Organization: Save the Children – US
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 20 Sep 2015
Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. We respond to natural and complex humanitarian crises throughout the world. In 2014, as part of this effort Save the Children US (SCUS) raised and delivered over $205 million in humanitarian assistance in 40 countries around the world including the US.
The Director of Humanitarian Program Development and Quality will be responsible for cultivating an environment of integrated and high quality programming within SCUS’s humanitarian programming worldwide. This effort will include the embedding of a strong MEAL framework across all SCUS-funded humanitarian programs. The position holder will create opportunities and support more strategic collaboration between the Department of Humanitarian Response and the Humanitarian Thematic Focal Points and other stakeholders to advance SCUS’s approach to providing integrated technical assistance and MEAL support in humanitarian work.
The Director will ensure high quality integration by convening coordination fora, engaging stakeholders in the definition and direction of the agency’s humanitarian strategy, acting as a key liaison between the humanitarian response and international programs departments on humanitarian program issues, providing general representation and leadership in key internal and external fora, supporting cross-sector initiatives, specifically business development and program quality, and advancing the agency’s humanitarian technical capacity building strategy. The post-holder will also play a leadership role across the SC global family as co-chair of the Humanitarian Technical Working Group (HTWG), coordinating cross-organizational humanitarian technical initiatives, as well as promoting SCUS’s humanitarian technical staff contributions to humanitarian program quality issues in the SC global family including Save the Children International (SCI).
Essential Duties, Responsibilities and Impact
Cross-sector Humanitarian Technical Coordination
- Establish and facilitate close working relationships with and between the humanitarian technical leadership of the other SC US business teams and support their active engagement as part of the humanitarian business team (HBT)
- Lead the SCUS Emergency Technical Group (ETG) ensuring it is a dynamic forum focusing on program quality and promotion of programmatic integration. This group will promote improved ways of working across sectors and throughout the overall humanitarian structure.
- Oversee the development of, in consultation with technical colleagues, the programmatic sections of Save the Children’s humanitarian strategy. Work with IP and USP technical staff on strategic advancement of humanitarian signature programs. Report on progress of signature programs in the Humanitarian Business Team quarterly reports. Address challenges related to signature program development.
- Knowledge management – in coordination with IP technical staff and humanitarian MEAL and response staff, identify priority approaches/programs to capture lessons-learned, innovations and best practices, contribute to effective policy and advocacy efforts, and facilitate the creation of communications products to highlight Save the Children’s successes for a key audiences such as donors and humanitarian fora.
- Work with the DHR Director of Portfolio and Business Management, DHR Award Managers and IP technical staff to develop common approaches and systems for ensuring high-quality DHR proposals, technical assistance and monitoring of DHR awards, including systems for coordination of technical inputs into program delivery.
- Facilitate a process, together with IP Tech staff and humanitarian MEAL and response staff, to support the development of integrated approaches/programs
- Identify broader trends within and across donors to help identify new opportunities and Save the Children’s responsiveness to donors.
- Promote consideration and appropriate incorporation of gender, disability, and specific vulnerabilities of affected populations in program strategies ensuring that Save the Children’s humanitarian programs are relevant to the most deprived children.
- Working with others, identify and pursue partnerships and fundraising for strategic humanitarian initiatives across the full theory of change.
SCI and SC Member Engagement
- As co-chair of the Humanitarian Technical Working Group (HTWG), serve as the primary advocate for program quality in humanitarian response in key SCI and cross-member fora, including the Humanitarian Executive, regional operations calls, strategy discussions, etc.
- Identify and problem-solve program quality issues in broader systems and work with relevant SCI and member counterparts to ensure ongoing quality improvement in humanitarian response
- Represent cross-sector interests in the negotiation, design and roll-out of humanitarian technical tools, guidelines and procedures, including the Humanitarian Manual and quality framework
- Develop an annual Humanitarian TA Working Group work plan and deliver on annual objectives and relevant activities
- Provide guidance and support to Thematic Humanitarian Technical Working Groups before and during emergencies to ensure they are able to deliver on their agreed ToRs, and help ensure alignment across HTWGs and support linkages/cross-team working between different technical groups.
- Coordinate and co-facilitate semi-annual HTWG retreats and monthly calls and ensure relevant communications are cascaded throughout the thematic HTWGs and other stakeholders
DRR
- Manage the SCUS DRR team in DHR
- Ensure that SCUS has a DRR strategy and implementation plan.
- Help facilitate the engagement of the various technical teams in multi-sector DRR work.
MEAL
- Manage SCUS Humanitarian MEAL team
- Support discussions and collaboration with IP Tech staff to strengthen quality assurance at design and implementation stages of programming.
- Further SCUS’s investment and leadership in development of Accountability Frameworks in humanitarian responses.
- Lead MEAL team to prioritize learning from humanitarian crises and from “real-time reviews” (RTRs) for benefit of SCUS staff and SCI country offices.
Representation at Internal and External Fora
- As requested or via the humanitarian business team leader, provide regular updates to the International Program Group SMT (IP SMT) on evolution of SCUS and SCI technical humanitarian structures and procedures
- Convene ETG at onset of emergency response and as needed for the duration
- Help represent the Humanitarian Business Team (HBT) in sector-specific business teams, as requested
Humanitarian Technical Capacity Building
In collaboration with the humanitarian capacity-building team:
- Liaise with SCI and Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA) on design and roll-out of technical capacity building strategy
- Together with IP Technical staff and other stakeholders within SCUS, identify role for SCUS to support HLA technical capacity building efforts
- Support internal humanitarian capacity building initiatives
Emergency Response Deployments/ Humanitarian Technical Assistance
- Serve on SC Roster as Deputy Team Leader of Programs; deploy on responses as requested.
- Travel to Save the Children country offices to engage with SC US donors or provide other program quality oversight and support to country offices.
Required Background and Experience, Skills and Behaviors
Required:
- Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in humanitarian program development and quality including at least 7 years for directly relevant humanitarian response and field experience.
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience with technical assistance and emergency deployment mechanisms and coordination
- Demonstrated knowledge of Save the Children’s priority humanitarian program sectors.
- Extensive experience and proven track record in large scale proposal development
- Experience with key international organizations and forums (e.g., donors, academic institutions, UN, clusters)
- Demonstrated ability to apply established criteria for prioritization of tasks
- Demonstrated experience in management of multiple staff
- Personal resilience and ability to deploy to emergency responses for up to 6 weeks on short notice
- Ability to travel 20% to 30% of time as required
- BA or BS degree.
Preferred:
- Master’s Degree in related field or demonstrated experience in providing leadership on programming and policy in humanitarian work.
- Ability to speak a second, relevant language.
Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world, we are dedicated to ensuring every child has the best chance for success. Our pioneering programs give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. Our advocacy efforts provide a voice for children who cannot speak for themselves. As the leading expert on children, we inspire and achieve lasting impact for millions of the world"s most vulnerable girls and boys. By transforming children"s lives now, we change the course of their future and ours.
Save the Children provides an attractive benefits package including competitive salaries, a matching retirement plan, health and welfare benefits, life insurance, an employee assistance program, generous time off and much more. We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws
How to apply:
https://chc.tbe.taleo.net/chc01/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=SAVETHECHILDREN&cws=1&rid=3486
EmoticonEmoticon