Cash & Voucher Assistance Advisor

ROLE PURPOSE:

Following the start of the conflict in Ukraine, thousands of people fled to neighbouring countries including Poland which welcomed more than 2.5 million refugees. STC sent in an initial response team to assess needs of children and their families in Poland and is scaling up programmatic response with local civil society partners and municipalities like Krakow, Warsaw where we support education, child protection and psychosocial support to those in need and a cash and voucher program to newly arrived in Poland.

This position will be responsible and accountable for the provision of cash and voucher programmatic and operational advice to the humanitarian response, to help meet their programmatic objectives through cash transfers and/or vouchers. It is intended to support both the programmatic design and the implementation of cash and voucher interventions covering all stages of the programme cycle, from the initial assessment of the appropriateness, operational feasibility, and risks, to the design of the intervention, the selection and set-up of a delivery mechanism and distribution process, and the monitoring.

This position will report to the Deputy TL for programme (design and quality) with functional link to cash operation manager and other field teams and partners implementing CVA activities in Poland.

They will be expected to advise on all aspects of designing, setting up, and/or managing and monitoring all operational areas (including budget development and management, agency coordination and representation, security, logistics, compliance with internal policies and procedures and management of teams) of cash transfer programming. The post holder will play a key role in building capacity at field level, and in the effective scale up and management of Save the Children emergency programmes to increase impact and enable positive change for children.

The post holder will refer to the Cash & Market Humanitarian Technical Working Group for technical standards and guidance.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

• To carry out the responsibilities of the role in a way this reflects Save the Children’s commitment to safeguarding children in accordance with the Child Safeguarding Policy.
• Provide support to the Deputy Team Leader in finalizing and ensuring the uptake of Cash & Vouchers Responsible, Accountable, Supporting, Consulted, Informed (RASCI) matrix based on SCI customisable template, in a way that responsibility and accountability lines for Cash & Voucher are clearly defined across teams and staff.
• Provide support to the Deputy Team Leader in finalizing and ensuring the uptake of the Cash & Vouchers Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) based on SCI customizable template and policies plus procedures set forth in the new SCI Cash Operations Manual.
• Provide support to the technical and operational design and implementation of Cash & Voucher interventions working closely with the Response Team Leader, Programme and Operations Deputy Team Leaders, operations department and technical sector advisors, and applying the highest quality standards and policies set by SCI centre and SC members.
• Support the management of multiple grants across multiple sectors, where there is a predominately cash transfer or voucher component, ensuring that operational aspects of projects and reports are delivered according to SC and donor contractual requirements, within the agreed timescale and budget.
• Support the Team Leader and technical advisors in developing response and sectoral strategies, full proposals and log frames for the field base or area by providing input and advice in relation to Cash & Voucher intervention design (i.e. expected outcomes, child sensitivity, conditionalities, target criteria, amount, duration, frequency, output and outcome indicators) as well as its operational elements(i.e. around acceptance, feasibility, organisational capacities, risk management, delivery mechanisms, timeframes, compliance).
• Provide advice to the Response Team Leader around advocacy messages concerning C&V, to be for internal and external use, in line with the latest available global evidence, lessons learned, guidance and global debate.
• Introduce the necessary context-specific adaptations and deliver child-sensitive Cash & Voucher training to operations department and technical sector advisors, based on existing training materials by CaLP and SC, and ensuring alignment with quality standards and policies that are set at the global level.
• Provide advice and leadership on the planning and implementation of all operational aspects of cash transfer programming, which will include finance, delivery mechanisms, risk management, security, logistics, award management and donor compliance, ensuring any relevant external and internal (i.e. Cash Transfer Authorization) approvals are requested and received in time according to activity workplans.
• Lead or – where leadership is taken by designated technical advisors – support needs and market assessments for the relevant commodities and services, in line with standards set by Humanitarian Technical Working Groups and global cash advisors, and in collaboration with Technical Advisors, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL), and Supply Chain.
• Lead and oversee the assessment, selection and contracting of cash transfer service providers by working closely with supply chain teams at local, regional and Centre level to ensure SCI Cash & Voucher operational requirements are met.
• Manage logistics processes and input to the cash transfer programming design and implementation to ensure that where necessary we can procure, store and distribute cash or vouchers for the timely delivery of project objectives within the field base or area. Lead on the development and update of tools and templates to support the management, implementation, and MEAL of Cash & Voucher in line with donor contractual requirements and SCI Quality Framework.
• Feed into multi agency Cash & Voucher coordination at head office, field base or area, and lend support to clusters where appropriate.
• Work with Data Protection, IT Security, Operations and Safety and Security colleagues to develop and implement effective safety and security procedures for specific cash transfer programming activities, ensuring that these are updated and revised at regular intervals and that new programmes are built around security considerations.
• Manage and motivate in-country or response staff to perform highly in their respective roles and responsibilities. This may include leading on staffing structure, recruitment, performance management and implementing staff welfare policy where appropriate.
• Coach and mentor national staff counterparts and contribute to capacity building at field and national level by designing and delivering Cash & Voucher trainings and other capacity building initiatives as needed, in line with SCI Quality Standards.
• Support country teams to build their operational preparedness to deliver and scale up Cash & Voucher in a timely manner, according to SCI’s processes and procedures, inputting into preparedness plans and leading or supporting other preparedness activities (e.g. SOPs, RACI matrix, feasibility assessments, framework agreements with financial service providers, pre-crisis market assessments, etc.).
• Identify, document and proactively share learnings from the technical design as well as the implementation of the operational aspects of Cash & Voucher with national, regional and Centre teams, taking part in the update of tools and guidance at a global level as and when needed.
• Comply with and promote SCI’s Global policies such as Child Safeguarding, Whistle blowing, Fraud, Health and Safety and other relevant policies
• Represent the principles and work of Save the Children to donors, United Nations, NGOs and INGOs, government, media and other forum at national level as and when required.
• Support partner organisations with their CVA design, set up and delivery to ensure that shared programmatic objectives are met. Including, where relevant, designing and leading capacity strengthening sessions with partner staff.
• Ensure best practise for Child Safeguarding in CVA programmes has been integrated into all activity, referring to the ‘Child Safeguarding for CVA Full Guidance‘.

COMPETENCIES FOR THIS ROLE:

1. Delivering Results

Takes personal responsibility and holds other accountable for delivering high quality, timely response, meeting the priorities of affected communities.

Programme Support (typically will be for small or medium-sized emergencies):

• Complies with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures;
• Ensures efficient and transparent use of resources in accordance with internal controls
• Actively manages risk and takes action to reduce risk.
• Actively engages in disaster coordination mechanisms and interagency cooperation
• Leads on the development of an organisational response based on an understanding of the contexts
• Creates measures and metrics to track performance;
• Documents lessons learned and applies them to future projects

1. Innovating and Adapting:

Develops and implements innovative solutions to adapt and succeed in ever-changing and uncertain global and working environments.

• Makes changes to improve performance as a result of information received.
• Ensures beneficiary and partner feedback is incorporated into programme design, planning and learning;
• Adapts plans and approaches based upon awareness of the external context
• Openly talks about doing things differently, pushing the boundaries and ways of working.

1. Working effectively with others

Works collaboratively to achieve shared goals and thrives on diversity of people and perspectives.

• Develops strategies for teams to work across traditional boundaries, working in diverse environments.

• Establishes clear objectives with teams and individuals and monitors progress and performance

• Promotes collaborative working across boundaries.

• Uses negotiation and conflict resolution skills to support positive outcomes

• Demonstrates an understanding of wider UN/NGO security coordination and how the organisation can benefit from, and contribute to, those mechanisms

• Undertakes effective risk assessments and develops contingency plans

• Takes appropriate, coordinated and consistent action to handle situations of personal risk and risk for others

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Significant and relevant overseas experience in designing, managing and implementing cash transfer programmes for a broad range of institutional donors and sectors (beyond Food Security & Livelihoods)
• Previous emergency response experience, possibly also in Finance and/or Logistics
• Management experience of operational aspects of cash and voucher interventions.
• Experience in the introduction of internal controls systems to support cash and vouchers delivery in the areas of financial management, logistics, security and programme delivery.
• Demonstrable understanding of M&E and beneficiary accountability
• Education: MA / MSc level or equivalent field preferablly in economics
• National team and/or small ex-pat team line management experience
• Experience of working in insecure environments and adapting internal processes to mitigate security risks
• Understanding of field level representation with key stakeholders and co-ordination with other NGOs/UN in the domain of cash and voucher interventions
• Good attention to detail
• Cultural awareness and ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people
• Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a substantial workload comprised of complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities
• Strong communication (written and spoken) skills in English
• Good interpersonal skills with experience in managing multicultural teams

Desirable

• Multi-site management experience
• ECHO and/or USAID (OFDA or FFP) programme management experience
• National level representation with key stakeholders and co-ordination with other NGOs/UN

In the case of a Category 1 and Category 2 response, the candidate must reflect the experience and qualifications of a Grade 2. This must include the following proven behaviour/experience:

• Demonstrate leadership and management skills in a complex international setting.

Previous experience as member of Senior Management Team.

We offer a competitive package in the context of the sector. This Role is offered on the basis of International terms and conditions. Also, interviews will be held on ongoing basis, adverts will be closed once a person is identified.

For non- EU citizens; Visa is to be obtained.

The Organisation

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

Application Information:

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application, and include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations.

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment policy.