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 work together, with our partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.
We have over two million supporters worldwide and raised 1.6 billion dollars last year to reach more children than ever before, through programmes in health, nutrition, education, protection and child rights, also in times of humanitarian crises.
By mid-2013 most of our international programmes will be delivered through a merged operation with 14 000 staff, managed through seven regional hubs and reporting to a relatively small, central office. We’re changing to become more efficient, more aligned, a better partner, a stronger advocate, a magnet for world-class p eople and relevant for the 21st century.
We work together, with our partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.
We have over two million supporters worldwide and raised 1.6 billion dollars last year to reach more children than ever before, through programmes in health, nutrition, education, protection and child rights, also in times of humanitarian crises.
By mid-2013 most of our international programmes will be delivered through a merged operation with 14 000 staff, managed through seven regional hubs and reporting to a relatively small, central office. We’re changing to become more efficient, more aligned, a better partner, a stronger advocate, a magnet for world-class p eople and relevant for the 21st century.
The role:
As a member of the Senior Management Team, the Director of Programme Operations shares in the overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the Country Office. The Director of Programme Operations in his/her capacity is responsible for implementation of all programming in country, including the management of all sub offices and logistics. Assist Director of Programs in design of emergency preparedness procedures and take lead on implementation of emergency programs. Key areas of accountability:
As a member of the Senior Management Team, contribute to:
- Leadership of the Jordan 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
- Help design and implement a coherent organizational structure that is consistent with agency practices and appropriate to program needs
- Help establish, maintain, and improve active and regular working relationships with: host government authorities, donors, partner agencies including major institutional donors, and local and international NGOs
- Ensure that the required support is provided promptly, at scale and in line with the rules and principles during emergencies, working closely with the Regional Office
Oversight and Management of Program Operations
- Responsible for overall coordination of program implementation and responsible for field delivery of high quality programming in line with the objectives of the country strategy
- In close coordination with the Director of Programmes and the Director of Support Services, participate in the program proposal process and ensure that all programmes progress in accordance with grant agreements, are completed on time and on budget
- Working with Director of Programmes, participate in designing, innovative and high quality programmes to serve difficult to reach children
- Manage and support budget holders for individual projects and grants
- Ensure programmes are implemented in response to the communities, and children in line with Save the Children principles, values and strategic plan and following Save the Children compliance procedures. This includes working with government and national NGO-partners to strengthen national capacity
- Require managers to prepare timely and high quality progress reports, programme reports, and donor reports in a manner to allow review and consolidation efficiently.
- Oversee all sub-offices
Logistics, Inventory and Procurement
- Ensure that the CO logistics capacity and systems meet the SCI MOS and are able to satisfy the programming requirements
- Ensure appropriate and adequate emergency logistics procedures are detailed in the Country Office Emergency Preparedness Plan in order to enable rapid scale up
- Ensure procurement processes are effectively implemented and the procurement team is negotiating the best deals (including cost, quality and after sales service) with suppliers
- Manage the fixed assets by implementing a system of controls separating the functions of purchasing and inventory.
Emergency Response Management
- Strengthen the Jordan CO organisational readiness to respond to emergencies in line with global SCI emergency goal and benchmarks
- Provide significant support for the CO to design, update and implement a full set of emergency preparedness actions, drawing on SC member input and resources
- Mount appropriate and timely responses at scale to all emergencies consistent with established benchmarks, plans and organizational policies, and in close cooperation with incoming surge teams
- Ensure that all CO staff across departments and sub offices are familiar with, adhere to and implement the procedures and processes detailed in the Rules and Principles for emergency response
- In coordination with Country Director and Director for Programmes maintain active engagement in key inter-agency emergency preparedness and response coordination mechanisms including the Cluster system
Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development – Programme Operations
- Ensure appropriate staffing within Program Operations, including sub office staff
- Ensure that all staff understand and are able to perform their role in an emergency
- Manage Programme Implementation team; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly
- Develop staff capacity by training, and promoting staff as appropriate and in coordination with HR, ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for staff
- Establish result based system and follow up
- Manage the performance of all staff in the Programme Operations work area through:
- Effective use of the Performance Management System including the establishment of clear, measureable objectives, on-going feedback, periodic reviews and fair and unbiased evaluations;
- Incorporate staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems into team building process.
- Coaching, mentoring and other developmental opportunities;
- Recognition and rewards for outstanding performance;
- Documentation of performance that is less than satisfactory, with appropriate performance improvements/ work plans
Qualifications and experience
- Substantial management experience in an NGO environment, including significant field operations experience in both emergency and development programs
- Master degree in development or other social sciences or equivalent.
- Robust experience of NGO emergency programme cycle management, and with experience of working within a complex and matrix organisation structure
- US Government funding programme management experience required; ECHO and EU highly desired.
- A very good understanding of at least 3 of the sectoral programs and a working knowledge of the program priorities of the Country Office which include Education, Child protection, Youth Development, Food Security and Livelihoods
- Substantial experience in logistics, including procurement,
- Experience in international humanitarian systems, institutions and donors, and of procedures, accountability frameworks and best practices in emergency management
- Familiar with effective financial and budgetary control and managing grants from major institutional donors
- Solid project management skills related to organisational development projects and international, cross-functional teams with a proven history of delivering results
- Ability to analyze information, evaluate options and to think and plan strategically
- An in-depth understanding of national and international children in crisis issues
- Previous experience of managing and developing a team and the ability to lead, motivate and develop others
- Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
- Ability and willingness to change work practices and hours, and work with incoming teams in the event of major emergencies
- Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles including rights-based approaches
- Fluency in English required and conversational Arabic desired.
We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
Please note that the closing date for applications is 8th January, 2013.
For further information on this role, please see our website at www.savethechildren.net/jobs
How to apply:
Please apply with a covering letter and up-to-date CV to: jobs.29449.3830@savethechildrenint.aplitrak.com
