Programme Manager at Save the Children

The job of Start Fund Programme Manager is challenging but greatly rewarding – providing huge opportunity to add value and truly make a difference!

· Do you want to be directing the performance and the strategic planning of the global Start Fund?

· Are you experienced in working within a dynamic and frequently changing environment, positively and actively managing change for you team and yourself?

· Do you have experience in managing large complex programmes with strong understanding and knowledge of international humanitarian quality standards?

· Are you motivated by our vision of creating a world where every child doesn’t just survive, but thrives, and can go on to change the world?

If the answers to these questions are yes, we would love to hear from you!

About Us

Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children’s unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.

The Start Network is made up of more than 50 aid agencies across five continents, ranging from large international organisations to national NGOs. Start Network aim is to transform humanitarian action through innovation, fast funding, early action, and localisation. We’re tackling what we believe are the biggest systemic problems that the sector faces. Problems including slow and reactive funding, centralised decision-making, and an aversion to change mean that people affected by crises around the world do not receive the best help fast enough, and needless suffering results. Start Network work focuses on three areas to change the system:

Localisation: shifting power to those closest to the front line for more effective response.

New forms of financing: providing fast, early, and predictable funding to improve community resilience and preparedness.

Collective innovation: sharing expertise, insights and perspectives to shape a more effective humanitarian system.

About the Role

The Start Fund is a multi-donor rapid response fund which provides financing to underfunded small to medium scale crises, spikes in chronic humanitarian crises, and to act in anticipation of impending crises, filling a critical gap in humanitarian financing. The Programme Manager role is responsible for overseeing the successful implementation of the programme, managing all contractual obligations and donor compliance, linking the programme with the wider Start Network strategy, business development and managing the relationship with Start member agencies involved in the implementation. You will also manage the team of Start Fund officers.

Key accountabilities

In addition to the above, you will:

· Effectively manage a team of (currently five) Programme Officers responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the Start Fund. This includes managing the alerts cycle, from alert raising, allocation of funds and disbursement to members, to reporting and learning. The team also plays a key role in supporting resource mobilization for the programme, and related donor engagement.

· You will be responsible for identifying improvements to our systems to enable the Start Fund programme to be ready for scale up, as there is an ambitious objective of growth (around 60% in the next three years).

· Along with the Head of Start Funds, play a critical role in developing adequate strategic planning work for the Start Fund, including work to transition the Start Funds into the future financial infrastructure of the Start Network – the Start Financing Facility

· Responsible for the Start Fund’s performance in line with agreed KPIs, including Start Fund timely payments, working closely with the Save the Children finance team

Person profile

To be successful you will:

· Have significant experience in team leadership (including line management) experience

· Demonstrated ability to work inclusively within a globally dispersed team

· Experience in organising events and engaging varied stakeholders in complex issues

· A confident communicator and networker with excellent networking and relationship-building skills

· Proven ability to drive and implement strategy

· Ideally, you will have Knowledge of the Core Humanitarian Standard, SPHERE, the Good Enough Guide and other quality tools

Save the Children UK is committed to diversity and equality of opportunity in all aspects of our work both external and internal. We strive to be an inclusive employer and particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups such as returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people who are LGBT+, from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, with a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, with caring responsibilities, from different nations and regions, and from less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.

Please note that we will be reviewing applications throughout the advertising period and may close the vacancy early due to interest levels, therefore early applications are encouraged.

For more information and to apply please visit our website.

Closing date: April 30, 2021