Head of Results and Resource Centre (Maternity Cover)

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Head of Results and Resource Centre to join our global team.

Team and Job Purpose
 

To lead the development and embedding of locally-led programming principles and practices within country programmes, promoting community ownership and sustainability, whilst ensuring alignment with Save the Children International's values of accountability and integrity. This team empowers communities, fostering their autonomy and participation in initiatives tailored to their unique needs. By doing so, we play a critical role in achieving the organisation's goal of creating lasting change for children through inclusive, community-focused initiatives. 

Role purpose 

The Head of Results & Resource Centre is a critical thought leader who will enable Save the Children to demonstrate what works in addressing inequality and discrimination through our Sponsorship portfolio. They will ensure that the Sponsorship Program, with annual investment of over $50 million, generates evidence of sustainable impact at scale for all stakeholders and provide programmatic learning that informs decision-making. 

The position is responsible for having robust systems and high performing teams in place to generate high-quality reporting regarding program results for children; and to support on-going development of specialist capacities in global, national and subnational Sponsorship teams to ensure high-quality evidence, innovation and learning. 

As the team leader for monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) in Sponsorship they ensure that systems and structures align within Save the Children’s overall vision for accountability – including to children and communities - and that Sponsorship shares learning at the global, national and sub-national levels, internally and externally. The Head of Results & Resource Centre will provide technical leadership and strategic direction overseeing the research & evaluation products produced in 18 Sponsorship offices to increase quality and ensure alignment with strategic global priorities; secure strategic partnerships; and support Sponsorship Offices to pilot a new programming model. 

This role will provide thought leadership on areas such as measuring and evaluation of inequality, discrimination and programming for social change. This includes co-leading an Equality and Discrimination Measurement Community of Practice. 

Additionally, the Head of Results and Resource Centre will lead initiatives to increase Ideation and ‘Learn From Failure’. The Head of Results and Resource Centre will provide strategic technical support to the Program Quality Impact team to implement a robust evidence and learning agenda, learning from program pilots on social transformation; and to ensure upcoming learning events from pilot countries in Afghanistan, El Salvador, Philippines and Zambia produce actionable insights and results. 

Ultimate success in this role is demonstrated by drawing on Sponsorship’s innovations, program results and external studies to provide evidence of change for children that drives continuous improvement in our impact. The postholder should have excellent communication skills, proven ability to explain complex issues clearly to non-experts and excellent attention to detail.

Job Title: Head of Results and Resource Centre (maternity cover)

Reports To: Head of Social Transformation Programming Hub

Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available 

Contract Length: Fixed Term Contract (until July 2025) 

Grade: M4

Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in, please visit: Hiring Locations

Time Zone (that the role holder must be available to work in): Any 

Right to Work: The successful candidate must possess the unrestricted right to work in their current or preferred location for the duration of employment. 

International Travel Requirements: up to 25%

Budget Responsibility: approximately $250K per annum

People Management Responsibility: manager of team: yes

 # direct/indirect reports: 2

Principle Accountabilities

• Generate and drive use of evidence needed to address inequality and discrimination (30%):
• Work collaboratively internally and externally, especially through communities of practice and working groups, to determine effective measurement standards for social transformation and to demonstrate impact.
• Oversee longitudinal studies and applied research for design, innovation and improvement of results for children through shifts in power and more equitable programming.
• Conduct studies and guide research that generates learning and measures progress towards our future state of ALL children surviving, learning and being protected in alignment with our global goals.
• Manage strategic external partnerships
• Leverage flexible people resources across Save the Children’s Evidence and Learning community to address skills and capacity gaps to generate evidence in strategic areas.
• Communicate and represent Sponsorship internally and externally as a thought leader in social change to end inequality and discrimination.
• Lead initiatives to strengthen processes, practices, culture, and systems to drive organisational learning on Sponsorship program innovations, research & evaluations (20%):
• Provide strategic direction and resource management to deliver on a learning agenda within Sponsorship program initiatives, to demonstrate the holistic impact of sponsorship-funded programming on children and ensure Save the Children’s priority evidence gaps are filled.
• Synthesize data, compile, and when appropriate, generate reports that summarize program results for children versus objectives and ensure contribution to the global evidence.
• Ensure that all MEAL reports are accessible and key data and results are made visible and shared on Save the Children’s global knowledge management platforms, and with the Global Sponsorship team, including marketing, funding members and communications staff.
• Program Quality and Program Technical Excellence (30%):
• Drive improvements in research & innovation portfolio (planning, management and reporting) at global and country office levels.
• Facilitate greater internal and external use of evidence & innovations produced across Save the Children and our partners.
• Facilitate forums with technical staff to explore and innovate in the Sponsorship program design and implementation space based on program learning.
• Develop and deliver change management activities to establish a stronger Culture of Learning from Failure within Sponsorship: learning through play, documenting failure and improving uptake of new strategies to address what didn’t work.
• Strengthens core performance across and within Innovation, MEAL and programme teams through guidance, training, insight and hands-on support to program for social change.
• Collaborate with the Director Sponsorship Programs to communicate key results achieved to senior leadership, including Sponsorship funding members, and to sponsors themselves
• Improve and/or develop tools and technical guidelines for monitoring and evaluating the progress, quality and performance of the Sponsorship Program, drawing on technical support from PQI’s Evidence and Learning Unit and the emerging Research and Evaluation Unit, as needed.
• Ensure Sponsorship Programs are integrated with Country Office systems for accountability to children and communities, ensuring that we receive and act on feedback from those we support.
• Serve as the team leader and supervisor for high performing, supported and connected global sponsorship Evidence & Learning team (20%):
• Create and manage a high-performing team including building shared objectives, quality control, evaluation, motivation, performance management, shared learning objectives, staff development and training to execute the Global MEAL plan, pilot new program models, drive a learning agenda based on research and evaluations.
• Supports the organisational commitment to wellbeing by ensuring a mutually supportive and open team culture where individuals can thrive and develop their potential.
• Implement and communicate the MEAL strategy, including regular meetings with global Sponsorship MEAL staff, mentoring, technical assistance, and sharing of methods and tools.
• Plan and deliver strategically together with the global Program Quality and Impact Evidence and Learning team
• Hold Sponsorship Offices and Sponsorship Technical Staff accountable for quality data generation, analysis and reporting.

Experience and Skills

Essential

1. Significant demonstrated experience in monitoring and evaluation, and field research experience with health, education, child protection, poverty or other child rights programming in an international development context.
2. Strong leadership skills, including demonstrated experience in motivating staff that do or do not report directly to the postholder. Experience creating and managing high-performing teams including building shared objectives, quality control, evaluation, motivation, performance management, staff development and training.
3. Able to champion an enabling environment for gender equality and inclusion, and prioritising the rights of children facing inequality and discrimination.
4. Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, reporting, negotiation and coaching – ability to engage effectively with internal and external stakeholders, including children and communitities, staff delivering services in country offices, and senior leadership.
5. Knowledge of policy, research and evidence-based methodologies with regards to child-focused programming in international development contexts.
6. Demonstrated familiarity with qualitative and quantitative research skills, including study design, survey instrument design and use, establishing and measuring health and education indicators, sampling, data analysis plans, data cleaning, and statistical analysis.
7. Proven ability to understand methodological and sampling for evaluation and research studies and keep consultants accountable to research designs.
8. Demonstrated ability to facilitate appropriate and effective learning forums and products (presentations, short reports, visuals, infographics, articles, etc.) for technical and non-technical staff and audiences globally.
9. Proven experience in developing and managing large-scale, complex projects and processes across a range of stakeholders and dispersed geographic locations.
10. Demonstrated commitment to fostering and maintaining an environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Desirable

1. Proficiency in a language other than English that is relevant in one or more of the Sponsorship country offices highly desired (e.g. French, Spanish or Arabic).
2. Competence in utilizing a quantitative and qualitative data analysis package.
3. Demonstrated experience working with external research partners in countries where Sponsorship programs operate.

Education and Qualifications 

Essential

• Bachelors (or equivalent experience) required; 
• Master’s degree preferred in relevant field with strong applied research experience; significant experience in monitoring and evaluating child rights programming in the international development context. 
• Must be able to manage large-scale evaluations and determine evaluation methods.

Working at Save the Children International

Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first.

We know that great people make a great organisation, 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.

The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.

We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply.

Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found here via the job listing. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

Our recruitment process:

1. Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter
2. Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team
3. Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview
4. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse. All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.

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