Job Vacancies at Save the Children


Save the Children is the world's leading independent organisation for children. We work in 120 countries. We save children's lives; we fight for their rights; we help them fulfil their potential. We are recruiting to fill the position below: Job Title: Senior Technical Advisor/Head of Education Location: Abuja Role Purpose

  • As a member of the extended senior management team (ESMT), the post holder will lead on quality design, delivery, and representation of Save the Children's Education programming in Nigeria.
  • S/he will provide strategic leadership and assume the overall responsibility for the growth, development and quality implementation of the education portfolio in Nigeria. S/He must bring a senior leadership profile with a proven track record in education and a sound technical background in programme design and delivery. The incumbent must also have experience managing complex programming delivery in fragile contexts.
Scope of Role
  • Reports to: Director of Program Development and Quality
  • Nigeria is one of the most challenging and dynamic working environments that Save the Children currently works in. The country has the highest number of out of school children in the world, 13 million and is also facing a humanitarian crisis in the North-eastern states.
  • This is a challenging role in a complex environment. It requires a dedicated, experienced and highly motivated individual who can manage the demands of both the development and humanitarian sectors and still be fundamental in helping to drive forward our programmes and our ambitions. Joining Save the Children here now is thus an immensely exciting opportunity.
  • The outbreak of conflict in the North East of Nigeria has seen a huge displacement of the population and the need for more targeted education in emergencies interventions.
Key Areas of Accountability Strategic Leadership:
  • Lead the development and implementation of Save the Children in Nigeria’s Education strategy, consistent with organizational goals, the Country Strategic Plan and resource availability. Ensure that programme remains relevant to the external environment and needs of children.
  • Lead and design Country Annual Planning for the Education sector.
  • Ensure quality programme implementation across education programming areas – both humanitarian and development initiatives in education. To be responsible for the overall technical aspect of Save the Children education programme work in Nigeria.
  • Serve as the point of contact for all matters related to education, particularly the scaling up or down of the Save the Children education programmes, emergency response capacity, cluster representation, policy development and capacity building.
  • Work at the policy level with high-level decision makers from the host government, participating in strategy development, policy making, and technical discussions, as well as negotiating to determine priorities for development.
  • Be fully aware of national policies, strategies and other initiatives and developments by government and other stakeholders relating to the education, and related Child Protection, Health, Nutrition, Livelihoods and Child Survival issues.  Regularly assess and communicate the implications for Save the Children’s programme and priorities of any changes in the operating environment relevant to this theme in close collaboration with the relevant advisor(s). Advocate for policy reforms that will promote the effective implementation of Save the Children’s education strategy.
  • Promote the sharing of best practice and learning in relation to programming, advocacy and campaign activities amongst Area Programmes in the country, including among Save the Children International in the region.
  • Ensure that the core principles and policies of Save the Children International regarding child rights, child protection, and children’s participation are practised in the education work.
  • Fulfil the SCI and Education Global Initiative mandate including SCI requirements in reporting.
  • Share technical expertise and support capacity building with the education team in the field
Monitoring and evaluation:
  • Ensure adequate ongoing monitoring and evaluation of all education programs.
  • Review relevant monitoring reports to donors to ensure that technical aspects are well articulated and reports are of acceptable quality before submission. Provide support where necessary to improve report writing skills.
  • Ensure that the Global Impact Monitoring system is applied to and integrated within the education sector.
  • Ensure all SC member M&E requirements are monitored and reported on as well as SCI global education indicators
  • Where external consultants are required to technically support or monitor and evaluate projects, lead the recruitment and subsequent management of contracted consultants as per the recruitment guidelines.
  • Ensure the development of an M&E framework that helps each project improve quality of reporting, clearly articulate progress and impact of projects, identify issues for advocacy and new programmes/projects in the future.
Emergency Response:
  • Act as Education Technical Lead for any education emergency response in Nigeria. Lead emergency education assessments as necessary, education preparedness and response plans with exit strategies.
Capacity building / technical support:
  • Provide technical support towards capacity building for education officials at the federal, state, LGEA, schools, partners, communities, and other related government agencies/parastatals as required.
Coordination and Programme Development:
  • Represent Save the Children at national, regional and international level Education cluster meetings, technical working group meetings, Ministry of Education meetings, and other relevant forums.
  • Meet regularly and liaise closely with relevant authorities (i.e. Federal/State Ministry of Education, Universal Basic Education Commission and SUBEBs/ UN / other NGOs / Education (Cluster) Working Group
  • Work in close partnership with other thematic advisors such as Child Protection, Nutrition, Health, WASH and Livelihoods regarding integrated programming and Cross-Thematic quality team.
  • In consultation with children, communities, local government authorities, non-state actors, and relevant national technical departments, supervise the design of new Education (or proposals with educational components) proposals. This responsibility also includes ensuring links across the whole programme
  • Design programmes in line with calls for proposals from donors in Nigeria
  • Keep abreast of international developments and debates regarding education, in order to advise and assist Save the Children to effectively respond to developments and participate in debates.
  • Help to identify high value and high potential fundraising and mobilization opportunities for education programs working in close collaboration with relevant management staff, fundraising and Policy teams to ensure that new funding proposals are in accordance with country and global strategies and policies.
  • Analyzing donor priorities and positions on issues related to education; identifying institutional funding opportunities and developing and maintaining contacts with potential donors, partners and key technical agencies
Qualifications and Experience
  • An education professional with a Master's Degree in education or equivalent.
  • Significant (at least 10 years) professional experience of working at a senior advisory level in education for international NGOs in complex settings. Specific experience in education in emergencies (EiE) is highly valued.
  • Strong commitment to capacity building of national staff and partners with willingness to adopt participatory and consultative approaches.
  • Substantial progressive, professional-level experience at the management level with background in early childhood education and primary education
  • Ability to make links between education, livelihoods, educations and health interventions within the context of an integrated program approach
  • An ability to effectively negotiate with prospective donors and a demonstrated ability to develop and write detailed technical project proposals meeting donor requirements, including budgets for the same. Strong report writing skills,
  • Ability to perform at a senior policy level must be demonstrable, and good communication, advocacy and leadership skills are critical.
  • The ability to liaise and effectively coordinate with government, local NGOs and community initiatives. Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and negotiate clearly and effectively at all levels, taking into account cultural and language difficulties.
  • A desire to learn the Nigerian political, social and cultural characteristics is expected. Have a broad appreciation for the issues and process of participatory development.
  • Proven experience of living and working in insecure environments, able to follow security guidelines. The ability to research and utilise existing local government and other technical expertise where applicable.
  Job Title: Director of Programme Development and Quality Location: Abuja Role Purpose
  • The Director of Program Development and Quality shares in the overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the Country Office program. As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in Nigeria, the Director of Program Development and Quality is responsible for overseeing the development of high quality, innovative programs that deliver immediate and lasting change for children and monitoring the quality of the implementation of those programs.
  • Provide technical assistance and appropriate monitoring and evaluation in emergency responses.
Key Areas of Accountability As a member of the Senior Management Team, contribute to:
  • Leadership of the Nigeria Country Office
  • Support the development of an organisational culture that reflects our dual mandate values, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, and frees up our people to deliver outstanding results for children and excellent customer service for our members and donors
  • Ensure 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
Strategic Planning:
  • Provide strategic vision and direction to the Save the Children Nigeria program
  • Take a lead role in developing program strategies and annual plans ensuring coordination of all technical input to country strategy, proposals and reports
Program Design/Development and Technical Assistance:
  • Responsible for grant acquisition ensuring that Nigeria country office has adequate funding to deliver on its strategic priorities.
  • Ensure the design and development of child focused emergency and development programs of a high quality that contribute to the Country Office’s strategies and plans, informed by child participation where possible
  • Ensure that all sectors apply a risk lens to program design and implementation in line with the Save the Children policy on Disaster Risk Reduction
Innovation, Research & MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning):
  • Maintain a robust M&E and Accountability systems to measure achievement and progress toward program goals and results
  • Lead on internal and external program/project evaluations as necessary and ensure the execution of baseline, periodic, and final evaluations as necessary in coordination with Director of Program Operations
  • Lead on child rights situations analysis and ensure first class technical assistance is secured to produce robust analysis and includes participation of key stakeholders including children and their families
  • Ensure learning by the country program from relevant best practice internally and externally both nationally and globally and make learning from Nigeria available for other programs.
Advocacy:
  • Identify key opportunities and events for Save the Children Nigeria CO to position itself as the leading organisation for children’s issues in Nigeria
  • Working with the Director of Advocacy, ensure that Save the Children receives national recognition for achieving proven and innovative National and State level impact from well-managed child development programs and emergency response
Strategic Partnerships:
  • Ensure that every partnership is formed in the context of the Theory of Change and is designed and managed so that the partnership furthers achievement of Save the Children's global strategy and strengthens local and national capacity to deliver for children
  • Analyse potential strategic partners using documented selection methods and ensure that all partners comply with Save the Children and donor requirements and regulations
  • Ensure that the Nigeria Country Office engages in mutual assessment, feedback and learning with partners and assist partners to engage in knowledge building and advocacy
Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development – Program Development and Quality:
  • Ensure appropriate staffing within Program Development and Quality
  • Ensure that all staff understand and are able to perform their role in an emergency
  • Manage Program Development and Quality team; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly
  • Ensure the recruitment, training, and promotion of staff as appropriate and ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for staff
Qualifications and Experience
  • Recommended a minimum of 10 years' management experience in a corporate or an NGO environment, including experience directing and implementing programs for children in both emergency and development contexts, preferably with solid experience in more than one of the Save the Children priority sectors: education, protection, rights governance, HIV/AIDs, health and nutrition, and emergencies.
  • Recognized leadership role in relevant technical areas at both field and country level
  • Strong management and leadership skills with the ability to motivate and get the best out of teams
  • Masters degree in Social Sciences, in an area of social development
  • A general appreciation of the issues concerning the NGO sector, both development and humanitarian issues
  • Solid experience of developing and managing monitoring and learning systems
  • Good analytical skills. Effective negotiator, with the ability to positively influence cross departmental and cross sector working
  • Credibility to lobby, influence and represent Save the Children at all levels
  • Resource management, training, capacity building, coaching, and mentoring skills
  • Good understanding and knowledge of gender equity and diversity
  • Ability and willingness to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming teams, in emergencies
  • Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children's aims, values and principles including rights-based approaches
  • Fluency in written and spoken English
  • Experience of developing consortia programmes and working with and in consortia
  • Experience of contracting and managing technical assistance to carry out research and studies.
  Job Title: Senior Humanitarian Logistics Manager Location: Borno Role
  • This role will lead or manage the set up or scale up of all emergency response logistics functions and responsibilities and will manage logistics staff.
  • This role will support the Humanitarian Response Team Leader and other members of the senior management team on the best use of Save the Children’s resources, and will usually work at a country level.
  • The role will include logistics support to large and/or complex programmes, with a broad spread of programmes, staffing, thematic interventions, and complexity.
  • As such, the role may include remote management, management of multiple field bases or direct line management of a large single project or function.
  • The post-holder will learn lessons from each assignment to help improve future practice.
Main Responsibilities
  • Management of all programme logistics; develop/implement the country logistics policies and procedures for the management of the supply chain, including procurement, transport and distribution, warehousing and stock management, and for the management of vehicle fleets, communication systems, and assets
  • Ensure that Save the Children  minimum standards of logistics procedures and country policies are implemented and adhered to throughout the programme, briefing and supporting relevant staff as required
  • Manage and support logistics staff including ensuring appropriate team structures, clear division of responsibilities, clear objectives, and management of performance
  • Ensure that the supply chain is appropriate and cost effective, based on budget, markets, infrastructure, nature of the Save the Children  programmes, and need for timely delivery
  • Provide advice and support to Humanitarian Team Leader on logistics issues, and collaborate with staff on budgets, technical aspects of the programme, and implementation mechanisms as required
  • Where appropriate, be responsible for developing and implementing emergency preparedness strategies across the logistics aspects of the operation
  • Provide logistics training and capacity building as required across the programme
  • The post-holder will comply with all relevant Save the Children policies and procedures with respect to child safeguarding, safety and security, code of conduct, equal opportunities and other relevant policies.
Core Behaviours Understanding humanitarian contexts and application of humanitarian principles:
  • Leads on the development of an organisational response based on an understanding of the contexts
Achieving results effectively:
  • Accountability - ensure efficient and transparent use of resources in accordance with internal controls
  • Decision making - demonstrates flexibility to adapt to plans and make decisions in rapidly changing environments
  • Impact - Makes changes to improve performance as a result of information received
  • Programme Quality - Creates measures and metrics to track performance
Maintaining and developing collaborative relationships:
  • Establishes clear objectives with teams and individuals, and monitors progress and performance
  • Uses negotiation and conflict resolution skills to support positive outcomes
Operating safely and securely:
  • Takes appropriate, coordinated and consistent action to handle situations of personal risk and risk for others
  • Reduces vulnerability by complying with safety and security protocols set by the organisation
Managing yourself in a pressured and changing environment:
  • Able to identify, and act on, low levels of resilience in others
  • Remains focussed on the objectives and goals in a rapidly changing environment
  • Demonstrates personal integrity by using one’s position responsibly and fairly
Leadership: Action; Thinking; Self; Inspiring; Developing Others
  • Delivers results and always acts with the beneficiaries in mind
  • Demonstrates managerial courage by confronting difficult situations, seeking resolution and championing ideas
  • Adapts plans and approaches based upon awareness of the external context
  • Works to ensure that the workplace is inclusive and the talents of team members are harnessed to achieve individual and organisational success
Qualifications and EXperience Essential:
  • Significant prior iNGO experience in logistics management, within a complex/large scale country programme and in emergency response/humanitarian environments
  • Substantial experience in all technical areas of logistics operations including procurement, transport/distribution, warehousing and stock management, fleet management, asset management, communications, and security
  • Experience of developing / implementing a complex international supply chain to support different types of programmes, and coordinating resources to meet the programme objectives
  • Experience of working in remote field bases with limited infrastructure
  • Proven track-record in managing and supervising others in logistics, including training and capacity building
  • Ability to synthesize and analyze complex information, and make clear, informed decisions
  • Experience of advising and supporting others at all levels with logistics aspects of a programme, including strategic thinking and planning
  • Ability to build relationships quickly with a wide range of people, both internally and externally
  • 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), and interpersonal skills in English and French, with experience in managing multicultural teams
Desirable:
  • Technical experience/training in specific areas of logistics eg fleet mechanics, IT/communications networks
  • Technical experience/knowledge in specific types of humanitarian intervention eg Health, WASH, Food Security
  • Formal management training
  • Knowledge of Hausa language
  • Previous experience with Save the Children in a similar capacity
  • Previous experience in northeast Nigeria or the Lake Chad Basin
How to Apply Interested and qualified candidates should: Click here to apply Application Deadline: 14th March, 2017.