Position Code: Re-Advertisement
Status: SCI- BDM
Team / Programme: Programme Development and Quality (PDQ)
Location: Nairobi
Grade: SCI (Competitive Package)
Post Type: National (1 year contract with possibility of extension)
Child Safeguarding: Level 3 - the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people
Role Purpose: The position is reponsible for helping the Kenya Country Office achieve greater programme scale by successfully positioning for and acquiring new donor funding.
The postholder will ensure that proposals are compliant with internal and donor standards and will lead efforts to strengthen the CO's systems and capacities for resource moblization.
The position will also support research and documentation of lessons learnt and ensure utilisation of evidence in the design process.
Scope of Role:
Scope of Role:
Reports to: Director of Programme Development and Quality (DPDQ)
Dimensions: Save the Children has been operational in Kenya since the 1950s, providing support to children through developmental and humanitarian relief programmes delivered both directly and through local partners. Current programming focuses on child protection, child rights governance, education, health, HIV/AIDS, livelihoods, nutrition and WASH.
Dimensions: Save the Children has been operational in Kenya since the 1950s, providing support to children through developmental and humanitarian relief programmes delivered both directly and through local partners. Current programming focuses on child protection, child rights governance, education, health, HIV/AIDS, livelihoods, nutrition and WASH.
In 2012, as part of a global reorganization process, Save the Children combined the programmes of SC UK, SC Canada and SC Finland to create a single operation in Kenya.
In February 2014, we completed a second transition, which saw us join forces with the British INGO, Merlin, and merge their health and nutrition programmes with our own. Save the Children now has an operational presence in Bungoma, Dadaab Refugee Camp, Garissa, Mandera, Nairobi, Turkana and Wajir.
We work through partners in many other parts of the country. We have a staff complement of around 300 staff and an operating annual budget of approximately US$25 million in 2014.
The country office is actively developing or revising an average of 5-10 proposals at any given time, all of which must adhere to internal procedures and meet both donor compliance standards and external deadlines.
Staff Directly Reporting to this Post: N/A.
Key Areas of Accountability:
New business development
The country office is actively developing or revising an average of 5-10 proposals at any given time, all of which must adhere to internal procedures and meet both donor compliance standards and external deadlines.
Staff Directly Reporting to this Post: N/A.
Key Areas of Accountability:
New business development
- Ensure that the country office has a comprehensive, senior management team-endorsed Business Development Strategy in place, which is in line with the Country Strategy, and is implemented and monitored effectively.
- Identify, research, and disseminate information on new funding opportunities – particularly long term - from bilateral, multi-lateral, and other institutional donors. Use creative approaches to link programme aspirations to donor priorities, while also effectively influencing the strategies of donors.
- Coordinate closely with the Technical Advisors and DPDQ to cultivate business relationships with external stakeholders and potential partners for large scale or strategic funding opportunities, either as a prime or sub-recipient in joint ventures.
- Track up-coming funding opportunities, donor engagement and proposal development process. Provide regular updates to the Director of Programme Development and Quality and senior management team on the status of the funding portfolio and key trends to monitor.
- Assist in developing funding strategies for thematic programme plans and cross-sectoral integration. These strategies should reflect our ambitions and new creative thinking to achieve more for children.
- Participate in key donor meetings, when necessary, to foster long-term collaboration and engagement.
- Examine and evaluate innovative new partnerships, and ensure that they maximize the opportunity to showcase and replicate the Theory of Change.
- Explore and test potential private sector partnerships.
- Pro-actively seek donor intelligence on prospective new opportunities or partnerships.
- Ensure key contacts, required formats and donor strategies are kept up-to-date at the country office level.
- Represent Save the Children in meetings, working groups, clusters, task forces, as needed.
Coordinate Proposal Development
- Contribute to or participate in field assessments as needed.
- Participate in conceptualizing and designing cost effective, innovative and high quality programs to serve children in Kenya in development and emergency contexts.
- Draft and/or solicit proposal concepts by identifying and clarifying opportunities and needs; studying calls for proposals, and sharing information with relevant sector teams.
- With the Technical Advisors and DPDQ, facilitate the development of development and humanitarian proposals or bids.
- Facilitate engagement of consultants on large-scale proposals, or when technical specialists are needed.
- In collaboration with Members (and Member Support Services), broker technical assistance and other resources to support proposal development.
- Produce proposal development schedules and track timelines, ensuring and facilitating coordination amongst teams – PDQ, Programme Operations, Finance, HR, Security and Member Services.
- Ensure sector teams follow proposal development SoPs, in particular on processes/tools, full cost recovery and the involvement of the right teams at the right time.
- Check that all concept notes and proposals follow internal procedures and are compliant with internal and donor standards. Process all documents through the Save the Children award management system and ensure approvals are in place prior to submission.
- Work closely with the field operations team to ensure quality proposals and compliance with SoPs for all program development.
- Communicate with relevant Save the Children member contacts to review and approve concept notes and proposals.
- Ensure that Programme Quality Framework and Theory of Change is addressed in all new proposals and that key elements of programme quality are included (e.g. child participation, child safeguarding, gender, lessons learned from past proposals, accountability, risk assessments, effective and sustainable partnerships, etc.).
Documentation and Learning
- Develop capacity statements on Save the Children’s experience in specific sectors and sub-sectors to support positioning for future funding.
- Draft standard text for proposals, with particular focus on cross-cutting issues to ensure that these areas are addressed in new projects.
- Capture and document learning from ongoing projects to be applied to project design.
- Ensure that all documents are properly filed within the award management system and country office shared drives.
Staff Capacity Building – Program Development and Quality
- Assist the DPDQ in regularly communicating and training on program design processes and requirements.
- Develop and carry out training for field staff and Nairobi staff on their respective roles in proposal development. Proactively monitor performance and support.
- Ensure all PDQ and key programme staff proactively build and maintain proposal development skills required for developing first class development and emergency programs.
Skills and 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 others to do the same
- Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
- Future orientated, thinks strategically
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
Qualifications and Experience
- Minimum four years’ of experience with a master’s degree or six years’ experience with a bachelor’s degree, in an NGO or similar environment, including experience developing programmes for children in both emergency and development contexts.
- Preferred degree in programme or NGO management, development studies, or related field.
- Solid experience in more than one of the Save the Children priority sectors: Heath, HIV/AIDS, Nutrition, Education, WASH, FS/L, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, in development and emergencies
- Practical experience and successful track record in writing and leading proposals for a variety of donors, particularly USAID, DFID, private sector foundations, UNICEF, and EU/ECHO.
- Excellent demonstrable writing and editing skills in English.
- Good knowledge of the development and emergency donor environment and expectations in Kenya, with solid experience cultivating positive relationships with donors and managing partners during proposal processes.
- Good knowledge of the landscape of implementing partners and government structures in Kenya, and proven experience in developing local partnerships for projects.
- Familiarity with project design methods and tools (including assessments, logical frameworks, and work planning) and strong appreciation for innovation and partnership as part of project development.
- Good analytical skills, effective negotiator, with proven ability to positively influence cross departmental and cross sector working.
- Experience with developing capacity building tools and coaching teams.
- Strong results orientation, with ability to meet deadlines and produce high-quality products.
- Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
- Ability and willingness to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming proposal development teams to meet deadlines.
- Fluency in English, both verbal and written
- Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles including rights-based approaches
How to Apply
Interested candidates are required to submit a CV and mandatory Cover letter to kenya.jobapplications@savethechildren.org indicating the Position Code & Title on the subject line by 21st October 2014 COB.
Interested candidates are required to submit a CV and mandatory Cover letter to kenya.jobapplications@savethechildren.org indicating the Position Code & Title on the subject line by 21st October 2014 COB.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.