CSR Head Job Description, KRAs and Skills

A CSR Head leads a company's corporate social responsibility function. They set the CSR strategy in line with the company's CSR policy and budget, choose focus areas and implementing partners, and answer to the CSR committee and the board for spending and impact. The role reports to the Managing Director. A good CSR head puts the annual CSR budget to work on well governed projects, keeps documentation and disclosures clean, and shows measurable outcomes for the communities the company supports.

Detail	For this role
Department	NGO and Social Sector
Level	Senior management
Reports to	Managing Director
Direct reports	CSR Manager, CSR Executive
Experience	10+ years in CSR or development with 4 years leading

CSR Head job description template

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Job title: CSR Head

Department: NGO and Social Sector

Reports to: Managing Director

Location: [City], [office, branch or site]

About the role

Key responsibilities

Set the CSR strategy and yearly plan aligned with the company's CSR policy and the board approved budget.
Choose focus areas such as education, health, environment and livelihoods based on need and company fit.
Select and appraise implementing partners and NGOs, and sign agreements with clear deliverables and milestones.
Present the CSR plan, budget and progress to the CSR committee and the board for approval.
Approve project spending against the budget and make sure funds reach partners on schedule.
Review project progress and impact through field visits, partner reports and third party assessments.
Keep CSR documentation, utilisation certificates and disclosures ready for audit and the annual report.
Build employee volunteering programmes and link them to the company's CSR themes.
Report CSR outcomes to leadership with clear indicators and case studies from the field.
Handle due diligence, compliance and risk on CSR partners under the Companies Act CSR provisions.

Requirements

Postgraduate in social work, development or management
MBA or MSW is common for the role
Knowledge of Companies Act CSR provisions
10+ years in CSR or development with 4 years leading

KRAs and KPIs for a CSR Head

Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.

Key result area	How to measure it
Budget utilisation	Approved CSR budget deployed to projects within the financial year with no unspent lapse
Governance	Utilisation certificates and disclosures complete for every project at year end
Impact	Programme outcome targets met for the year across the chosen focus areas
Partner quality	Partner due diligence and milestone reviews completed for all active projects
Employee volunteering	Employee volunteering participation meets the annual target
Reporting	CSR board reports and annual report inputs submitted on time every cycle

Skills and tools

CSR strategyPartner appraisalProgramme governanceBudget managementImpact measurementStakeholder engagementReport writingLeadership

Tools used day to day: MS Excel and PowerPoint, Project reporting formats, Partner due diligence checklist, Impact dashboards, Video conferencing.

Reporting line and career path

Moves up from: CSR Manager, Programme Director, Sustainability Manager
Next roles: Head of Sustainability, Foundation Director, Chief Sustainability Officer

Interview questions for a CSR Head

How do you build a CSR strategy that fits both community need and the company's business?
How do you appraise an implementing partner before signing a project agreement?
How do you measure the impact of a CSR project beyond the money spent?
How do you make sure the CSR budget is fully and properly utilised in the year?
How do you present CSR outcomes to a board that wants to see value?
Describe a CSR project that failed to deliver and what you changed afterwards.

Managing a CSR Head in ZeniaHR

AttendanceThe CSR head works the general shift from the corporate office and punches by web from the allowed office network. Field visits to project sites are filed as on duty requests, and the mobile app captures a punch with location at the site.LeavePlan leave around board and CSR committee meetings and the year-end utilisation and reporting window. Use the leave calendar so the CSR team is covered during partner audits. Balances and accrual are held in the leave ledger.Performance and KRAsSet budget utilisation, governance and impact as weighted goals in an annual review cycle with a rating scale, rated by the Managing Director. Review progress each quarter against the CSR plan and committee commitments.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a CSR head do?

A CSR head leads a company's corporate social responsibility function. They set the CSR strategy and plan, choose focus areas and partners, deploy the CSR budget, and report spending and impact to the CSR committee and board. They keep documentation and disclosures clean and show measurable outcomes for the communities the company supports.

Who does a CSR head report to?

A CSR head usually reports to the Managing Director or a senior leader such as the Chief Sustainability Officer, and is accountable to the CSR committee of the board. In some groups the CSR head also runs a company foundation and reports to its governing body while coordinating with the parent company.

What qualifications does a CSR head need?

Most CSR heads hold a postgraduate degree in social work, development studies or management, and an MBA or MSW is common. Employers look for years of experience in CSR or the development sector, knowledge of the Companies Act CSR provisions, strong partner and budget management, and the ability to measure and report impact to a board.