SOS Children’s Villages Programme Director (CVPD) – Local position

Mission of the position:

The SOS Children’s Villages Programme Director (CVPD) leads under the monitoring and guidance of National Office function staff the overall development and implementation of an SOS Children’s Villages Programme (CVP) in response to needs in one or several locations and in line with the vision, mission, values of the organisation. She/he represents the organisation towards governmental and non-governmental stakeholders in the location.

She/he coordinates the CVP activities, ensures high quality and cost-efficient services for children and families from the target group. The CVPD is responsible for the professional implementation of the programme management cycle in the location. She/he leads the managing co-workers within the programme. She/he negotiates with local authorities, advocates for the rights of the target group and involves in professional child welfare networks. She/he actively engages volunteers, partner organisations, institutional funders, donors from the community and identifies potential income sources in cooperation with the Fund Development & Communications function in the National Office and/or the National Director (ND). She/he reports to the ND and cooperates content-wise also with national functional managers. As a member of the National Management Team she/he participates in the annual strategic planning of the Member Association.

Main clients:

• National Director
• National Office functions
• Managing staff of the SOS CV Programme units
• Local and national authorities

Key performance areas and main responsibilities:

Programme Development and Management

• Leads the development and implementation of the SOS CVP in line with the SOS Children’s Villages Programme Policy and related international and national SOS policies, strategies, quality standards and guidelines
• Leads the implementation of the programme management cycle including the CVP planning process as part of MA annual and strategic planning to ensure that interventions are relevant to the local context, respond to the needs of the target group and contribute to the development of sustainable social support systems
• Coordinates and ensures cooperation between all areas of work within the CVP
• Ensures efficiency through best use/sharing of resources across different programme units
• Regularly reports on CVP activities and progress to ND and relevant National Office functions
• Ensures that the CVP is supportive to the brand of the SOS Children’s Villages Organisation

HR Management and organisational development

• Develops appropriate workforce planning in close cooperation with national HRM and ensures full staffing of the CVP
• Establishes a positive, healthy and safe working environment in accordance with mission, vision, values of the organisation
• Continues to build own knowledge and knowledge of team regarding national and Federation trends and strategies in child protection
• Builds and leads an engaged and high performing CVP team
• Recruits, interviews and selects co-workers with proper profile, all according to national recruitment guidelines
• Ensures that all new co-workers are onboarded in quality way
• Ensures and conducts performance management process for all co-workers which includes monitoring staff performance on ongoing basis, conducting annual performance conferences
• Coaches co-workers as appropriate to improve performance
• Contributes to optimise processes between the CVP and the National Office
• Fosters cooperation between National Office staff and their counterparts in the location

Financial and administrative Management

• Builds accountability in the programme by ensuring implementation of simple and effective financial and administrative procedures in accordance with defined policies and guidelines
• Leads the budgeting process in the location(s)
• Monitors budget expenditures and conducts financial and content controlling of CVP in order to ensure that funds are properly used
• Continually looks for ways to provide quality services in a cost-effective manner
• Ensures that budgeting of maintenance costs (construction, repairs, renovation) for SOS property is carried out by the leader of the programme the facility belongs. The CVPD is overall accountable for good facility maintenance in the CVP

Quality Management, Monitoring and Evaluation

• Is overall responsible for quality management in the CVP and ensures the implementation of national and international quality standards with guidance and monitoring from function staff in the National Office
• Is responsible for the implementation of results-based management, including planning, monitoring and evaluation of programmes
• Monitors the implementation of recommendations from national and international audits.

Partnership building, advocacy and cooperation with external stakeholders

• Negotiates and concludes agreements and contracts with state authorities and other organisations with a power of attorney given by the ND
• Leads and coordinates cooperation, partnership building, and networking efforts of the CVP with local and national authorities and other external stakeholders
• Represents together with managing CVP staff the organisation at relevant local networks, forums, platforms, campaigns, working groups and advocates on behalf of the organisation for the promotion of child rights, especially related to children from the target group.

Fund Development and Public Relations

• Promotes the organisation in the public and identifies potential income sources in cooperation with the Fund Development & Communications function in the National Office and/or the ND
• Strives for the highest possible level of programme self-financing with a focus on government subsidies and public funding within the frame of targets agreed at strategic planning process.

Child Safeguarding (CS)

• Leads and coordinates the CS team’s work in the CVP with a particular attention to prevention and awareness raising. This includes carrying out a CS risk assessment and mitigation of existing and possible CS risks in the CVP
• Reports to national CS focal person about all incidents and development of the incident management on a timely manner (bi-annually or quarterly)
• Is responsible for the implementation of proposed CS incident actions in the CVP
• Is responsible to maintain CS incident register at the programme level
• Is responsible to organise review of incidents dealt with in the CVP
• Takes decision to close the incident managed by CS team in CVP after implementation of respective action plan
• Ensures new co-workers receive CS orientation during the onboarding period
• Ensures CVP co-workers’ CS capacity building and specific individual CS support
• Assesses capacity building needs of the CS team on programme level and plans support actions in cooperation with national CS focal person and HR manager
• Acts as a child rights ambassador to influence communities, policymakers, governments, other stakeholders to make them understand the importance of protecting children and young people and to take action
• Establishes diverse reporting channels, incl. anonymous, for co-workers, children, young people.

Direct supervisor: National Director

Functional supervisor: National Programme Development Director, Finance Director, HR Manager, Head of FDC.

Must criteria:

• • Higher degree in social sciences, public administration, business administration, law
    – Minimum 3 years management experience in social welfare field, preferably in the sector of child and youth welfare
    – Minimum 3 years leadership experience
    – Strong communication, negotiation and advocating skills
    – Strong in leading, planning and managing
    – Good knowledge of English.

Competencies – knowledge, skills, abilities:

• • Leadership and people management: able to build engaged and high performing teams committed to the programme goal, interested in own and team’s learning and development
    – Good skills in programme management, project cycle management, monitoring and evaluation
    – Good knowledge of standards, legal issues, developments in the social welfare field, particularly in child and youth welfare. Good knowledge of and commitment to children’s rights
    – Open for innovation
    – Highly organised, result-oriented, collaborative way of work fostering integration and teamwork
    – High level of communication and presentation skills, networking building skills to foster effective relations and build partnerships with local stakeholders
    – Good knowledge in financial management, budgeting
    – Basic knowledge in fund development, particularly in public funding
    – Computer literacy (MS Office).

We offer:

• A diverse range of interesting tasks in a leading INGO multicultural working environment
• As a responsible employer we provide a range of training schemes and encourage educational enhancement.
• The chance to be part of a multicultural team of supportive, hardworking, and values-driven people.