Specialist – Humanitarian Cash & Markets Technical Unit (Cash Unit)

Job Description

Summary

This position will serve as a technical advisor in SCUS’ Humanitarian Cash and Markets Technical Unit. Under supervision of the Director and with guidance from the Cash Unit Senior Specialist, you will provide technical and operational advice to ensure that

Cash and Voucher (CVA) multi-sectoral humanitarian awards are of high quality, technically sound, and responsive to the needs of vulnerable children and their families. You will play a critical role in transferring capacity and experience from headquarters to Country Offices as Save the Children expands its commitment to localization both internally and as part of its global Grand Bargain commitments.

You will focus on direct support to program implementation of Save the Children’s growing humanitarian CVA portfolio. When permitted, the Specialist will be expected to travel extensively to support award implementation throughout the program implementation cycle, working closely with colleagues in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning, and Accountability (MERLA), sectoral technical advisors, Operations, Supply Chain, and Award Managers throughout Save the Children. You will typically deploy to support the launch of new programs, at regular intervals throughout implementation, and to provide ad-hoc surge assistance when required. You will also be expected to provide remote and in-person assistance, or lead, needs assessments and evaluations after crises or in anticipation of new funding opportunities.

When not traveling, the Cash Unit Specialist will keep abreast of global trends in CVA programming, support Cash Unit initiatives, contribute to capacity building activities, input into tool and guidance development, document best practices in existing CVA portfolios, and monitor developing humanitarian crises.

Save the Children’s preference is for this position to be based in Washington D.C. but could consider any global location with an existing Save the Children office, depending on the program portfolio, needs of Save the Children, and the profile and experience of the candidate.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

Technical Assistance (80%)

• Deploy to countries with newly awarded humanitarian programs that include CVA;
• Work closely with SCI to ensure timely start-up of humanitarian CVA awards;
• Develop program implementation plans, support recruitment of new staff, provide necessary trainings, develop and adapt tools with MERLA colleagues, and identify opportunities for internal and external collaboration;
• Working remotely and in country, provide direct technical assistance to programs to ensure that deliverables are met in a timely, high-quality manner;
• Work closely with Technical Advisors (TA) including Food Security and Livelihoods, Health, Nutrition, Education, Shelter, Child Protection, WaSH, and Gender, to expand the use, evidence, and quality of CVA for multi-sectoral outcomes;
• When necessary, provide surge support to program implementation to cover gaps in management, technical assistance, monitoring, or operations;
• Proactively identify challenges to successful implementation and raise these issues with relevant management staff at SC US and SCI, and
• Build collaborative relationships across the Save the Children movement that directly improve the quality of program implementation.

Resource Mobilization (20%)

• Under guidance from the Director and Sr. Specialist, support development, review and submission of quality proposals in response to identified opportunities;
• Support country offices in positioning for funding opportunities to support emergency response programming;
• Provide technical inputs in the design, implementation and analysis of assessments required for the development of high-quality proposals;
• Provide input into appropriate design and/or implementation of program monitoring and evaluation activities – including the use of process and outcome indicators, data collection processes, data analysis, reporting, and
• Stay abreast of key donor strategic thinking and funding trends to ensure that proposals are responsive to donor requirements and priorities.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma, with 3-5 years of relevant experience;
• Demonstrated experience with emergency and/or development CVA;
• Proven understanding of basic concepts of CVA, food security, market-based programming;
• Previous participation in HEA, EMMA, PCMMA, MIFIRA, RAM and/or other FSL and market assessments, reporting, and training;
• Demonstrated experience in program design and proposal writing, including experience writing or supporting successful USAID-funded proposals;
• Proven ability to work under tight deadlines, navigate multiple tasks simultaneously, and work effectively both independently and as part of multicultural teams;
• Professional proficiency in writing, editing, training and grant writing experience essential;
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 50%, occasionally in harsh environments (as permitted by SCUS travel policies), and on short notice, for emergency response and assessment activities;
• Willingness and ability to occasionally work irregular hours to accommodate calls with field teams in other time zones, and
• Professional proficiency in both written and spoken English.

Preferred Qualifications

• French and/or Spanish written and spoken language skills preferred, other languages highly valued;
• Calp Level 1 or Level 2 certificate;
• Experience designing, implementing, and managing humanitarian preparedness, asset protection, disaster risk reduction, food security, and nutrition programs;
• Experience developing and conducting training programs for field staff including curriculum design, presentation and teaching skills, and training-of-trainers methods;
• Experience in program design and proposal writing with non-USAID awards, including PRM, UNHCR, WFP, ECHO, EU, and others;
• Knowledge of and experience with statistical software and data visualization tools;
• Experience developing and implementing Standard Operating Procedures, Feasibility and Risk Assessments, Delivery Mechanism Assessments, and other operational policies or procedures for the identification and implementation of CVA opportunities;
• Understanding of operational considerations that influence the efficiency and appropriateness of digital cash or voucher delivery platforms;
• Experience writing and disseminating reports and fact sheets/case studies, and
• Experience using KoBo Toolbox, ODK, or other mobile data collection software.

Why you should join the Save the Children Team…

Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, pet insurance, 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 the Organization

About Save the Children

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.