CHILD SAFEGUARDING:

Level 3:  the role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work in country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ROLE PURPOSE:

As a member of the Extended Senior Management Team (ESMT) in Pakistan, the Senior Manager of Program Quality, Evidence Impact (PQEI) and New Business Development (NBD) is responsible for driving cross-functional engagement in the development and delivery of Country Strategy Plans (CSPs), developing annual plans and reporting on results. Under the leadership of Programs Director, the incumbent is responsible for ensuring development and delivery of high quality, evidence-based, innovative programs for children, in all contexts, that contribute to Save the Children’s global Breakthroughs: Learn, Survive, Be Protected. The Sr. Manager PQEI and NBD ensures that a robust monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) system is in place, that the country office engages in the collection and use of evidence and that this is shared across the global organization, and that reliable data is used for decision-making.  A key aspect of the role is ensuring capability building, mentoring and coaching of technical specialists in order to support program quality in line with global standards and key performance indicators. S/he plays a representational role with the government, donors, partners, peer agencies, SC Members and others.  Sr. Manager PQEI and NBD along with Programs Director supports strategic positioning with donors and partners and leads on project design to ensure that the country office strategy can be delivered in line with child rights programming principles.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Director Programs

Staff reporting to this post: TE Climate Change, TE Shelter/WASH. TE Education, TE CP, Gender & MHPSS, TE Nutrition/ Health, TE FSL/CVA, NBD Coordinator, MEAL+MIS Coordinator

Budget Responsibilities: As per Scheme of Delegation

Role Dimensions:

As one of the members of the Extended Senior Management Team (SEMT) of the Country Office, the Sr. Manager PQEI and NBD will oversee both humanitarian response and long term development programming. It is essential that the position holder builds and maintains strong relationships across functions within the CO, including with team members from Support Services and s/he should lead by example in demonstrating this cross-functional collaboration.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Strategy, Planning & Reporting

• Lead the development/updating of the Child Rights Situation Analysis, including analysis of country context and taking into account child rights principles, ensuring participation and buy-in from all relevant staff, partners and other stakeholders as necessary

• Support Program Director in Leading the SMT to develop/update and drive forward the Country Strategy Plan (CSP) that is in line with the global strategy, Ambition 2030, with child rights at the core of all programming and advocacy work.

• Support Program Director onon development of the Country Annual Plan, monitoring of progress against the plan, and completion of accurate, on-time Country Annual Report of outcomes and impact for children, aligned with the Global Results Framework.

• Facilitate the development and pursuit of thematic and cross-cutting strategic priorities in line with the CSP, including gender equality and Save the Children’s Common Approaches, to guide current and future SC programming and Humanitarian Strategies.

• Support ownership and commitment to the Country Office strategy by all staff and departments through clear communication, regular feedback on progress and engagement of all functions in updates.

• Participate in global discussions and working groups to represent country office, and the voice of children, in strategy design and technical leadership.

• Support change processes and roll-out new ways of working in support of the CSP.

• Drive strategic thinking that is underpinned by thought leadership & Innovation.

• Support CD to provide leadership and direction for the country office to become a Learning Organization.

Program Design & Development

• Work with the Awards, New Business Development teams on strategic resource mobilization, positioning for opportunities that will drive the CSP.

• In consultation with the Country Director, Program Director and Members, ensure technical engagement with donors to pre-position for opportunities, leading engagement directly as appropriate.

• Play a leading role in designing innovative, writing and high impact programmes/projects and proposals, including:

• Leading in writing and finalizing donors' quarterly & final reports, evaluation studies, assessments, surveys, base lines etc.

• Leading the team of technical experts (TE) to ensure high quality, evidence-based designs that draw on needs assessments, learning from past programs and child safeguarding principles;

• Ensuring partners are identified and appropriately engaged in program design, linking with Operations and Awards teams for assessments, especially to strengthen gender sensitivity at design stage;

• Ensuring proposal designs and their budgets include robust MEAL plans that are aligned with the Global Results Framework (and therefore advance towards our Breakthroughs), incorporate Common Approaches as relevant, and build in critical learning questions.

• Ensuring the project budget will enable the project to be delivered as designed.

• Incorporating child and community participation into design, as relevant.

Program Quality & Program Technical Excellence

• Ensure the country program delivers high quality, multi-sectoral programming in both development and humanitarian contexts (as appropriate). 

• Monitor and advance technical and operational quality of programmes, including conducting regular field visits to provide feedback on quality benchmarks, soliciting inputs for design of new programs and collecting ideas for innovation.

• Monitor program Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and, in partnership with other functions, take steps to ensure the attainment and maintenance of green status for all program quality KPIs.

• Work closely with the Director of Operations to ensure Quality Framework standards are met and procedures are followed throughout the project cycle and across the portfolio. 

• Ensure TE proactively and regularly communicate planned requirements for program design, learning and implementation to relevant CO departments/functions.

• Build and lead a team of program technical experts needed to successfully deliver against the CSP. Ensure effective working relationships with SC global, Member and regional technical advisors, procuring technical support as needed to support program and advocacy efforts, including during Emergencies.

• Ensure that program TE engage in larger communities of practice within and external to Save the Children, to link with the most relevant and evidence-based approaches and conduct timely and useful review of project reports to support quality reporting for Members and donors

• Ensure that the different technical sectors of the Country Office are coordinated, integrated and support each other to optimize programs and projects.

• Ensure that child safeguarding and safe programming is embedded in program design and considered throughout implementation to ensure that we do all we can to ensure children in our programs are safe, in line with our child safeguarding policy.

• Lead the development and use of innovative approaches to improving quality in programme life cycle management; ensure that programme design embeds common approaches where relevant and leverage global best practices; Support the adoption of Save the Children’s Project Management Methodology (PMM) and PRIME and ensure they enhance programme quality and generate evidence

• Ensure technical competency in cross cutting themes including Gender, Disability and Resilience.

Research, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Learning (MEAL) and Knowledge Management

• Oversee a monitoring system that provides timely and accurate project results by embedding MEAL across program implementation; ensure effective collaboration across MEAL staff, TE and program implementation teams to develop logframes, indicators, implementation plans, quality benchmarks, monitoring and evaluation frameworks and related tools.

• Lead programme quality improvements by monitoring and improving Programme KPI performance, including resourcing and conducting high-quality evaluations to demonstrate outcomes and impact and ensuring that accountability mechanisms are in place for all projects so that identified actions are resolved, with critical issues escalated to senior management.

• Ensure the research, evaluation and policy work of the Country Office contributes to generation of evidence for development and improvement of Common Approaches, sound decision making and policy influencing internally and externally.

• Establish effective program learning and knowledge management systems to support adaptive programming and innovation that improves outcomes for children.

Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development

• Ensure appropriate staffing of the team, reflecting all priority technical and sector aspects of the Save the Children global strategy and humanitarian mandate, engaging additional technical support when needed to deliver quality project design and delivery.

• Ensure that all PQEI staff understand and are able to perform their role in delivering first-class, quality programs for children in both development and emergency contexts through effective onboarding and clear workplans.

• Manage individual and team performance using principles of leadership agility, and Save the Children’s performance management system.

• Ensure that staff proactively build and maintain technical, managerial and leadership skills, including competencies in child rights programming, child safeguarding and Common Approaches, providing coaching opportunities when needed.

Partnership and external engagement

• Play a leading role in identifying nurturing and strengthening strategic partnerships with local and international civil society organizations, NGOs, government ministries etc., in advancing the country and global strategy to inspire our three breakthroughs for the most deprived and marginalised children.

• Champion localisation and partnership to grow Save the Children’s work through and with partners, and provide technical support and capability building to implementing and strategic partners.

• Ensure that Save the Children plays a full and leading role in technical working groups, and clusters where these are activated with particular attention to Save the Children’s role as global co-lead for education.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values

• holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

• Quality proposal submission to the Members, Donors and fund raising to meet CSP ambition    

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same

• widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others

• future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters

• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength

• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions

• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Master’s Degree or Bachelor’s Degree or higher in relevant social science, human rights, development studies, NGO management or equivalent fields.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• A minimum of eight years of progressive management experience and/ or humanitarian and development experience, including experience designing and implementing programs for children.

• Experience in one or more of Save the Children's thematic sectors: education, child protection, child rights governance, health and nutrition, child poverty, emergencies

• Strong skills and proven experience in leading strategic planning, change management and program management processes; also from the knowledge and learning perspective.

• Demonstrable experience and proven track record in leading resource mobilisation efforts for large-scale development funding, with a successful track record in securing multimillion-dollar grants.

• Strong skills and proven experience in new program development, project design and proposal writing with institutional donors, corporate, and foundations

• Credibility to lobby, influence and represent Save the Children at all levels.

• Experience in developing and managing monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning systems.

• Experienced people manager with excellent listening, inter-personal, communication and networking skills; proven experience and effectiveness working across functional teams and in a matrixed structure; and an ability to work with diverse populations.

• Skills in training, capability building, coaching, mentorship, problem solving, and project cycle management.

• High level of self-awareness and willingness to take feedback for growth and self-development.

• Proven experience as a team player and leader in an international organisation.

• Fluent written and spoken English.

• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles including rights-based approaches

Desirable

• Experience of research and learning/evidence building

• Understanding of advocacy, policy, and government systems in Pakistan, and particular experience with child rights programming, including UNCRC.

• Ability and willingness to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming teams, in emergencies

• Ability and willingness to spend up to 30% of time in Field

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

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.

Safeguarding our Staff:

The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Save the Children holds its Safeguarding principles and policies with high importance and commits to rigorous procedures to ensure all our personnel and programs are safe, particularly for children. All candidates will, therefore, be subject to strict background checks.

Qualified candidates from minorities, indigenous groups, women and people with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.