Deputy Director

Deputy Director

£56,100 – £66,000

London

Fixed term contract for 2 years

We are looking for a Deputy Director to join our Humanitarian Leadership Academy to design a holistic and new approach to support the Ukraine regional response

• Do you have proven experience of developing humanitarian sector wide initiatives, forming strong relationships and working with multi-stakeholder groups/partnerships?
• Do you have background in vision, execution and successful delivery of high profile, big budget programmes in capacity strengthening with significant exposure to projects involving networking and multiple partnerships, particularly related to humanitarian response?
• 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 2 year 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.

The Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA) as part of SCUK’s humanitarian department provides high-quality humanitarian capacity strengthening for the movement, as well as the wider sector, as part of our shifting the power agenda. The HLA’s mission, as a team within the humanitarian department, is to enable people around the world to prepare for and respond to crises in their own countries, by providing quality learning opportunities. The HLA’s approach spans from focused needs-based learning in countries hit by crises to the huge international reach of our learning platform, Kaya. They are a global team that has a full suite of in-house skills to provide and develop the offer; technical and learning experts, platform specialists, a digital and design studio, communications support and more. The HLA enables SCUK to offer the most effective and impactful humanitarian capacity strengthening resource for both the Save the Children movement, the wider humanitarian sector and beyond.

Job Purpose

This role will be focused on ensuring the strategic vision and resulting successful design, development and delivery of DEC funding for Engine 2 ‘transformational response’ in Ukraine. This role will be responsible for designing a holistic and new approach to support the Ukraine regional response and ensure a lasting legacy.

To lead this programme, Save the Children is recruiting a Deputy Director who will serve as the principal representative of the programme and work with consortium partners, response team and wider movement to drive the vision and ensure adherence to the overall technical and programmatic quality of programme implementation. You will provide strategic and operational leadership to develop and implement a successful, future facing multi-sectoral programme that builds upon existing HLA experience and reputation and that will achieve lasting outcomes.

You will be responsible for the overall coordination of activities among DEC agencies, other key stakeholders, and other implementing partners under this agreement.

As this role will be part of the HLA team, it will also take on line management of the Research and Evidence function. This is to ensure that this area of work, which are strengthened through Engine 2, are working to advocate, communicate and evidence all that we do across the team, and beyond, as effectively as possible.

The position not only requires significant understanding of humanitarian leadership & capacity strengthening, but also requires strong coordination and facilitation skills with solid understanding of operational, political, economic, social and cultural norms in Eastern Europe. It will also require strategic and forward-facing leadership skills to re-imagine how this work supports changing the humanitarian system.

Key Accountabilities:

The Deputy Director’s key duties will include:

General

• Design and finalise the strategic direction/vision of the ‘Engine 2′ programme, with support from HD director and HLA director, as well as the leadership team within the regional response.
• Overall accountability for the day-to-day management, coordination and oversight of the programme implementation and its successful delivery
• Be a proactive member of the HLA’s senior leadership team and Lead beyond direct line management accountabilities for ensuring the success of the HLA and its key functions
• Ensure that the programme is delivered according to the highest quality standards
• Provide guidance, strong leadership and ensure rigorous decision-making processes
• Ensure that the programme is appropriately staffed, including the appropriate combination of expertise across technical and operational areas, building capacity where needed
• Inspire, lead and motivate the programme team to deliver programme objectives

Programme delivery, management and quality assurance

• Develop appropriate external partnerships and in particular steer the identification of suitable implementers/suppliers
• Oversee setting up of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for all elements of the programmes objectives, in order to course correct/amend as required.
• Steer and put in place the relevant project implementation and delivery tools and management controls with each partner to ensure project delivery as per plan, budget
• Conduct regular field visits, including discussions with partners, coordination task groups, regional and country response teams

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning

• Oversee the process of learning, evaluation, capturing and disseminating lessons from the programme for continuous improvement of programme performance and overall outcomes
• Ensure that an effective monitoring and learning framework system is in place for achieving agreed programme targets
• Oversee the programme’s dissemination of results and ensure that data collection and analysis informs advocacy

Finance, reporting and donor compliance.

• Responsible for overseeing strategic engagement with DEC on Engine 2
• Take full responsibility for the delegated budget holding function on the programmatic aspects of the program and participate actively in finance and programme review meetings and contribute to financial decision making at regional and country levels
• Ensure that a sound financial management system and controls are in place, as well as that value for money can be effectively demonstrated to the donor
• Ensure that quality narrative and financial reports and deliverables are developed and submitted on time
• Ensure compliance with donor requirements, and understanding of donor compliance across COs and partners

Line/matrix management.

• Line manage/matrix manage the team working on Engine 2 and work closely with the HLA director and HLA leadership team, as well as the HD leadership team
• Line manage the Research & Evidence functions of the HLA to support ensuring the realisation of the strategic direction of the Academy and joining up the broader work under Engine 2 to enable strong and consolidated advocacy messaging linked to evidence, thought leadership and influencing efforts

Representation

• Ensure representation of the programme, building trust and influence with partners, donor and other key stakeholders, highlighting where effective practise can positively influence policy

Person Profile

Experience/Knowledge/Skills

• Significant experience in leading and shaping new diverse teams to a standard of high performance
• Proven background in vision, execution and successful delivery of high profile, big budget programmes in capacity strengthening
• Significant exposure to projects involving networking and multiple partnerships, particularly related to humanitarian response
• Knowledge and extensive practical experience of a wide range of people and talent development approaches including excellent facilitation, coaching, and training skills
• Excellent proven leadership and experience of line management of large teams
• Proven experience of developing humanitarian sector wide initiatives, forming strong relationships and working with multi-stakeholder groups/partnerships
• Outstanding decision maker who operates with integrity
• Instinctively collaborative, with proven track record of working collaboratively and drawing in appropriate individuals/expertise/partners and organisations

Abilities

• The ability to build effective trust-based relationships and networks at senior levels
• Highly effective in influencing, negotiating, and lobbying
• Ability to effectively manage conflict and move to an effective resolution
• Ability to operate effectively in highly complex situations
• Powerful representational and communication skills, able to articulate a vision, strategy, or idea clearly and concisely

Aptitude

• Entrepreneurial approach with confidence and intellect to challenge conventional thinking and ways of working
• Passion and energy to play a leadership role in an emerging space and be a key enabler of the localisation agenda and improving the humanitarian system more generally

Please Note: This role can be based in either the UK or Poland/Eastern Europe.

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.

To see our full statement please visit this link: https://jobs.savethechildren.org.uk/our-policies/diversity/