Manager for Technical Content & Standards

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Manager for Technical Content & Standards to join our global team.

Team and Job Purpose

To enhance the culture of quality and impact across Country Offices by ensuring that the right technical expertise is available at the right place and time. Our purpose is to drive an evidence and accountability agenda and embedding learning throughout our programming and operations. We aim to support the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) function through capacity strengthening, PRIME, and global indicator roll-out, while leading programme incident management, risk escalation, and reporting to uphold our commitment to excellence and accountability. 

Role purpose

The Technical Content & Standards Senior Manager role will be responsible for leading the continued improvement, development, and uptake of Save the Children’s technical content and standards, championing them across the movement and actively seeking ways to embed them further. This role will spend a high percentage of its time on Common Approaches (CA), Save the Children’s 19 evidence-based approaches that support all thematic areas of our work. The CA work includes providing global support to Country Offices on Common Approaches related activities, monitoring CA uptake and continuous improvement, and coordinating between thematic teams on CA-related matters. Additionally, this role has a focus on various aspects of quality programming, supporting various functions across the organisation to design, implement and deliver quality programming in line with our global outcome indicators.

Job Title: Manager for Technical Content & Standards

Reports To: Head of Technical Excellence & Capability

Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available 

Contract Length: Permanent

Grade: M2

Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in, please visit: SCI Careers

Time Zone (that the role holder must be available to work in): Any

Right to Work: The successful candidate must possess the unrestricted right to work in their current or preferred location for the duration of employment. 

Language Requirements: English (desirable Arabic, French and/or Spanish)

International Travel Requirements: TBC

People Management Responsibility: Number of people managed in total: 1 

Manager of a team: Yes

Team Manager (manager of multiple teams): No

Principal Accountabilities

Technical Excellence & Capability:

• Contribute to broader programme quality and impact initiatives as appropriate e.g., working with global ACCM, MEAL, Ops and Breakthrough teams to understand barriers to program quality across functions with country colleagues, and proposing and communicating clear actions to be taken at CO level.
• Coordinate across PIIHA stakeholders to uplift programme quality & impact standards through annual QSSA and regular review of technical standards (e.g. Competency Framework, policies, procedures)
• Support TE&C work to upskill TE, PDQs, and ACCM Directors to lead on programme quality & impact standards during programme design and delivery
• Lead the overall Common Approaches strategy and planning oversight, including integration into Global Strategy, Country Strategic Plan and Global Results Framework processes
• Agree priorities and implement continuous improvement, including in the Common Approaches Procedure as part of the SCI Quality Framework review.
• Ensure Common Approaches are integrated into all relevant systems and act as the point of contact for all systems and systems enhancements. 

Common Approaches Development & Continuous Improvement:

• Facilitate decisions on the Common Approaches pipeline and lead the Common Approaches endorsement process with global thematic (Breakthrough and Advocacy) teams.
• Guide thematic teams through the 4-year Common Approaches review/ update process (review of evidence) based on the Common Approaches Evidence Framework, or more frequent smaller reviews e.g., periodic evidence digests if more feasible. 
• Work with Breakthrough teams and MEAL teams to ensure key evidence gaps are visible and promote evidence generation to address these gaps, e.g. cost effectiveness, and ensure new evidence is synthesised and shared

 Common Approaches Uptake:

• Monitor and contribute to KPI quarterly reporting (via dashboard) for Common Approaches and ensure PRIME data is used by relevant stakeholders to take corrective action to support quality implementation e.g., global thematic teams, country offices TE etc, providing support on solutions and data-related requests
• Accountable for building awareness of Common Approaches and ensuring they are easily accessible to all users; including oversight of material production / updates, the staff induction process for Common Approaches, spotlighting country work and learnings e.g., case studies and webinars, supporting NBD teams to include Common Approaches in programme design, supporting the CA Learning Programme, and other various knowledge management initiatives 
• Work with country offices and thematic teams to facilitate discussion groups among different offices to address challenges associated with the quality uptake of Common Approaches and promote learning from each other

Common Approaches as a localisation initiative:

• Lead a feasibility study to better determine how to localize Common Approaches, developing an organisational stance on how to do this in line with the localisation agenda, and the extent to which Common Approaches should be a public good. Work with country colleagues and global teams on how to pilot and roll out this initiative

Experience and Skills

Essential

1. Exceptional project management skills with the ability to manage multiple work streams and stakeholders simultaneously. 
2. Exceptional relationship building and stakeholder management skills, particularly across a network of international stakeholders to advance evidence-based programming across the Save the Children movement, as well as externally. 
3. Demonstrated experience and capability leading the delivery of business processes within a large and complex international organisation.
4. Experience with principles of evidence-based global programming mechanisms, frameworks, and standards in large, complex organisations. 
5. Experience working in at least one of the five global thematic areas (health & nutrition, education, child protection, child poverty and child rights governance). 
6. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills - experience of solving issues through qualitative and quantitative analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy in. 
7. A strong work ethic and able to take the initiative and ownership to deliver value to the business. 

Skills

1. Leadership and Management: Demonstrated capability in leading diverse and geographically dispersed initiatives with a variety of stakeholders, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. 
2. Excellent communication skills (written and oral English), including: the ability to communicate with technical, non-technical, internal and external stakeholders across different seniority levels, facilitating the resolution of conflicting business requirements, building and maintaining effective relationships, demonstrating approachability, active listening, and valuing diverse perspectives.
3. Cultural Competency: Awareness and respect for different cultures, fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is recognised and valued.

Education and Qualifications 

Essential

• Educational Background: A bachelor's degree in International Development, Social Sciences, Public Administration, or a related field. 
• Professional Qualifications: Any relevant professional qualifications that showcase sound understanding of child rights programming, development studies, or humanitarian aid. Recognising the importance of diversity and equal opportunity, willingness to pursue further qualifications and training as needed.

Desirable

• Proficiency in a second core language of Save the Children (French, Spanish or Arabic)

Working at Save the Children International

Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first.

We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.

We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply.

Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found here via the job listing. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline.

Our recruitment process:

1. Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter
2. Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team
3. Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview
4. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse. All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.