Children’s Participation Subject Matter Expert – Localisation Initiative

The Opportunity

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for you to join our team as the Children’s Participation Subject Matter Expert – Localisation Initiative in the UK (London or Remote) or any existing Save the Children International Regional or Country office worldwide.

Role Purpose:

To achieve our global breakthroughs for children by 2030, Save the Children has committed to significantly changing the way we work. A core component of this change is shifting 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 programmes 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 organisation that currently prevents this from happening.

Save the Children’s Localisation Initiative team was formed to define our strategic approach to Localisation, and to develop the high-level roadmap for its realisation. We are now entering the next phase of this transformation – with the team being given a mandate to accelerate the pace at which we will be able to meet our Localisation ambitions. The team consists of a small number of dedicated resources tasked with overcoming several blockers to achieving our ambitions, working across Save the Children’s global movement.

The Children’s Participation SME - Localisation Initiative will sit within the Child Rights, Equlaity and Social Justice team. This role will also be a member of the Localisation Initiative team.

Children’s participation is integral to Save the Children’s vision, Theory of Change, Ambition for Children 2030 and the SC global strategy, including Shifting Power and partnering with children, Child Rights governance and the Policy, Advocacy and Campaiging across all contexts. Children's participation and their wider civil political rights are part of Save the Children’s rights-based approach – the right to be heard is a principle to be applied in each stage of programming, as rights holders children can assert and claim their rights from duty bearers who should be accountable to children and their rights.

As part of the global transformation agenda Save the Children will focus on accelerating the pace at which we will be able to meet our ambitions in relation to children's participation. The Subject Matter Expert will provide technical support in overcoming several blockers to achieving our ambitions, and identifying the options, functional implications and transformation activities needed to socialise children's participation, working across Save the Children’s global movement. The Subject Matter Expert will be guided by recommendations and key strategic responses coming out from a children's participation practice review to uplift and invest in systematic, sustainable, meaningful and ethical participation of children towards the realization of their civil and political rights.

Working closely with the Workstream Lead, the Subject Matter Expert on Children’s Participation will play a critical role to look at the cross-cutting aspects of key workstreams that relate to children's participation, define a functional workplan to support the ambitions in Funding, Compliance, Organisational Model and Culture, to ensure fit-for-purpose alignment with the end-to-end procedures, and systems. This role will identify opportunities for change in how we work and what we do, to realise our children's participation commitments.

Some level of international travel may be required.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• Significant years of work experience in ethical, high quality, meaningful children's participation and wider children’s civil and political rights
• Demonstrated experience in building child participation capacity in others with a track record of building in-country child participation skills
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of child rights and equality approaches, including a rights based approach
• Experience and subject-matter expertise at a manager level role in the NGO sector, working with diverse groups in multiple locations
• Demonstrated understanding and experience of initiative management within the contexts and priority thematic programming areas (child rights governance, child protection, health and nutrition, education and child poverty) of Save the Children.
• Experience in solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward, with a proven ability to forge consensus and buy in, and drive action
• Excellent business partnering, communication and relationship building skills. Demonstrated ability to develop, influence and manage productive relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders, including across SCA member agencies and senior staff
• A track record of delivering results in a complex organisation, with an ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• Strong interpersonal, written and oral communication skills, with the ability to build credibility and internal networks quickly, to gain acceptance across country offices
• High degree of cultural sensitivity and an appreciation of the varying levels of readiness and engagement across the organisational spectrum
• Team player, with a full appreciation of the value of collaboration
• Commitment to the mission, vision and values of Save the Children
• Willingness to flex hours according to the locations of the initiative team

Desirable

• Experience of working across other areas of SC’s operations and/or functions
• Experience of being involved in the implementation of a new/changed business processes and ways of working
• Experience with Save the Children’s Theory of Change
• Understanding of roles and responsibilities, processes, tools, reports and systems within Awards Management that could be impacted by the Initiative
• Lived expertise through origins in the Global South

We can offer circa £52,500 per annum (If based in the UK) with an option of flexible working hours. If the role is based outside of the UK, National Terms & Conditions (including pay and benefits) will apply.

This role can be based in the UK (London or Remote) or any existing Save the Children International Regional or Country office location on approval, provided the successful candidate has proof of eligibility to work from the preferred location for the duration of the contract.

Where we Work - Where We Work | Save the Children International

The Organisation

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, 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.

Application Information:

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application, and include details of your salary expectations. A full copy of the role profile can be found available for download at www.savethechildren.net/careers/apply

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.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment policy.

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