Director of Awards

Director of Awards

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Director of Awards is responsible for delivering an efficient and effective award management function. He will lead award management for all programmes, and develop best practice award management processes across the Ukraine Response. The role has three main aspects to it: (1) lead and develop the Country Office award management effort; capacity building staff, and contributing to the development of best practices systems and processes. (2) The role offers a leadership opportunity for an individual highly experienced in grants management, business development and donor communications. (3) It requires an individual capable of providing strategic leadership to a dynamic team which is responsible for supporting ambitious fundraising targets as well as the management of a portfolio of awards with an anticipated value of $80+ Million.

The individual will be responsible for working with all other teams in the Country Office to develop the capacity of all staff and provide on-the-job support to develop an awards management process that supports Save the Children quality standards. The individual will play a strong coordination role across the Save the Children global network and with donors to identify funding opportunities. They will co-ordinate development of high-quality proposals that are reflective of Save the Children and donor strategic objectives, ensuring proposal budgets are accurately costed. During implementation they will provide support and information to the technical and field-based teams to deliver donor compliant awards and high quality and timely donor reports.

The maintenance of systems, processes and day to day management of the team will be a primary function of the Director of Awards. The individual will play a key role in the development of a culture that promotes the primacy of ensuring Save the Children delivers high quality programmes whilst always seeking to improve capacities.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Leadership

• Supports the development of an organisational culture that promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, supporting our people to deliver outstanding results for children and excellent customer service for colleagues, other members and donors
• Supports the design and implementation of a coherent organizational structure that is appropriate to program needs and consistent with agency practices
• Ensure the Ukraine Response complies with all Save the Children policies and procedures outlined in the Quality Framework where applicable
• Ensures that all required support is provided promptly, at scale and in line with the rules and principles during emergencies, working closely with the Regional Office.

Developing self and others; Networking

• Building a high performing award management team to support good practice and high quality delivery across the Country Office
• Lead Award Management related capacity building both within the AM team and for other relevant staff members including budget holders
• Develop strong relationships with the region, centre, members and other Award Directors in the region; escalate issues through the correct channels when required
  Communicating with impact:
• Provide strategic support to the SMT on all aspects of award management including pipeline management and donor compliance; champion Award management at the Country Office
• Support the coordination of proposals, working with PDQ, Finance and Operations to produce high quality, fully costed proposals
• Ensure the production of high quality and timely reports that accurately reflect the impact achieved and lessons learnt during the implementation of an award
• Build and maintain relationships with relevant networks and award management staff of similar organisations in the country, as well as local representatives of donor organisations
  Compliance (systems, processes & donor):
  To engage globally on the development of Save the Children systems and processes and the sharing of best practice
• To ensure that the Award Management System (AMS) is effectively maintained and up to date for all awards and sub-awards including authorisation and document retention
• To ensure that key staff (including partners) have a clear understanding of donor compliance requirements throughout the project management cycle and that there is a complete audit trail of the implementation and reporting for all awards

Awards management:

• Provide strategic support within the SMT on all aspects of award and partnership management including all stages of Award Management Cycle.
• Lead on the development and implementation of the Country Office funding strategy, making recommendations and flagging issues to the SMT and Save the Children members as appropriate by supporting to PDQ team.
• Ensure accurate and up to date information on the award portfolio is readily available to SMT and members.
• Ensure that necessary risks are taken knowingly with appropriate mitigating actions both on award partnership management related.
• Identify, assess, input, recommend on the existing and desired reconciliation process (reporting assurance mechanism) between PDQ, Finance, Procurement, Logistics, Distribution, and M&E to ensure accountable reporting to donors.
• Ensure that the Award Management System (AMS) is effectively manage and maintained, up to date and accurately records the audit trail (data and process) for all awards and sub-awards/partnerships.
• Recruit, train and manage award management staff.
• Build and maintain relationships with relevant networks and award and partnership management staff of similar organisations in the country.
• Support the reporting process to ensure that Ukraine staff better able to capture relevant information in the process of implementation to aid quality report writing (information management).
• Ukraine office able to submit quality reports to members and donors on time supporting the achievement of the global KPIs.
• Support better coordination between members, donors and field teams in terms of the reporting process, responsiveness and information flow with adherence to donor reporting and submission flow chart
• Support capacity building efforts across the Ukraine country office through trainings, learning materials such as training manuals.
• Support the review of high-risk award donor reports periodically

Monitoring and analysis:

• Working in collaboration with the Finance Director and SMT, ensure the CO has a clear framework for master budget development, cost allocation, monitoring of award budgets, phasing and forecasting, ensuring alignment between the master budget and funding tracker.
• Using strong financial analysis skills to oversee the award portfolio and pipeline
• To work in collaboration with the finance department and provide technical advice regarding strategic donor costs allocations with a view to minimise compliance issues where possible
  Leadership, portfolio management & strategy
• Define the strategic direction of the awards management unit and undertake effective planning that supports the unit to establish and maintain an efficient and effective awards management process
• To use key performance indicators and other management information to identify and address operational issues that could impact negatively on the delivery of programmes
• Work with SMT to engage with donors and identify possible funding opportunities in line with CO strategy
• To support in the development of a Country Office funding strategy that enables proactive engagement across Save the Children globally and with donors to secure funding opportunities in a timely manner, making recommendations and flagging issues to Senior Management
• To provide detailed analysis of current/ pipeline awards to senior management
• To engage with Save the Children globally and provide information to support in the building of professional relationships with donors to identify strategic fundraising opportunities

Partnerships:

• Work with relevant program staff to ensure all donors undergo legal vetting prior to commencing work with Save the Children, are engaged with appropriate agreements and effective monitoring systems are in place so that partner delivery meets donor expectations and requirements.
• Work with program and partnership staff to ensure relevant donor requirements are effectively communicated and understood by implementing partners.
• Ensure sub-award database updated on a regular basis.
• Coordinate with Finance and Programme teams for sub-award monitoring and review
• Coordinate corrective actions in response to any internal or external audit findings related to sub-grantee management
• Monitor and provide support to sub-grantees in preparation of their financial and programmatic reports per established agreements.
• Provide regular reports to the SMT on status of required steps in managing sub-award management.
• Through program Implementation team, maintain regular contact with sub-grantees to exchange information on status of sub-grants.

Supervise and manage AM staff:

• Ensure appropriate staffing at all levels of the AM department (Work with Senior Management Team to recruit, manage and motivate team).
• Ensure appropriate gender and ethnic diversity within the AM team.
• Ensure that AM staff have clearly defined objectives and understand their responsibilities.
• Incorporate staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems into team building process. Establish result-based system and follow up
• Ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for AM staff
• Encourage a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation.

General:

Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

COMPETENCIES FOR THIS ROLE:

• Delivering Results

Takes personal responsibility and holds others accountable for delivering our ambitious goals for children, continually improving their own performance or that of the team/organisation

Level required: Leading Edge

• Communicating with Impact

Communicates clearly and confidently with others to engage and influence; promotes dialogue and ensures timely and appropriate messages, building confidence and trust.

Level Required: Leading Edge

• Problem Solving and Decision Making

Takes effective, considered and timely decisions by gathering and evaluating relevant information from within or outside the organisation

Level Required: Leading Edge

• Networking

Builds and uses sustainable relationships and networks to support the work of Save the children with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters

Level Required: Leading Edge

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Experience with award management policies, procedures and systems and Save the Children’s award management system (AMS)
• Previous experience in Awards management in a Humanitarian context
• Previous experience of working with partners and sub-awards
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a demanding workload comprised of diverse and challenging tasks and responsibilities
• Proven track record of active contribution to a senior management team, and providing strategic support across multiple sectors and/or regions
• Extensive experience with NGOs with increasing responsibilities including a proven experience of establishing and running the award management function in the field
• Knowledge of the requirements of major humanitarian institutional donors (ECHO, DEC, OFDA, DFID..) including budgeting, eligibility issues, compliance management, and reporting; experience of engaging with donors at a strategic level
• Well-developed skills in team/staff management. Proven coaching and capacity building skills
• Understanding of the financial aspects of award management, and understanding of operations and programming
• Very strong attention to detail, problem solving skills, and ability to analyse trends
• Computer literate (i.e. Word, Excel, Outlook, Internet Explorer, financial systems)
• Cultural awareness and ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people
• Patient, adaptable, able to improvise, and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure
• Strong communication (written and spoken) in English, and strong interpersonal skills, with experience in managing multicultural teams

Desirable

• Understanding of financial reporting from Save the Children’s accounting software (Agresso)
• Experience of Project Management, M&E Management or Funding Coordination.

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. A copy of the full role profile can be found at www.savethechildren.net/careers

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.