Job Details

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Award Management and Donor Compliance SME– SCI Led Funding (Senior Specialist) to join our global team.
 
Team and Job Purpose
To develop and enhance policies, procedures, and systems, including sub-award management, to enable functional excellence. Provides support and insights to the Business Partnering team, countries, Global and Regional Awards Unit, ensuring AMDC analytics and data quality enable portfolio management, drive right first time performance and manage risk. The team is accountable for Service Level Agreement requirements in system management and development, working with Business Partnering and Donor Compliance as required to resolve queries. The team leads transformation and continuous improvement in the function, collaborating cross-functionally and across teams in the function. The team also coordinates cross- functional strategic planning and leadership to streamline operations and align with organizational goals. Our purpose is to provide excellence in award management functions, thereby contributing to the overall success and efficiency of the organization.
Save the Children International (SCI) is seeing a significant increase in its SCI-Led programme funding, which comes directly from external donors without passing through other Save the Children entities. This role provides award advisory support to ensure SCI’s award management processes and systems can manage SCI-Led funding in a compliantly. Responsibilities include assessing the current and future state of SCI-Led portfolio, managing change and deployment deliverables, and regularly communicating with stakeholders to inform, engage and motivate. The role holder will lead in analysing award and donor compliance requirements across the portfolio, developing strategic risk management plans, defining new award management processes, identifying potential system impacts and collaborating with other technical leads. The role also supports knowledge management and stakeholder engagement.
 
Job Title: Award Management and Donor Compliance SME– SCI Led Funding (Senior Specialist)
Reports To: Award Management and Donor Compliance (AMDC) Global Team, Functional Excellence
Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available 
Contract Length: Fixed Term Contract 9 months
Grade: P4
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: Hiring Locations
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
International Travel Requirements: None 
Budget Responsibility: None
People Management Responsibility: None
 
Principal Accountabilities
• Provide Award Management and Donor Compliance technical knowledge and expertise to the SCI-Led funding Project and advise on specific donor regulations, including on potential risks and challenges to inform cross functional requirements and solutions.
• Identifies where compliant awards require changes in other functions and supports other functional leads and experts in defining and delivering the necessary change. 
• Lead the assessment and analysis of current and future donor compliance requirements across SCI-Led portfolio and develop guidance to Global teams and Country Offices on management, mitigation and oversight of such risks. 
• Analyse award and donor compliance requirements across SCI-Led portfolio and recommend solutions and changes to current guidance to enable effective delivery of awards in a donor compliant manner. 
• Identify and collate compliance related risks in the SCI-Led portfolio and collaborate with other teams to highlight such risks, interdependencies, and work towards solutions, in particular with the Finance BP and other cross-functional leads. Organise and lead design sessions, ensuring engagement and consultation of other impacted stakeholders, to design future state AM processes and procedures for SCI Led funding.
• Lead engagement with AMDC staff to define roles and responsibilities regarding award management and donor compliance, ensuring that all stakeholders are aligned with the organisation’s values of collaboration and accountability. 
• Develop and maintain essential documentation and training materials to support the effective roll-out of new award management procedures across SCI.
 
Experience and Skills
Essential
1. Technical expertise: Substantial experience and expertise in leading a significant portfolio of awards, with a focus on donor compliance, financial efficiency, and achieving program objectives. Strong knowledge of complex donor regulations and compliance requirements in both humanitarian and development context including extensive experience of managing lifecycle of awards, from contract negotiation to closeout.
2. Stakeholder Management: Demonstrated ability to lead and collaborate effectively within cross-functional and cross-culturally diverse teams.
3. Interpersonal skills and communication: Strong interpersonal and relational skills, capable of building relationships with stakeholders, leadership, and team members to ensure successful project delivery. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, to advocate for the project and maintain clear, transparent communication with all stakeholders.
4. Systems Development: Proficiency in developing and implementing robust systems, tools and processes to manage the award lifecycle including reporting, compliance, and performance management. 
5. Analytical and Problem-solving: Strong analytical skills to interpret financial data and complex regulations, and to proactively identify issues and develop innovative solutions for effective award management. 
6. Change management: Proficient in managing change, with the ability to communicate impacts and requirements to diverse groups. Experience in deploying change projects, demonstrating successful implementation and management of changes. 
7. Capacity building and training: Aptitude for capacity building and training, ensuring sustainability and consistent practices within the function. Experience in developing and delivering training that aligns with organisational practices. 
8. Diversity and inclusion: Ability to conduct practices that foster an inclusive environment, appreciating the value of all team members. Considerable experience in promoting and implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion principles in international humanitarian or development contexts, demonstrating cultural competency and respect for diversity.
 
Education and Qualifications 
Essential
Qualifications: 
• Proficient in Donor and stakeholder engagement, providing transparent and accurate reporting to maintain their trust and support
• Training in donor regulations, sub-award management or risk management
 
Desirable
Education: 
• Advanced degree in International Development, Project Management, Business Administration, Finance, Humanitarian/Human Rights or other related field.
• Professional certifications such as Project Management (PMP, PMD Pro, PRINCE2) or Chartered Institute of Management Accounts (CIMA) or other Financial accounting qualification (e.g. ACCA) is highly desirable.
 
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.
 
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.