Lead, Movement Development & Quality Standards

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Lead, Movement Development and Quality Standards to join our global team.

Team and Role Purpose

The Strategy, Planning and Movement Development team plays a critical role in supporting SCI and the wider SCA movement to deliver on its 2030 breakthroughs by leading the development and monitoring of our global strategy and country strategies and facilitating Global Team and Country Office planning processes. The Team ensures Save the Children can respond to new and emerging opportunities by conducting horizon scanning and monitoring of developments across the sector, supporting leadership with strategic analysis on high priority issues, and leading on initiatives to shape the future of the movement. The team also plays a critical role in maintaining common and high-quality standards across all SCA entities, managing the Quality Framework within SCI and the Mutual Accountability Framework across members, and driving effective implementing office operating models and member governance. We are a diverse, inclusive and high performing team that delivers insightful, actionable outcomes to support the effectiveness and sustainability of the Save the Children movement.

Role purpose

The Lead, Movement Development and Quality Standards will lead the development and management of innovative operating models, building organisational capacity, providing technical expertise and facilitating the adoption of fit-for-purpose models, contributing to building a strong quality culture and ensuring one global quality standard of the work of Save the Children. 

We are seeking a Lead, Movement Development and Quality Standards to join the Strategy, Planning and Movement Development Global Team. This role will lead the development and implementation of our operating models work, building organisational capacity, facilitating operating model adoption and management by global entities, and contributing to building a strong quality culture across Save the Children. 

The successful candidate will have experience of designing and rolling out effective solutions informed by user feedback, data and evolving organisational needs, as well as a strong understanding of how to build capacity and consistent practice. They will have demonstrable experience of managing complex initiatives, and insight into the management and adaptation of country-level entity operating models in an international NGO.

Job Title: Lead, Movement Development and Quality Standards

Reports To: Senior Manager, Movement Development and Quality Standards

Work Pattern: On-site/Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available

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

Required Time Zone: Any

Contract Length: Permanent

Right to Work: The successful candidate must have the right to work in the country where the role is based, for the duration of employment. 

Language Requirements: English

International Travel: up to 10% 

Remit: Global

Principal Accountabilities

• Lead on the planning and delivery of our operating models work, and evolve and strengthen operating models across the movement in line with our locally led, globally connected ambitions
  • Working with stakeholders, identify and prioritise critical operating model gaps with a view to driving resolution forward at the global level.
  • Manage key operating model updates in line with user feedback, shifting contexts, and organisational needs.
  • Proactively identify interdependencies and needs arising from other team and global initiatives, ensuring that our operating models work supports and enables organisational priorities and country strategies, in close collaboration with key stakeholders.
  • In collaboration with the Strategy, Planning and Movement Development Team, facilitate our geopresence work through the adaptation of operating models to local contexts and needs, and the development of resources.
  • Identify and promote operating model best practices and promising models that are shown to achieve optimal results against strategic, programmatic and operational metrics.
    
     
• Lead on facilitating confident, effective and autonomous operating models practices by implementing offices and other key stakeholders 
  • Lead on the design and delivery of capacity-building support for global teams and implementing offices.
  • Development and continuous improvement of resources that provide technical and practical guidance, enabling the adoption and management of operating models by entities globally.
  • Provide technical support to key stakeholders and networks, including business partners, working groups, and in high risk/high complexity cases.
    
     
• Support work to evolve and strengthen our approach to quality, organisational development and governance across the movement 
  • Lead and/or support the delivery of Movement Development and Quality Standards initiatives and ongoing workstreams.
  • Identify and advance opportunities to align operating models with our quality framework and mutual accountability framework.
  • In collaboration with the Movement Development and Quality Standards team, contribute to improvements in SCI’s and the movement’s quality standards to build a strong quality culture and ensure one global quality standard of work.
  • Provide technical expertise and support to drive good governance and quality, and to support good practice such as approaches to shared learning and streamlining of reporting requirements.

Experience and Skills

Essential

1. Innovation and adaptation: Proven experience in developing and driving new and innovative solutions, resources and processes to meet user needs, demonstrating flexibility, agility, creativity, and willingness to embrace change.
2. Capacity Building: experience of building capacity of a range of stakeholders with diverse capability gaps and needs, using different techniques.
3. Operating models: experience defining, designing and evolving/adapting operating models, preferably in the non-for-profit sector and in a range of contexts.
4. Project and change management: strong project and change management experience, including experience of leading cross-functional project teams to collectively deliver project outcomes. Strong skills in organisation, planning and prioritising competing tasks. 
5. Stakeholder engagement: strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to provide excellent business partnering. Demonstrated ability to develop and manage productive relationships with wide range of stakeholders and senior staff, including those with varying priorities, to achieve a common goal, using credibility, discretion, tact and diplomacy. 
6. Problem solving: experience in solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy in; proactive approach to solving problems, working with and coordinating input from multiple sources.
7. Communication and interpersonal skills: strong communication skills, ability to engage with a variety of stakeholders in different teams, contexts and levels of seniority. Strong interpersonal, written and oral communication skills, and the ability to distil complex concepts into simple and easy-to-understand messages, gaining buy in from others.
8. Languages: fluency in English essential; proficiency in other SCI working languages desirable. 

Desirable

• Experience of working in a large and complex international NGO and/or experience/insight into country office settings

Education and Qualifications 

Essential

• Degree level education preferable / equivalent work experience.

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 at SCI Careers. 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.