Team Lead CSR

The Team Lead is primarily responsible for steering the end-to-end corporate social responsibility grant portfolio for The Rotary Foundation in India. This involves identifying and cultivating corporate funding partnerships, conducting rigorous reviews of grant proposals, and validating project documentation alongside club and district leadership. The role requires managing contract reviews and negotiating tripartite agreements across corporates, Rotary clubs, and the Foundation. In addition to transactional grant administration, the role ensures full alignment with statutory CSR guidelines and India's regulatory frameworks. The Team Lead oversees internal and external audit readiness, designs donor-ready reporting formats, coordinates fund disbursements with financial teams, and tracks project performance indicators to support donor annual disclosures. Operationally, the position is tasked with people management and capacity building. The individual will supervise coordinators, develop standardized operating procedures (SOPs), lead CSR-related communication outputs like brochures and web platforms, and deliver training across regional and district networks to drive high-integrity grant implementation.

A professional in this role will gain advanced mastery over India's evolving CSR statutory environment, including the Section 135 mandate of the Companies Act, through regular operational interactions with legal, regulatory, and corporate frameworks. Working within The Rotary Foundation exposes the incumbent to international grant architecture, rigorous due diligence standards, and cross-border governance practices that bridge global non-profit benchmarks with local execution models. Additionally, the candidate can improve their abilities in large-scale stakeholder facilitation, learning to align diverse agendas across corporate donors, grassroots volunteer clubs, and international foundation leadership.

The ideal candidate brings at least ten years of dedicated experience in corporate CSR teams or prominent non-profit grant-making organizations. They should hold a relevant degree in the social sector or a post-graduate qualification in management or the humanities, supported by a proven background in people leadership. Technical expertise must include thorough comprehension of statutory CSR compliances, legal agreement reviews, impact proposal appraisal, and structured monitoring and evaluation. Outstanding drafting skills for donor reports and boardroom-ready presentations are critical. From an interpersonal standpoint, success hinges on exceptional diplomacy, conflict resolution capabilities, and bilingual fluency in English and another Indian language to interface effectively with corporate executives and grassroots leaders.

Highlight your direct track record in navigating Indian CSR regulations and managing formal corporate grants from pitch through to statutory audit closure. Detail specific instances where you negotiated complex partnership agreements or handled tripartite contracts. Emphasize your people management philosophy and capability to train decentralized volunteer groups, showing how you balance institutional compliance with empathy when guiding grassroots stakeholders. Frame your resume and cover letter around tangible portfolio numbers (such as total grant capital managed, audit success rates, and standardized frameworks you developed) to show your organizational rigor.

The position focuses primarily on the social impact and governance pillars of sustainable development. It involves steering corporate social capital toward critical societal issues like public health, basic education, water sanitation, and economic development. Governance and regulatory adherence form a critical component, ensuring that corporate investments comply strictly with Indian CSR legal requirements and transparent accounting practices. Moreover, the role emphasizes measurability and impact integrity by embedding The Rotary Foundation's Theory of Change into project designs, ensuring corporate partners receive strong evidence of long-term social return on investment.

A prominent challenge is managing the tension between corporate compliance expectations and the diverse operational capacities of local volunteer-led Rotary clubs and district bodies. Ensuring strict compliance with dynamic government guidelines and audit requirements under tight deadlines while managing heavy documentation pipelines will demand disciplined organizational skills. The candidate must also balance multiple reporting timelines and differing communication styles across international headquarters, local donors, and internal financial services.

A regular day often begins with reviewing grant files, proposal submissions, and MOUs undergoing compliance checks or audit preparations with coordinators. Midday might involve high-level meetings with corporate donor representatives to discuss funding proposals or collaborating with the international finance team to clear disbursements and reconcile admin fees. Afternoons are typically spent mentoring team members, providing advisory guidance to regional club leaders on grant applications, and refining impact documentation for corporate annual reports.

This role offers high visibility across the entire South Asian regional structure, serving as a stepping stone to senior non-profit leadership or executive foundation management roles. The strategic relationships cultivated with CSR heads at major national and multinational corporations position the candidate well for future corporate Head of CSR transitions. Internal growth paths could lead toward global programmatic leadership or regional operational oversight within Rotary's extensive international architecture.

External interactions feature senior corporate CSR heads, legal counsels, external auditors, government regulators, and potential donor organizations. Internally, key collaboration occurs with Rotary club and district leaders, the RFI CSR Sub-committee, Foundation management, and financial teams across regional offices and world headquarters. The Team Lead also works daily with direct reports, including CSR coordinators and support staff, guiding workflow efficiency and personal development.