CCD Consortium Manager

We are looking for a Consortium Manager to lead on the successful implementation of an inter-agency program funded by Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to achieve transformative and innovative outcomes within the Ukraine and the regional humanitarian response.

• Do you have experience in consortia program management in the humanitarian context as well as experience in institutional (DEC, DFID etc.) award (grant/contract) management including narrative and financial reporting on complex projects?
• Do you have excellent project management and facilitation skills with experience of working in humanitarian responses and an understanding of the systematic and practical challenges impacting humanitarian responses?
• Are you motivated by our vision of creating a world where every child doesn’t just survive, but thrives, and can go on to change the world?

If the answers to these questions are yes, we would love to hear from you!

Please Note: The role is initially for a 18 month contract.

About Us

We are Save the Children. Together, we fight for children every single day so that they can make their mark on the world and build a better future. We stand side by side with children in the toughest places to be a child. We do whatever it takes to make sure they survive, get protection when they are in danger, and have the chance to learn.

Save the Children is a member of the Collaborative Cash Delivery network (CCD), a network of 14 INGOs committed to collaborating for improved impacts of humanitarian cash programming. Save the Children UK (SCUK) is leading a CCD consortium to implement an inter-agency program funded by Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to achieve transformative and innovative outcomes within the Ukraine and the regional humanitarian response.

This program is a part of CCD’s wider strategy for the Ukraine response: 1. Support and complement member agencies’ responses through shared technical capacities, brokering and facilitating collaborations within the civil society and improving operational coordination among members. 2. Alongside member agency responses, test new and non-mainstreamed approaches, implement pilots to generate evidence, learning, and scalable and adaptable models for a more accountable and effective cash response.

As the head of the consortium management unit, the CCD Consortium Manager will lead on successful implementation of the DEC program in line with the strategic vision. The consortium will deliver pilots, new models and learning under five outcome areas. This role will directly manage the CCD Meal Manager – DEC and CCD Communications Manager – DEC, and will coordinate with the implementing partners, other program staff, support services within SCUK, staff members of the Ukraine Shared Services Hub, other CCD agencies, and external stakeholders to achieve the program objectives.

It will report to SCUK’s Head of Humanitarian Transformation (also the co-lead of CCD) and the CCD’s Global Platform Coordination Lead will be the technical line manager who will support the Consortium Manager with program quality and implementation in alignment with CCD principles.

Job Purpose

As the Consortium Manager you will have overall responsibility for program implementation, coordination, and operational leadership of the consortium in line with the strategic vision.

You will line manage two direct reports, and coordinate with other program staff, SCUK staff, CCD staff and implementing partners. You’ll also provide technical leadership to the localisation pilot by setting up and chairing the steering committee, and facilitating inter-agency discussions and reflection sessions to influence and shape approaches to responsible partnering to achieve locally led action

Key Accountabilities:

The CCD’s Consortium Manager’s key duties will include:

Program management and quality assurance

• Provide coordination and management to the DEC consortium to ensure timely and quality program implementation
• Responsible for managing consortium partners
• Lead on harmonised program implementation and coordination across partners against the strategic vision of the consortium and in line with planned timescales
• Use project management tools and practices to identify the critical path, set up system for tracking and reporting against the logframe, and effectively problem solve deviations from the plan
• Responsible for setting up knowledge management and communication systems and tools to maintain upto date project documentation and effective ways of working within the consortium
• Provide project management to the team (MEAL Manager, Communications Manager, Collaboration Facilitator, Localisation Advisor, Global Cash Trainer of Trainers (Cash ToT)) in delivering the CCD workplan
• Organise periodic meetings with consortium partners and other program staff to discuss and track program progress against plan, record and follow up on action points
• Undertake planned mentoring and support visits to Ukraine, Poland and Romania to build relationships with implementing partners and downstream partners, and problem solve any operational bottlenecks

Budget management, reporting and donor compliance

• Responsible for budget management of CCD’s non-staff costs (approximately £0.2m)
• In coordination with the SCUK Awards and Finance focal, manage contractual arrangements with implementing partners and contractors
• Coordinate with partners to lead on donor reporting including consolidation of reporting, and submission of high-quality reports to the donor
• Work with SCUK Awards and Finance focal to consolidate and review finance reports

Technical leadership for the localisation pilot

• Set up and chair the inter-agency Localisation Pilot Steering Committee (SC) to ensure cross-fertilisation of ideas and coherence of the approach to localisation models and cross-agency learning
• Support MEAL manager and Localisation Advisor to work with CCD/DEC member agencies to bring their proprietary models of localisation into cross-agency learning exercise
• Facilitate governance arrangements and smooth functioning of SC
• Interrogate localisation frameworks to set standards for the pilot program
• Through SC, assess and select other agency localisation models for cross-agency learning
• Work with MEAL and Comms managers to ensure learning is effectively captured and used for broader dissemination

Coordination and network management

• Build strong relationships with all the stakeholders involved in the program and foster collaborative practices that capitalise on the expertise and capacities of all partners
• Maintain open communication with both line and technical managers through joint meetings to discuss progress and to devise specific strategies arising from changing operating conditions
• Provide external representation on behalf of the consortium as needed
• Work with MEAL Manager and Communications Manager to provide briefs, reports, updates and communication materials on the program when required by SCUK and CCD for onward reporting to Board, leadership teams, member agencies etc.
• Maintain links with other DEC collective initiatives programs and SCUK’s DEC funded Engine 2 programs to explore opportunities for collaboration and minimising duplication of efforts
• Be an active member of the CCD Core Team to foster cross network learning and support, and contribute to thought leadership around collaboration and innovation for CVA

Person Profile

Experience/Knowledge/Skills

• Strong experience in consortia program management in the humanitarian context
• Experience in institutional (DEC, DFID etc.) award (grant/contract) management including narrative and financial reporting on complex projects
• Excellent project management and facilitation skills – proven ability to lead on project planning, prioritise workloads and take ownership of own time and deliverables
• Experience in influencing change at an operational and strategic level, including external representation, with a variety of stakeholders, including donors, humanitarian actors, sector networks etc
• Experience of preparing reports, briefing papers, and discussion documents with proven ability to communicate clearly to a diverse audience
• Experience in organisational representation, coordination, and liaison
• Experience of working in humanitarian responses and an understanding of the systematic and practical challenges impacting humanitarian responses
• Strong analytical skills and creative problem-solving skills to tackle complex problems
• Excellent networking skills, communication and negotiation skills
• Excellent workshop facilitation skills

Abilities

• Proven ability to develop and maintain strong internal and external relationships with diverse stakeholders
• Willingness and ability to travel to Ukraine, Poland and Romania
• Strong team skills, with the ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships and collaborate both within and outside the team and work within a network of working groups and teams.

Aptitude

• A strong commitment to inter-agency collaboration and CCD principles
• A commitment and interest in the aims of Save the Children

Please Note: This position can be based outside the UK provided it is in a European country with an SC office from which you would be able to work. Pay will be based on local salary structures.

Please note:

We will be reviewing applications and interviewing on a rolling basis and look to interview before Christmas – to avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

Please note:

To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

Ways of Working:

Remote First – The majority of our roles can be performed remotely, however you may work from the office as often as you wish. Whilst you will be predominantly working from home, we may at times require you to come to your contracted office (up to 2-4 days per month or 6-8 days per quarter). Note: This will be agreed with your Line Manager and team. This is intended to be time spent on collaborating with colleagues and relationship building.

On-site – There are certain roles that cannot be performed remotely and so your role will be based in an office location and you may occasionally be able to work from home.

Flexible Working – We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview**.**

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:

Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be “Free to Be Me”. We are not looking for just one type of person – we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think.

We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences – of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability – help us to see things we might otherwise miss. Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here.