Position: Executive Assistant- Strategy & Operations
Functional Area: Strategy Cell
Location: New Delhi
Experience: 2-4 Years
Reporting: Head Strategy Cell
About Smile Foundation:
Smile Foundation is an Indian development organization working for the welfare of underserved children and their families through intensive programmes focused on education, healthcare, skilling and women empowerment. We work as a catalyst in the cycle of change, complementing and supplementing government efforts, in alignment with the SDGs and ESG. We sensitize and partner with like-minded institutions and individuals to implement high-impact programmes that enable access, enhance quality and help bring long term behavioral change at the grassroots.
Started in 2002 by a group of young corporate professionals, today Smile Foundation has evolved into a national level development organization impacting the lives of over 2 million underserved children and families every year. With a project presence in 27 states across India, 10 offices in strategic locations, and a team of 1000+ employees including more than 150 programme officers, 4000+ on-ground facilitators from over 250 community-based organizations, besides countless volunteers, well-wishers, and supporters.
The organization holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC) since 2012, is a member of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), and is accredited with global organizations like GuideStar, United Way Worldwide, CAF America, Give2Asia, Global Giving, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), and TISS. We have also been consistently rated among the top non-profits in the country by several forums.
Currently, Smile Foundation is implementing projects of varied scale in rural areas and urban slums, including aspirational districts, investing over Rs 200 Crore every year through partnership with over 200 global and Indian brands, with the aim to create large scale and sustainable impact on the ground.
Beyond the numbers, in alignment with our bottom-up approach of development and our belief in achieving change that is sustainable and scalable, we have handheld, trained and empowered 1000+ grassroots social initiatives and community-based organizations across the country, many of which are now self-sustainable, and carrying the baton of change forward.
What’s our vision?
Over the next few years, we are envisioning to scale our impact to reach more vulnerable children and families across India, by inspiring greater social action through a multi-stakeholder approach, involving individuals, businesses, schools, government stakeholders and more. People, technology and data would be at the centre stage of every endeavor of Smile – we wish to establish as a unique organization in the social development space.
We are aiming at deeper and more diverse partnerships and collaborations with the business world in areas including CSR investment, ESG spending, shared value, impact investment, philanthropic partnerships and social stock investment. We will also be working to develop a loyal individual supporter base to strengthen the sustainability of the organization.
About the Role
Role Purpose
The Executive Assistant- Strategy & Operations, supports the Executive Trustee, Executive Director and the Strategic Cell in driving the effective execution of governance processes, strategic planning cycles, institutional reviews, leadership coordination, and organisation-wide strategic initiatives.
The role strengthens organisational effectiveness by enabling leadership through structured planning, governance support, data-driven reporting, research, and cross-functional coordination. The incumbent will contribute towards institutional strengthening by supporting enterprise-wide initiatives, maintaining strategic oversight of organisational priorities, and ensuring timely execution of leadership decisions.
Suitable For:
This role is suited for early-career professionals who aspire to become C-suite leaders and want to build a strong foundation in General Management from an early stage of their career. It is also ideal for individuals with an entrepreneurial mindset who are willing to learn across functions, solve complex organisational challenges, and contribute to building new initiatives.
Reporting
The Executive Assistant- Strategy & Operations reports to the Head, Strategy Cell and works closely with the Executive Director, Executive Trustee, and Senior Management Group to support governance processes, strategic reviews, and organisational priorities.
Mandate
- Translate leadership priorities into actionable plans and measurable outcomes.
- Strengthen governance through structured documentation, monitoring, and institutional processes.
- Enable leadership decision-making through research, analytics, and timely reporting.
- Improve coordination across departments for organisation-wide initiatives.
- Build institutional knowledge and strengthen organisational systems for long-term sustainability.
Key Responsibilities
1. Operations Optimization
- Consolidate and analyse organisation-wide MIS to support performance tracking and decision-making.
- Maintain institutional systems, SOPs, policies, and governance records to ensure operational continuity.
- Track project progress, execution gaps, and cross-functional dependencies; ensure timely closure of action items.
- Support budgeting, KPI tracking, and organisational reporting cycles across departments.
- Ensure accurate and timely information flow across functions for seamless operational coordination.
2. Transformation
- Support facilitation of enterprise-wide transformation projects and institutional strengthening initiatives.
- Assist in process improvement, SOP development, and upgrade of organisational systems.
- Coordinate programme-side technology requirements including Salesforce CRM, MIS tools, and digital platforms.
- Document transformation milestones, implementation status, and learnings for leadership review.
- Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure smooth execution of transformation priorities.
3. Strategy Support
- Support Annual Business Planning (ABP), quarterly reviews, and organisational planning processes.
- Monitor and track strategic priorities, departmental KPIs, and initiative progress against defined targets.
- Prepare management-ready strategic summaries, concept notes, presentations, and briefing documents.
- Facilitate translation of leadership priorities into actionable plans with defined owners and timelines.
- Maintain strategic trackers and support preparation of ECM, BOT, and SLT review materials.
4. Research, Innovation and New Initiatives
- Conduct sector research, benchmarking studies, and policy analysis on development, CSR, and ESG.
- Track emerging trends across education, healthcare, skilling, philanthropy, and social investment.
- Support identification and conceptualisation of new programme and partnership initiatives.
- Prepare research briefs, concept notes, and innovation proposals for leadership review and decision.
- Support evidence-based decision-making through structured knowledge management and documentation.
5. Senior Leadership Coordination
- Coordinate meetings of the Executive Trustee and Executive Director including agenda preparation, background notes, and Minutes of Meetings.
- Track and follow up on action items arising from leadership and governance meetings with relevant departments.
- Coordinate governance meetings including ECM, BOT, SLT, and Internal Audit; manage documentation and compliance.
- Support Board and Committee processes through preparation of governance records and statutory documentation.
- Facilitate communication and coordination across departments on leadership priorities and decisions.
Skills, Qualification & Experience
- Postgraduation qualification in Management, Economics or a related discipline.
- 2–4 years of professional experience/basic understanding in Strategy, Consulting, Operations, Governance, Executive Office and Development Sector organizations.
- Strong analytical, documentation, and organizational skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication.
- High degree of professionalism, integrity, confidentiality, and stakeholder management capability.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, multi-functional environment while managing multiple priorities.
Competencies and Skills:
- Planning & Organizing
- Analytical & Critical Thinking
- Communication & Documentation
- Stakeholder Coordination
- Research & Knowledge Management
- Data Analysis and Reporting
- Learning Agility
- Integrity and Confidentiality
- Adaptability and Resilience
Key Performance Indicators
- Timely completion of leadership action points.
- Quality and accuracy of governance documentation.
- Timeliness and quality of organizational MIS and analytical reports.
- Effectiveness of strategic planning and review coordination.
- Quality of presentations, concept notes, and research outputs.
- Timely execution of cross-functional strategic initiatives.
- Stakeholder satisfaction with Strategic Cell support.
Preferred Technical Skills
- Microsoft Excel (Advanced)
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Google Workspace
- Salesforce CRM (Preferred)
- Tableau (Preferred)
- AI Productivity Tools (Preferred)
How to Apply:
Smile Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer however women candidates are encouraged to apply.
Please Note: Only shortlisted candidates would be contacted by the Human Resources Team
