Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in over 120 countries. We save children’s lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Save the Children is working in Nigeria because one in five children in Nigeria dies before their fifth birthday. About 40% of children miss out on school and have to work to survive while nearly 2 million children have lost one or both parents to an AIDS-related disease.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Deputy Chief of Party
Job Identification: 1402
Location: Yobe
Grade: 2
Team / Programme: Programme Operations
Contract: 1 year
Job Category: Programme Operations
Child Safeguarding
- Level 3 – the role 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 in country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.
Role Purpose
- Save the Children is seeking a Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP) for its BHA funded programs, across SCI field offices in Nigeria. The DCOP will be responsible for supporting the Chief of Party in all programmatic, operational and financial aspects of BHA activity in Nigeria, supporting seamless implementation across the BAY states, Abuja and Jigawa. This position will be responsible for the overseeing all technical and program quality management, and operations on the activity, leading a high-functioning program and operations team. A key function of the DCOP, will be to identify improvements to operational and financial tools and approaches in this highly-complex implementing environment
- The DCoP will be based in Yobe and will work under the supervision of the Chief of Party (CoP) and Deputy Director Operation Humanitarian to provide technical and operational guidance, support monitoring and evaluation, and ensure quality of the project. He/she will also ensure effective financial and operational management of the project.
Scope of Role:
- Reports to: Chief of Party (CoP) and Deputy Director Operation Humanitarian
- Staff reporting to this post: The role holder will have line manager responsibilities.
Key Areas of Accountability
Working closely with the BHA PMs, DDOH and Chief of Party (CoP) BHA and other Sector leads to:
- Responsible for ensuring that program activities are designed, implemented, and completed following a fast-paced program strategy.
- Administer the development and successful implementation of work plans and oversee the creation of reports and other deliverables to BHA in a timely and accurate manner.
- Oversee and support implementation through a local partner, including the supervision of proper targeting, identification, registration, and monitoring of beneficiary lists to prevent overlap with other humanitarian programs in the intervention zone.
- The purpose of the role is strategic oversight and management of the set-up, and strengthening of program implementation in SC BHA Nigeria’s newer operating locations
- Quality technical leadership and advice to the local partner around the design, implementation and monitoring of project work at state and community levels.
- Coordinate closely with other humanitarian actors and UN agencies carrying food vouchers, and food distributions for geographic mapping and to ensure program activities are in line with national and humanitarian food security priorities.
- Ensure that efficient systems are in place to support all aspects of project activity, including financial and grant management, project monitoring and evaluation, and sub grant management, and that they support the effective use of project resources in compliance with BHA regulations.
- Work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) team to develop appropriate monitoring and evaluation plans and to capture learning opportunities around the effectiveness of voucher-based programming, and in particular, the use of e-vouchers.
- Work with the logistics team in the identification and selection of vendors to participate in program activities
- Ensure that all vendors working on the program are abreast with and respect all SCI rules/regulations pertaining to the program as well respect the rights and privileges of beneficiaries
- Maintain close contact with the service providers facilitating the food assistance program and ensuring timely replenishment of beneficiary accounts as well as tracking beneficiary transactions.
- Ensure compliance with all grant, BHA and government provisions, and timely fulfilment of all project programmatic reporting requirements.
- Oversee timely expenditure of approved budgets, avoiding both under spending and overspending on grant line items.
Other Roles:
Program Management & Delivery:
- Responsible for coordination of BHA program implementation both direct and indirect, and for delivery of high-quality programming on time, on budget, in line with the objectives of the Country Strategic Plan and in accordance with donor requirements
- Require and coordinate PMs and Field Managers/Lead to prepare timely and high quality donor report and other donor requirement in a manner to allow TAs and Awards review, consolidation and submission
- Leading on advocacy towards implementing multi-sectoral programs using CVA as a modality of delivery
- Coordinate adherence to robust project management methodology and standardised ways of working, including through capacity building of Coordinators and SLs in work-planning and program management, and holding them accountable for key deliverables
- Ensure adherence to and appropriate responsibility for donor awards as per the Scheme of Delegation: manage the BHA budget, ensuring accurate forecasting, and effective budget management and monitoring, for example through monthly project reviews at field level
- Assist CoP and DDOH in oversight of humanitarian response portfolio with enhanced direct support to prioritised complex humanitarian responses
- Support the CoP and SLs to lead on key delegated areas, including Partnership strategy and programing and government liaison for project sub-agreements
- Represent Save the Children to members, donors and other stakeholders as required.
- Deploy as required within or in support of prioritised humanitarian responses on a temporary basis particularly during start-up periods.
- Schedule periodic field operations support and monitoring visits to the relevant field locations, designed to observe program delivery, ensure accountability to beneficiaries, monitor controls and adherence to systems, spotlight progress and achievements, and inform learning.
- Ensure that key project documents are in place at project kick-off, including procurement plans and HR planning, implementation plans, phased budgets, and ensure the periodic review of the same
- Closely monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and trouble-shoot issues affecting program delivery at field level, drawing on support from CoP BHA and relevant departments within the country office.
- Support CoP and BD in program development and ensure program quality.
- Work closely with CoP to support BHA partners and offer leadership and identify areas where partners may need capacity build.
New Business Development:
- Support strategic donor engagement and resource mobilization
- Ensure new programmes and projects are built on a strong evidence base resulting from learning, drawing on needs assessments and situational analyses that include participation of children and other stakeholders
- Manage the needs/requests of SC members, donors and external partners to ensure quality results in programming collaboratively with Members to generate new opportunities and write proposals
- Introduce innovative approaches to secure flexible funding to invest in quality, evidence and learning
- Work closely with the CoP BHA to ensure program quality standards are established throughout the project cycle and across the portfolio, including operational research to inform program improvements.
Personnel and Administration:
- Supervise emergency field based project staff: conduct performance evaluations, identify staff skills development needs and assist the DDOH and CoP BHA to meet these needs, provide management support to staff as needed, and maintain office policy of respect and communication between supervisors and subordinates.
- See that all staff are aware of and understand SC policies and procedures; take appropriate disciplinary measures as needed.
- Promote accountability, communicating expectations and providing constructive feedback through regular performance reviews.
- Responsible for the timely recruitment, orientation, and training of new staff as needed.
- Ensure all administrative procedures are followed, such as those regarding vehicle use and procurement; ensure logistics/administrative staff provides sufficient and timely support to programs and programmatic staff, and that data collection processes are standardized and applied by all field staff.
Representation and Leadership:
- Represent Save the Children in humanitarian coordination fora within the State as and when required.
- Maintain good working relationships with officials and other humanitarian actors, particularly those within the relevant government agencies (State Emergency Management Agency), IOM, and UN agencies.
- Represent SC and maintain good working relationships among the international and local NGO community, among community leadership structures and community-based organizations, and with visiting donor teams and other key contacts. Keep abreast of NGO, government, and donor initiatives relevant to SC’s work.
- Maintain focus on SC program principles.
- Encourage teamwork, openness, and honesty among State staff and between SC and its partners.
Establish a sound MEAL system and Practice:
- Generate leadership support for MEAL and appropriate resourcing of MEAL functions so that all sectors on the program can clearly demonstrate outcomes and impact for children.
- Ensure monitoring and evaluation systems are used effectively to communicate impact and performance in all programmes in the BHA Humanitarian response.
- Drive effective collaboration between MEAL staff, Member Technical Specialists, Technical Advisors and program implementation teams to develop log frames, indicators, implementation plans, quality benchmarks, monitoring and evaluation frameworks and related tools.
- Work closely with country office colleagues to implement efficient and effective accountability systems, especially for engaging children in feedback mechanisms, drawing on digital options to consolidate and respond to actions.
- Provide tools and incentives to ensure that MEAL works with programme and operations teams to collect high-quality data for programme design and decision making, including needs assessments, baselines and human-centred design approaches
Multisector Program Coordination:
- Represent Save the Children in humanitarian coordination fora within the State as and when required.
- Ensures that there is integration in a multisectoral programs and that linkages and referrals are properly coordinated.
- Liaise with MEAL team and PMs ensure that all assessment carried out as planned with quality and effectively.
- Work close with SCI partners for delivery of different components of the program.
Qualifications
Essential:
- Education: MA / MSc level (or equivalent field experience) in Agriculture, Rural Development, Development Studies and other relevant qualifications
- Extensive experience of working within a senior management role within a complex country programme in an emergency response or fragile state
- Previous experience of managing programme teams in large-scale first phase emergency response is essential
- Experience of M&E and beneficiary accountability systems in large complex programmes
- Experience of developing and negotiating successful partnerships with institutional donors
- Proven ability to influence change at an operational and strategic level
- Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
- A high level of written and spoken English
- The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
- Commitment to the aims and principles of SC. In particular, a good understanding of the SC mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support
Desirable:
- Fluent in English
Core Behaviors:
- Understanding humanitarian contexts and application of humanitarian principles
- Demonstrates strategic leadership in disaster coordination mechanisms and interagency cooperation
- Applies humanitarian principles to complex situations to generate both short and long-term organisational and sector-wide strategies
- Achieving results effectively
- Leads strategically on accountability initiatives, ensuring accountability processes are in place and achieving results
- Builds consensus and ownership around difficult decisions and/or complex courses of action
- Maintains focus on strategic issues and overall organisational and sector-wide impact
- Maintaining and developing collaborative relationships
- Quickly builds and leads high performing teams
- Applies distributed leadership amongst a team
- Shares success whilst being accountable for difficult outcomes
- Operating safely and securely
- Monitors security risks and ensures organisational protocols are consistently followed by staff
- Takes appropriate action and provides appropriate direction and support to team members in the event of a critical incident
- Reduces vulnerability by complying with safety and security protocols set by the organisation
- Managing yourself in a pressured and changing environment:
- Ensures that wider team remains positive and focussed on the objectives and goals in a rapidly changing environment
- Able to proactively build & maintain levels of resilience in others
- Adapts leadership approach to the situation
- Communicates humanitarian values and motivates others towards them
- Maintains simultaneously a broad strategic perspective and awareness of the detail of a situation
- Demonstrates personal integrity by using one’s position responsibly and fairly
- Leadership: Action; Thinking; Self; Inspiring; Developing Others
- Removes obstacles to ensure strategic objectives are met
- Aligns ideas and solutions to strategic imperatives
- Uses global networks to influence strategy or action
- Demonstrates managerial courage by willingness to confront difficult situations, take potentially unpopular decisions and communicate clearly to create consensus notwithstanding difference
- Creates a team environment where team members feel able to contribute, champion or challenge decisions
- Continual efforts at self-improvement in evidence
- Creates and communicates a compelling vision which inspires others
- Ensures processes are in place across the team to strengthen the capacity of staff and partners in line with individual and organisational objectives
Behaviours (our 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; demonstrates highest levels of integrity
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.
Safeguarding our Staff:
- The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy
Health and Safety:
- The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.
Application Closing Date
12th May, 2023 (02:59PM).
Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online
