on ending child marriages.
• As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the Leader may be required to undertake other duties
• that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities as determined by the senior leadership.

Educational Background:

Masters degree or higher in Social Work, Gender Studies, Law, Public Policy, or a related field.

Work Experience:

• 10-15 years of experience in leading child protection, gender equality, or womens rights programmes, particularly focused on preventing child marriages.
• Extensive experience working with government agencies, law enforcement, civil society organizations, and grassroots communities.
• In-depth knowledge of the legal and policy frameworks surrounding child marriage in India, including key legislations like the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), the Juvenile Justice Act, and relevant child protection protocols.
• Experience in designing and implementing large-scale programmes aimed at changing social norms and empowering at-risk communities, particularly women and children
• Strong understanding of the socio-cultural, economic, and legal drivers of child marriage, including poverty, gender discrimination, limited access to education, and social norms.
• Passion for child rights and gender equality, with a deep commitment to ending child marriage and ensuring the empowerment of girls.

Key Skills and Competencies:

• Strategic Leadership: Demonstrated capacity to lead complex, multi-stakeholder programmes at scale.
• Analytical Thinking: Strong data interpretation skills, academic content decoding, and evidence-based decision-making.
• Communication and Negotiation: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; ability to engage and persuade diverse stakeholders.
• Team Building: Ability to lead and inspire a multidisciplinary team, fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.