Lopa

Senior social sector leader with 19+ years of experience providing country-level strategic leadership, portfolio oversight, and program governance across large-scale systems strengthening, strategic alliances, adolescent and child protection, youth and community development initiatives in India. Demonstrated experience working closely with CEOs, Boards, senior leadership teams, government systems, CSR partners, foundations and institutional donors to drive program scale, organisational growth, governance, compliance and sustainable growth. Proven track record in multi-state program leadership, strategic partnerships, resource mobilisation, grant portfolio management, financial oversight, donor stewardship and organisational learning.

Known for building trusted relationships across government, donor, civil society, and community stakeholders, and for combining grounded field experience with strategic and organisational leadership.

Consultant at Independent (2025-09 – Present)

• Led an impact assessment of a three-year community-based programme, synthesising field insights to strengthen programme design, accountable mechanisms, learning, and future direction.
• Leading the development of organisational knowledge repositories, synthesising programme models, evidence of impact, and learning insights to strengthen institutional decision-making, positioning, and donor and partner engagement.
• Providing evaluation and learning support to a women-led entrepreneurship and health education model, assessing effectiveness, scalability and generating insights to inform future programme design and investment decisions.

Head of Programs (National & Multi-State Leadership) at Railway Children India (2025-04 – 2025-07)

• Provided country-level strategic oversight for a multi-state government partnership portfolio (Delhi-NCR, Bihar, Maharashtra), advising the CEO and senior leadership on programme prioritisation, resource allocation, risk management, and institutional positioning in high-vulnerability contexts, impacting lives of 8000 children.
• Partnered closely with the CEO and senior leadership on organisational strategy, resource mobilisation, donor engagement, governance, compliance, risk management and institutional growth.
• Oversaw implementation and performance of a diverse grant portfolio of approximately INR 6 crore, including compliance, utilisation reviews, reporting quality, and outcome-level monitoring, strengthening donor confidence and partnership continuity.
• Led the institutionalisation of organisation-wide MEAL systems, program governance, enabling evidence-informed decision-making, portfolio learning, and accountability aligned with donor and foundation expectations.
• Represented the organisation in national and international platforms, contributing to sector dialogue, policy engagement, and partnership development related to child protection and alternative care.
• Provided leadership oversight to large, geographically dispersed teams, strengthening operational discipline, leadership capability, and cross-functional collaboration.

Head – Program & Strategic Alliances at Railway Children India (2023-01 – 2025-03)

• Delivered national-level strategic and operational leadership across multi-state child protection portfolios, ensuring alignment with organisational strategy, donor and CSR partner priorities, safeguarding standards, government systems and national frameworks.
• Served as a core member of the senior leadership team, advising on organisational growth, partnership strategy, funding diversification, and institutional risk management.
• Led and managed strategic partnerships with government departments (Women & Child Development, Railways, Social Welfare), foundations, CSR partners, and national networks, strengthening policy alignment, credibility, and scale.
• Oversaw portfolio governance, including quality assurance, compliance, performance monitoring, and accountability mechanisms across programmes and partners.
• Managed multi-donor grant portfolios across multiples states, ensuring compliance, reporting quality and sustained donor partnerships.
• Mentored senior programme leaders and multi-disciplinary teams, embedding results-based management, leadership accountability, and organisational learning.

Lead – Child Protection at Child in Need Institute (CINI) (2016-08 – 2022-12)

• Provided strategic leadership and portfolio oversight for child protection interventions across two programme cycles, managing 12 government-linked and foundation-supported projects reaching approximately 10,000 children across West Bengal and Jharkhand.
• Led the design, review, and adaptation of child protection strategies aligned with international and national frameworks (SDGs, ICPS, JJ System, other flagship government programs), alternative care, family strengthening, and violence prevention, in close partnership with government systems.
• Oversaw grant performance and compliance across multi-donor portfolios, ensuring high-quality reporting, financial discipline, and outcome-oriented monitoring.
• Acted as the primary technical and institutional interface with state and district government authorities, strengthening governance mechanisms and system responsiveness.
• Authored and institutionalised the organisation's Child Safeguarding Policy and SOPs, strengthening organisational governance, risk management, and ethical standards.
• Contributed to policy advocacy and global learning agendas, including preparation of advocacy briefs and engagement with international networks.
• Represented the organisation in national and international platforms, contributing to sector leadership, knowledge exchange, and partnership development.

Program Officer at Child in Need Institute (CINI) (2015-12 – 2016-07)

• Provided program-level leadership for child protection interventions in high-risk urban and peri-urban contexts, including railway platforms, red-light areas, and informal settlements, in coordination with government authorities.
• Supported institutional partnerships and donor engagement with national and international funders, contributing to portfolio continuity and reporting quality.

Consultant at Short-Term Strategic Assignments – Youth & Community Systems Strengthening (2014-01 – 2015-11)

• Led the establishment of Youth Resource Cells to strengthen adolescent leadership, participation, and community-based governance mechanisms.
• Contributed to sector research and learning, including studies on child participation in CRY-supported programs and development of indicators for child marriage prevention in collaboration with TISS.

Program Officer at Kolkata Sanved (2011-07 – 2013-12)

• Oversaw rehabilitation-focused programs for survivors of trafficking across rural and urban contexts, working closely with community structures and institutional stakeholders.
• Ensured high-quality documentation, reporting, and compliance with organizational and donor standards.

Program Associate at Child in Need Institute (CINI) (2006-06 – 2011-06)

• Led the implementation and oversight of child protection and community-based programs for street-connected and railway platform children.
• Contributed to programme monitoring, documentation, donor reporting, and organisational learning processes, with strengthened programme performance contributing to the organisation securing a subsequent five-year Comic Relief grant cycle.
• Represented the organisation in national and international platforms, contributing to sector dialogue, policy engagement, and partnership development related to child protection and alternative care.
• Provided leadership oversight to large, geographically dispersed teams, strengthening operational discipline, leadership capability, and cross-functional collaboration.

Post Graduation Diploma in Child Rights Law in Child Rights Law – National Law School of India (2020 – 2020)

Master of Social Work in Social Work – RABINDRA BHARATI UNIVERSITY (2008 – 2008)

Bachelor of Commerce – Accountancy (Hons) in Accountancy – Kolkata University (1999 – 1999)