Localisation Initiative Lead at Save the Children

TITLE: LOCALISATION INITIATIVE LEAD

TEAM/PROGRAMME: Transformation Delivery

LOCATION: Centre – London, UK or any existing Save the Children International Regional or Country office worldwide

GRADE: B, Mid-Senior Level

CONTRACT LENGTH: 12 months fixed term, with

CHILD SAFEGUARDING:

Level 2: either the role holder will have access to personal data about children and/or young people as part of their work; or they will be working in a ‘regulated’ position (accountant, barrister, solicitor, legal executive); therefore, a police check will be required (at ‘standard’ level in the UK or equivalent in other countries).

ROLE PURPOSE:

In order to achieve our global breakthroughs for children by 2030, the Save the Children movement has committed to significantly changing the way we work – a core component of which is to shift power to local and national actors. Our Localisation ambition – ‘Local to Global for Impact’ – is an ambitious, multi-year, transformational journey that will see us – and the wider sector – deliver more, better, and fairer impact through context-responsive, locally-designed, locally-led and locally–owned programs for children. We will achieve this by addressing fundamental challenges in the way current aid is delivered to enable and facilitate local actors’ own access to global resources for maximum impact – and we will overcome blockers within our own organization that currently prevents this from happening.

The Localisation Initiative was originally formed to define the strategic approach to Localisation and the high level roadmap for its realization. We are now entering the next phase of the transformation – with the team being given a mandate to accelerate the pace at which we will be able to meet the movement’s Localisation ambition. It consists of a small number of dedicated resources tasked with overcoming a number of blockers to Localisation that currently exist across the movement.

The Localisation Initiative Lead will be accountable for ensuring the timely and quality delivery of key outcomes across prioritised workstreams, as well as to ensure meaningful engagement and buy-in from key stakeholders across the movement. The 3 priority areas of focus in 2023 will be – Culture and Organisation, Funding and Compliance. This role requires both high-level engagement with Member CEOs and Senior Leadership Teams at country, regional and global levels to generate strategic buy-in, as well as hands-on project management skills to ensure the delivery of tangible results in terms of removing the current blockers to Save the Children meeting our Localisation ambition.

The immediate focus will be to establish and mobilise the initiative team and setup the required governance to deliver the priorities. The Localisation Initiative Lead will ensure that identified key stakeholders at all levels understand requirements and expectations on them to fully engage in delivering 2023 localisation work packages. S/he will ensure leadership alignment and understanding on the global ambition, strategic direction, and roadmap to mobilise organisational-wide resources and support for this multi-year transformation. S/he will be responsible for project management by ensuring resources are well-planned and managed; initiative plan is regularly reviewed; initiative team members are well supported to deliver their tasks; risks and issues are identified and addressed; and key outputs and outcomes are delivered according to plan.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Director of Transformation Development

Staff reporting to this post: Senior Business Analyst, Finance Analyst, Communications Manager, Global Change Manager, Partnerships Subject Matter Expert, Funding Lead – Localisation, Awards Subject Matter Expert

Budget Responsibilities: The role will be responsible for managing a budget of $1.1m in 2023, with a view to this expanding in subsequent years.

Role Dimensions:

This initiative has many stakeholders across Save the Children International countries, regions and centre, as well as Save the Children members. Robust engagement includes CEOs and Senior Leadership Teams at country, regional and global levels, Centre technical and functional SMEs (planning and implementing); member, regional, and country offices (planning and implementing), as well as external stakeholders which may include children and young people.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

• Accountable for the delivery of the committed outcomes across all workstreams by the end of 2023

• Lead senior level engagement to ensure sufficient support to enable delivery of the 2023 work plan, as well as buy in for the plan and roadmap for subsequent years

• Set up the team, define the vision and principles and put in place the required governance

• Effectively manage the Initiative Team resources to ensure they understand their responsibilities, are held to account for delivery and their work is in line with the wider objectives and strategic alignment across the movement

• Oversee the completion of the required analysis, providing hands on analytical support as required and ensuring review and sign off of the completed analysis

• Ensure the relevant SMEs required to complete the analysis are understood and made available to the Initiative Team

• Ensure alignment and consideration with the 2022-24 strategy process that is currently underway including feeding into this process as required

• Ensure working groups are put in place to ensure the required input is received from functional SMEs from both SCI and Members

• Ensure impacts of the initiative and associated operational processes including impact on the wider portfolio, change impact and financial impacts are understood and included within the current state and future state documents as well as operational process definitions

• Create and manage a plan for the initiative which covers all three workstreams, as well as wider communication/engagement activities and governance processes

• Ensure project controls including risks, issues and dependencies are documented and reported in line with the Portfolio Management Office requirements and any critical issues are escalated quickly through the agreed channels

• Support the CTO to lead the governance process, ensuring sufficient time is available for review and sign off from the relevant leaders that are agreed up front

• Ensure the budget is defined and managed as part of the Initiative

• Oversee the set up and maintain the repository of documentation to ensure effective knowledge management

• Implement best practices and procedures in project management (in line with SCA agreed methodology and associated processes) and contribute to wider lessons learned and improvements so we continue to drive a continuous improvement agenda

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (SCI Values in Practice)

DELIVERING RESULTS:

• Maintains a broad strategic perspective at the same time as an awareness of the detail of a situation

• Establishes clear and compelling objectives with teams and individuals and monitors progress and performance

• Creates and applies measures and metrics to track performance

• Holds others accountable for achieving results and challenges underperformance

• Demonstrates financial awareness and a concern for cost effectiveness

DEVELOPING SELF AND OTHERS:

• Gives regular positive and constructive feedback to others

• Identifies clear development needs and development

• Plans through regular constructive reviews of their own performance (and their team’s where appropriate)

• Creates space for others to learn and provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments when people are ready for them

• Coaches others to learn from their experiences on the job and to use the resources available to them

APPLYING TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE:

• Makes decisions based on professional expertise and experience without deferring unnecessarily to others

• Shares knowledge and best practice on technical solutions so that others can make best use of that expertise

• Actively seeks new ways to develop the application of technical and professional standards within the team

WORKING EFFECTIVELY WITH OTHERS:

• Enables people from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives to contribute to positive outcomes

• Breaks down silo working and challenges behaviours that are not collaborative

• Knows when to follow and lend leadership to strengthen other leaders

• Recognises when trust is broken and seeks to resolve conflict and re-establish trust

PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING

• Gathers the right information and uses critical thinking to make effective and timely decisions

• Stays with a problem or challenge until a solution is reached or is no longer reasonably attainable

• Knows when to involve others in a decision

• Demonstrates awareness of the wider external influences that impact on decision making

Simplifies processes and procedures wherever possible

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

• Understanding of a structured Project methodology (e.g. PRINCE2) or accredited Project Management training (APM or PMI) including experience leading a project using such a methodology

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential:

• Experience leading a project focused on making changes to operating structures and procedures for an organisation across multiple geographic locations including those with complex labour laws. It is essential this includes experience managing the associated legal, staffing and system requirements
• Experience leading the rollout of a global standardised process and solution in Save the Children or equivalent type of organisation
• A track record of successfully managing projects in terms of core Project Management activities as well as managing the associated change
• Demonstrable experience and in-depth knowledge of programme and project practices and standards
• A proven ability to deliver projects on time / on budget, using project management processes and tools including risk management, benefits management, financial management and quality assurance
• Proven experience of using and leading change management activities including change impact
• A proven ability to apply excellent analytical and problem solving skills, and to work collaboratively to deliver of effective solutions to project related issues. This will include taking on hands on analysis activities to support the wider (small) team as required

• Highly developed organisational awareness and ability to understand sensitivities within a complex multi-stakeholder structure; and think creatively and strategically to overcome obstacles to cooperation and progress

• Team leadership capabilities to support and guide team members and ensure they are clear on their responsibilities and are held to account for their delivery
• Strong business requirements collection, and process/workflow analysis skills
• Excellent communication skills (written & oral English), including the ability to communicate and influence at all levels of the organisation
• Able to demonstrate instances of initiative that have delivered organisational benefits
• Cultural awareness and experience of delivering solutions internationally

Desirable:

• Experience of working on Organisation Design projects
• Non-profit sector knowledge/experience
• Proficiency in a second core language of Save the Children (French, Spanish, Portuguese or Arabic)

Equal Opportunities

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

Health and Safety

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

Additional job responsibilities

The job duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the post holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience. Some degree of international travel maybe required.

JD written by: Apple Chaimontree

Date: November 2022

JD agreed by: Beth Lister

Date: December 2022

Updated By:

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