Senior Director, West and Central Africa Awards (M2)

Job Description

Staff whose work requires or potentially could require any in-person interaction with Save the Children colleagues, partners, or beneficiaries must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless otherwise required by law. Save the Children complies with federal, state, and local laws with regard to accommodations related to this policy.

Summary

The Senior Director, West and Central Africa (WCA) Awards leads and oversees the award management function for International Programs’ WCA portfolio of awards.

As the Senior Director, you are responsible for International Program’s effective management of and accountability for WCA Award resources. You will be responsible for ensuring accountability, transparency and consistency of execution for all steps in the Award Management (AM) process to ensure the effective and efficient management of WCA award resources. You will also be responsible for monitoring WCA portfolio performance against key metrics, strengthening award manager capacities, and ensuring linkages with business team leadership and technical colleagues internally along with other Save the Children entities as well as country office colleagues to drive award management quality and performance across geographic, donor, thematic, and non-thematic areas of focus. You will work in close collaboration with Finance and Resource Development on award management functional processes and continuous improvement projects.

As the Senior Director, you will problem solve to ensure the health of the unit’s full portfolio of awards ensuring objectives are achieved and key milestones are met. You will exercise independent judgment and discretion on significant matters. As a member of the Award Management department’s leadership team, you will actively champion a culture of continuous learning and business process improvement. You may serve on relevant cross-functional teams to promote robust understanding of and engagement on award management trends and issues across the organization, and you will also support the creation and/or refinement of policies and procedures on award management.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

Award Management (40%)

• Support the start-up and implementation of WCA Awards.
• Ensure the application of best practices and institutional standards to enhance Save the Children’s compliance with award terms and conditions and effective management of donor resources within the award management cycle for applicable funding mechanisms.
• Oversee the optimal and efficient allocation of portfolio assignments in collaboration with other Regional Award Senior Directors.
• Monitor the respective global award portfolio against key financial and performance metrics.
• Ensure the adherence to process maps and standard operating procedures within the unit to ensure efficient and standardized management of the agency award portfolio within the Award Management department.
• Responsible for award related metrics and reporting for the WCA award portfolio, lead quarterly tracking and reporting, and promote a common understanding of progress against targets and projected portfolio needs
• Responsible for all aspects of the unit portfolio budget in coordination with Business Team stakeholders and in alignment with the annual budget process.
• As needed negotiate difficult award management matters through interaction with senior managers, partners and/or Save the Children International (SCI) colleagues.
• Support SCI award management movement wide objectives to improve the award management function in line with Right the First Time initiative.
• Exercise independent judgment and discretion on significant matters.
• Ensure departmental objectives are implemented independently, with management support.

Support New Business Development (20%)

• Lead unit’s new business priorities and pipeline and represent agency and internal interests to potential partners and donors.
• Oversee the unit’s development and submission of concept notes, and proposals, including narratives of proposal sections, cost proposals and supporting documentation in collaboration with SCI, internal colleagues and relevant partners.
• Oversee the process of liaising with country offices to provide and incorporate feedback on proposal sections and concept notes.
• Participate in capture trips and design workshops for proposals as needed.

Risk management (20%)

• Ensure the tracking, resolution and as needed escalation of risks impacting the WCA Award portfolio in collaboration with IP and Finance stakeholders and vis-à-vis SCI and in accordance with internal policies and procedures.

Staff management (20%)

• Directly manage the WCA unit staff, inclusive of staff performance management, championing diversity, supporting staff development, and other staff management matters as needed
• Ensure comprehensive onboarding of new staff members in alignment with departmental requirements.
• Champion a culture of dignity and respect among Award Management staff that promotes the recruitment, retention, and management of a diverse staff in a safe and empowering environment.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor Degree or equivalent experience, plus at least 7 years of relevant experience
• A thorough knowledge of key institutional donor rules and regulations for cooperative agreements and contracting;
• Proven track-record of leading award management processes and successfully managing large awards to support impactful programs
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills
• Strong verbal and written communications skills with experience in cross-cultural settings
• Flexibility and an ability to work in a fluid environment.
• Ability to travel up to 10% of time
• Professional proficiency in MS Office suite
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with individuals and teams at all levels, both internally and externally
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering and maintaining and environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Preferred Qualifications

• Self-aware change leader with resilience in developing strategy, processes, and people.
• Experience working in matrix management settings essential
• Experience/expertise in one or more of SC’s thematic areas and in a position based in a low income country, highly desirable
• Passion for justice and change, coupled with strong business acumen and a pragmatic grasp of Save the Children’s core mission

Compensation

Save the Children is offering the following salary ranges for this position, dependent on candidate location:

• Geo 1 - NY Metro, DC, and other locations with labor costs significantly above national average: Target Salary for this position is $108,800 – $121,600 base salary
• Geo 2 - Locations around the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $98,600 – $110,200 base salary
• Geo 3 - Locations significantly below the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $88,400 – $98,800 base salary

Actual base salary may vary based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location. Employee may be eligible for an incentive program. Save the Children also offers paid vacation, accrued at least 12 days a year, depending on paygrade and length of service, paid safety and wellness leave of at least 1 day per month worked for a full time employee which is pro rata reduced for employees working less than a full time schedule, and at least 10 paid holidays a year. Employees may be eligible for additional bonus compensation. Save the Children US also offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, a retirement savings plan with employer contribution, family leave, paid parental/adoption leave of 60 days, commuter benefits, paid caregiver leave days, 1 paid volunteer day a year, paid critical child illness leave days, dress for your day, and much more.

About the Organization

Why you should join the Save the Children Team…

Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more.

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in YOU!

About Save the Children

No matter your role when you join Save the Children, each and every day you will challenge yourself to devote your skills, talent and expertise to changing the world for kids. It’s an ambitious goal, and a meaningful one no matter how you see yourself professionally: an accountant, a writer, a data analyst, a teacher, a driver, a designer, or any one of the hundreds of dozens of roles we’re looking to fill every day.

You see, Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children’s policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.