Director (Save the Children)

Job Description

The Opportunity: Director – Middle Income Country Unit (Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia)

Reports to: Regional Director

Staff directly reporting to this post: 5 including Director of Program and Business Transformation, Digital Manager and CDs for SLK, VNM and KHM.

Staff indirectly reporting to this post: Executive Director of SCT Foundation.

Closing date: 16/10/2023

Role Dimension

As a member of the Asia Regional Senior Leadership team, you will have shared accountability for Save the Children’s international development and emergency programming in the region of a portfolio of roughly $250 million (2021) through an organisation of over 4,000 people.

The MICU Director drives the adaption of SC business models in select Middle Income Countries in Asia as those countries undergo rapid economic and social transformation; s/he ensures the organization is set to deliver lasting impact for the most vulnerable children now and in the future.

S/he provides close oversight, support and coaching of the National Directors of Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The MICU Director supervises country operations, ensuring that the COs implement high quality programs to achieve our ambitious goals and breakthroughs for children, while also meeting organizational performance standards (KPIs). He/she works closely with COs to develop and implement country strategic plans, including the definition and transitioning to new business models to enable the long-term sustainability of SCI’s presence in each country. For Thailand and the SCT Foundation, he/she serves as SCIs legal representative ensuring that SCI is compliant with RTG laws and regulations and that our duty of care is fulfilled for the international staff based in-country. He/she also engages and supports the SCT Board and leadership in its efforts to become a high performing local foundation that fulfils all legal agreements between SCI and SCT. He/she also seeks to leverage expertise and experiences across the four countries, encouraging mutual learning, support and collaboration Total budget for these four countries is approximately $30m with about 460 staff.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

As a member of the Regional Senior Leadership Team, the MICU Director contributes to strategic development and delivery of international programming, in both humanitarian and development contexts, in line with the Save the Children mandate, strategy and theory of change.

Strategic Leadership

Is accountable for ensuring that country programmes in Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Cambodia have clearly articulated 2030 visions underpinned by ambitious, locally relevant strategic directions.
Effectively builds and guides high performing SMTs to deliver against strategy and to model behaviours and values expected of staff
Accountable for the leadership/management of staff and programmes.
Working with the four COs, develops CSPs and ensures that each CO completes progress reviews against key country and organisational level objectives, indicators and targets.
Sees that the focus of the organisation remains on the rights and needs of children
Develops a robust management information system to track CO performance (RMP, NBD, Budgets, Top 20, CSG, KPIs, etc)
Identifies opportunities for mutual learning, support and collaboration across all 4 countries in key functional areas

New Business Models

Provides governance, leadership and management support to the SC Thailand Foundation.
Supports the design and implementation of various studies to identify appropriate business models for the future
Supports the COs in developing business cases/plans and investment proposals/presentations to SCI, Members and donors
Supports the change management process of COs undergoing transition, including continuing support to entities (i.e. SCT Foundation) post ‘go live’
Serves as a regional resource for localization and new business models in close collaboration with other global/member/regional initiatives
Facilitates documentation and learning from ARO’s experiences with localization and new business models

Programme Development and Management

Ensures that programmes are strategic and effectively responding to the changing development context of the middle-income countries; are consistent with technical best practice, SC common approaches, and emerging national policies; as well as aligned with country strategic objectives.
Sees that COs are prepared for and implement rapid and effective responses to major emergencies affecting children, including building relationships with key humanitarian and development decision-makers and partners in-country
Supports CO programmes and advocacy in line with the country strategy, operational plans, budgets and Member requirements that result in significant impact for children
Analyses program portfolios to ensure that SCI is effectively and efficiently delivering interventions that support our global breakthroughs.

Human Resource Management

Working with CD/NDs, ensures that Save the Children attracts and retains high calibre staff
Pro-actively develops and coaches CO SMT leadership to optimise their potential in pursuit of Save the Children’s objectives
Works with COs to conduct organizational reviews to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of country operations
Supports COs in the implementation of HR policies and procedures at country level, in line with HR policies, procedures and guidelines and local labour law. Serves as the first point of contact for HR matters.
Ensures consistent implementation of performance management systems by the country teams
Fosters a collegial, supportive and respectful culture within country teams
Analyses employee opinion surveys and monitors CO action plans to address gaps
Sees that Safeguarding and Anti-Fraud management are sufficiently embedded in the CO and reflected in more active reporting

Resource Mobilization

Works closely with COs to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the international and domestic fundraising landscape, including the legal environment for domestic resources.
Sees that each CO has a robust information system to track funding opportunities, win/loss, etc.
Develops mechanisms such that all COs are able to resource business development and proposal writers as needed
Assists COs to maintain, diversify and grow the funding base for the country programs, supports the donor engagement plan as needed and supports the ND to liaise with members, bilateral and multilateral donor community.

Financial and Admin Management

Overseas the finance function and serves as legal representative for SCI sub-regional hub in Thailand
Monitors financial budgeting and management systems, processes and controls ensuring that COs are fully compliant with operating standards and local legal requirements

Audit and Corporate Governance compliance

Reviews with the CO compliance with all host government requirements in relation to registration, taxation, labour law, auditing, fraud etc.
Ensures follow-up on recommendations arising out of audits of operations and take appropriate actions where necessary
Contribute to ARO risk management process with the risks specific to sub-regional hub
Provides inputs and analysis of COs risk management plans and verifies that mitigating actions are followed through.
Monitors compliance with all legal agreements between SCI and SC Thailand Foundation

Security Management

Ensures that there is are security protocols in place for the sub-regional office in Thailand.
Reviews CO security plans and procedures in line with policies, systems and guidelines
Analyzes the changing security context in each country and ensures that appropriate security plans and protocols are in place and updated.
Ensures all staff adhere to security guidelines

Representation, Communications and Advocacy:

Supports the CO to develops and maintain good relations with Members and their donors
Represents Save the Children’s interests including Government Institutions, UN agencies, donor delegations, international & local NGOs as needed
Ensures the timely provision of internal and external communications material as required

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

Honest, encourages openness and transparency

QUALIFICATIONS

Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

At least 15 years experienced as a leader who has held senior positions in complex/high profile/ multinational organisations
Experience of working with large, complex donors (USAID, EU, DFID etc.) to secure and/or manage new large-scale and/or competitive funding
Understanding of key trends in international and humanitarian development
Demonstrable ability to recruit, lead and develop high calibre specialist senior staff with a range of backgrounds and expertise
Strong track record in building high performance teams and future successors/leaders
Ability to manage and motivate self and others to respond to a significant and complex crisis situation in extraordinary circumstances, requiring swift action and rapid changes in priorities
Innovative approach to solving a range of highly complex issues and galvanising buy-in to the solutions at all levels
Experience and knowledge of context and actors in Asia, particularly the Mekong countries.
Fluency and speaking and writing in English
Commitment to the Save the Children vision, principles, mission and values
Experience on humanitarian programs and ability to work in a volatile environment preferred.

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities

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

Level 3: The post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

Health and Safety

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

How to apply

Please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document and use format. Please also include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. A copy of the full role profile can be found at: Hanoi - Senior Project Manager - National Only - SCI Career Site Careers (oraclecloud.com)

If you have any issues with applying via our system, please send an email explaining your troubles to vietnam.applicationhelpdesk@savethechildren.org

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.