Assistant Manager Human Resources

Organisation Background: The Akanksha Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission "to build one of the most innovative school networks that empowers children from low-income communities to maximize their potential. 

Today, Akanksha supports 14,000 students through the formal-school education program and 5,100 alumni from low-income backgrounds. Our 26 innovative schools run in partnership with municipal corporations in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. We provide students from underserved communities a high-quality, holistic education at no cost. Our aim is to give students the knowledge, skills, and values they need to lead empowered lives, maximize their potential and break out of the cycle of poverty.

With a vision to scale our impact we codified our practices and, in 2022, joined forces with Nagpur Municipal Corporation and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to take these practices to nearly 200 public schools under 'Project Setu'. In the next five years, we aim to reach 500 public schools, and impact 5000 educators and 80,000 students through this initiative.

Position Summary: As the Assistant Manager - Human Resources (HR), you will be responsible for supporting the HR team in a variety of HR activities including Recruitment, Onboarding, Data Management, Performance Management, Employee Engagement, and other HR initiatives.

You will be reporting to Senior Manager- Human Resources

Overview of the Team: The HR team at Akanksha partners both with school teams and with Central support functions, to provide high-quality HR support in achieving the organization's mission and objectives. The HR team is responsible for effective recruitment, performance management and development, and employee engagement at Akanksha, and ensures that organizational policies are adhered to at all levels. 

This position reports to Senior Manager-  Human Resources at The Akanksha Foundation

CTC - 7.5 Lac to 8.25 Lac per annum

What your role will entail:

Talent Acquisition

• Partner with School Leaders to define staffing needs and ensure timely fulfillment.
• Collaborate with the Director of Schools and Senior Manager – HR to identify high-risk or critical roles and develop a proactive recruitment plan (internal and external).
• Manage the end-to-end hiring process including sourcing, interviewing, selection, and offer rollout for all school-based roles.
• Track recruitment metrics to ensure hiring quality and process efficiency.

HR Operations, Data & Compliance

• Oversee all HR operations for Nagpur schools including onboarding, induction, payroll coordination, exit formalities, and related documentation.
• Ensure statutory compliance with applicable laws for charitable organizations (e.g., PF, ESIC, Shops & Establishments, POSH).
• Support internal audits and maintain updated HR MIS and personnel records with accuracy and confidentiality.

People Engagement & Culture

• Serve as a key HR partner to all schools in Nagpur in addressing team-level concerns, people issues, and morale challenges.
• Support the resolution of employee queries and concerns with empathy, fairness, and alignment to organizational values.
• Promote a positive work environment rooted in care, respect, and collaboration.
• Facilitate conversations around team culture and extend support during key school milestones or transitions.
  

Policies, Processes & Communication

• Ensure timely execution of HR policies and processes in schools and drive awareness and adherence.
• Communicate HR policies effectively to employees through multiple touchpoints.
• Support the contextualization of HR initiatives to school environments while maintaining standardization.
  

Team Management & Cross - functional Collaboration

• Manage, mentor, and build the capacity of 1–2 HR team members, ensuring performance outcomes and development.
• Actively contribute to HR team priorities beyond the city, including org-wide initiatives and special projects.
• Collaborate closely with the larger HR team to improve systems, share learnings, and foster alignment.

What you need for this Position

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years experience in relevant work experience in HR roles.
• Proven experience in hiring and HR data management.
• Experience of working in development and non- profit sectors preferred.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills
• Strong Excel, Word, and PowerPoint skills
• Attention to detail 
• Self-motivated and can own a piece of work from start to finish.
• Ability to coordinate with diverse stakeholders

Education: 

• Bachelor's/Master's degree (Preferably in Human Resources/Industrial Psychology) 

What Can The Akanksha Foundation Offer You

1. An opportunity to be a part of one of the most reputed organizations in the education sector in India, that focuses on transformative impact on children by getting them out of poverty.
2. An environment that is challenging, offers a significant degree of autonomy and is focused on holistic well-being of its people, so they can be the best version of themselves in life.
3. Access to learning and career growth opportunities in a steadily growing organization
5. Remuneration that is competitive in top one-third of Indian NGO scales and benefits that include medical insurance (covering spouse + 2 children), provident fund benefit, paid leaves.