Job Detail

About Save the Children

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 realize 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 workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

SCI - Afghanistan

 Save the Children has been working in Afghanistan since 1976. Our way of working close to people and on their own terms has enabled us to deliver lasting change to tens of thousands of children in the country. The UN Convention of the Rights of the Child is the basis of our work.

We are helping children get a better education, we make it possible for more boys and girls to attend school, we help children protect themselves and influence their own conditions. We work with families, communities and health workers in homes, clinics and hospitals to promote basic health in order to save lives of children and mothers

Job Description

ROLE PURPOSE:

Save the Children has large and expanding Health and Nutrition projects.  The overall portfolio is over $10 million, working in 13 provinces of Afghanistan, both directly and through partners. 

The Head of Health and Nutrition will have direct oversight of the full Health and Nutrition portfolio, managing a team of Programme Managers (budget holders) and supporting the wider team of Project Managers and Coordinators (direct implementors).  The post holder will be expected to monitor progress of all projects against budget and implementation plans, ensuring all high-risk awards are effectively managed, and ensure high-quality, on-time delivery of all results.  Effective monitoring and evaluation must be carried out, and all donor reporting must be high-quality and on-time.  Where projects are implemented with partners, s/he will also be expected to deliver quality partnerships in line with Save the Children’s partnership principles.

This role works within a complex matrix management structure, and the post holder will be expected to coordinate with multiple layers of this structure, including the Head of Provincial Office, Sector Managers, Programme Managers, and the Technical team.  Additionally strong working relationships must be developed with Supply Chain, human Resources and Finance, to ensure the smooth running of the projects, and to facilitate problem solving.  

The Head of Health and Nutrition will spend a minimum of 50% of their time in the Provinces, working directly to capacity build the programme managers, and ensure the project design being implemented feeds int the wider SC-Af strategic direction.  They will work closely with the Deputy Head of Office in each Province, who is responsible for programme oversight.

The development of skills in budget management, project cycle management, and project delivery within the project team will be a key part of this role.  Whilst day to day management of the projects is done by the team, the Head of Health and Nutrition will support the proposal development process, ensure delivery is in line with our strategy and develop the capacity of the team.

In both the Provinces and in Kabul the Head of Health and Nutrition will represent SC-Af externally.  They are expected to closely follow the latest changes in our engagement with the de facto authorities, including being aware of changes in global trends that affect our ability to programme.  They must be able to negotiate on our behalf without damaging our reputation or compromising on our humanitarian principles.  Additionally, the Head of Health and Nutrition will negotiate with SCI Members and with our Donors, providing updates and ensuring the continuation of our work and funding.  Lastly, the post holder will play an active role in the coordination mechanisms in country, including attending clusters at Provincial level, and coordinating with the Health and Nutrition Technical advisors on attendance at Kabul level coordination mechanisms.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Capacity building, Programme Implementation and Monitoring

• Provide strategic guidance and strong leadership to Health and Nutrition teams in the field and partner focal points to ensure the delivery of programme targets and technically sound decision-making processes
• Deliver capacity building in all aspects of Programme management to both Province and Kabul staff, on technical and general project management. 
• Coordinate with the Technical Advisors for Health and for Nutrition to ensure technical trainings are carried out.
• Ensure that effective monitoring and performance management systems are in place for achieving agreed programme activity targets, budget allocations and financial expenditures, ensuring that value for money can be effectively demonstrated to the donor and activities and expenditures are compliant with donor requirements
• Maintain efficient and effective operating systems that are compliant with all Save the Children Minimum Operating Standards across the consortium, including safety and security management and child safeguarding
• Lead the preparation, review and regular revision of the detailed implementation plan, risk mitigation plan and procurement plan, taking into account agreed milestones, log frame and budget
• Monitor project progress through field visits and meetings with project staff across the country, including communities, partners, local and provincial government and other key stakeholders
• Lead on revisions of core implementation documents (milestones, logframe, budget, DIP)
• Ensure that key risks are identified at the start of the project(s) and reviewed and mitigated throughout the project cycle
• Ensure that security reports are immediately reported to the Safety & Safety Team when known
• Working with the Technical advisors ensure the quality of the implementation

.

Budget Management

• Ensure the effective and donor-compliant management of the project budget through close collaboration with
  • partner focal points and the Finance department
  • Prepare and implement monthly pipeline analyses and monthly spending targets
  • Identify potential variances of expenses versus budget, and recommend appropriate adjustments at AIR meetings
  • Justify spending variances 10% in quarterly donor reports

   

  Reporting and Documentation

  • Play a leading role in the finalisation of donor narrative and financial reports, the submission of  budget revisions, and other donor-required documentation
  • With the support of the MEAL team, and the ACCM team, write donor progress reports and document case studies of successes, challenges, lessons learned and other project-related feedback
  • Coordinate with the Media and Communications team for the publication of best practices and lessons learned for a variety of external stakeholders and audiences

   

  Human Resource Management

  • Ensure that the programme is appropriately staffed across Afghanistan, including the appropriate combination of expertise across technical and operational areas
  • Ensure that all direct reports have updated job descriptions, work plans, objectives, development goals and clear lines of communication and reporting
  • Support the capacity building of staff in English report writing, budget utilisation; indicator tracking; and the preparation of detailed implementation plans

  Partnerships

  • Ensure that Memorandums of Understanding are secured with relevant line ministries in a timely manner
  • Ensure that appropriate capacity-strengthening initiatives are afforded to partners as part of ongoing project implementation

   

  Other

  • Coordinate effectively with other NGOs and UN agencies that are working in Health and Nutrition
  • Maintain oversight of Save the Children Afghanistan’s pharmaceutical supplies in country
  • Promote and push for the awareness and utilisation of Child Safeguarding reporting mechanisms
  • Liaise with the PDQA department to input into funding proposals
  • Support the Health & Nutrition Technical Adviser to ensure that all activities are reported to relevant Cluster(s)
  • Represent SC-Af externally to donors, UN, other NNGO/INGO and to the de facto authorities

   

  BEHAVIOURS (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
   

Skills Required

• COMMUNICATION

Submission Guideline: