Project Director – Girls’ Education Full-Time

Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organisation for children. We work in 120 countries. We save children’s lives; we fight for their rights; we help them fulfil their potential.

We work together, with our partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

We have over two million supporters worldwide and raised 1.9 billion dollars last year to reach more children than ever before, through programmes in health, nutrition, education, protection and child rights, also in times of humanitarian crises.

Following a major transition, our international programmes are now delivered through a merged operation with 15,000 staff, managed through seven regional hubs and reporting to a relatively small, central office. We’re changing to become more efficient, more aligned, a better partner, a stronger advocate, a magnet for world-class people and relevant for the 21st century.

Role Purpose:

Save the Children is recruiting for an experienced Project Director to lead a flagship girls’ education program in Mozambique. The four-year $10m program started in April 2017 and works across 3 provinces, rolling out at scale a variety of interventions Save the Children has piloted both in Mozambique and around the world. Project implementation is accompanied by a strong impact assessment component which aims to demonstrate how these interventions specifically help the most marginalised girls to access education, stay in school and achieve improved learning outcomes.

The Project Director will be responsible for the planning, management, financial oversight, monitoring and evaluation, coordination and successful implementation of this project across the three provinces, which includes a mix of direct implementation and sub-granting to local partners. Strong project sub-granting, management and budget monitoring skills, PBR expertise, as well as technical skills in education, research and monitoring and evaluation, will be a particular focus of this role, since project implementation and payment by the donor is contingent on reaching output and outcome related milestones.

Contract Duration: 2 Years

Qualifications, Skills & Experience

Essential

• Master’s degree or equivalent in education, gender or development studies or a related subject;
• Expertise in education and gender issues relating to girls’ education specifically;
• Prior experience of delivering results based education programming (preferably in a socio-cultural and political context similar to Mozambique);
• Good knowledge of children’s rights and specifically girls related issues in education;
• Experience of project and financial management of multi partner or agency consortia;
• Proven experience in research, learning focused monitoring and evaluation and knowledge management;
• Demonstrated experience of developing and managing relationships with donors (DFiD and others);
• Demonstrated experience in handling budgets in excess of £5m and working with PBR;
• Skills in navigating complex donor requirements and ensuring donor compliance – understanding of Value for Money (VAF) and Payment by results (PbR);
• Demonstrated experience of working with national and/or provincial level government structures on policy design, implementation and capacity building;
• Full fluency in English (essential);
• Fluency in Portuguese language skills (but also other romance language speakers considered);
• Experience of building, leading and developing a team of senior staff with different backgrounds and expertise;
• Strong communication, and interpersonal skills with substantial experience in managing multicultural teams;
• Proven experience of working in changing / volatile contexts;
• Strong in working under pressure, with tight time schedules;
• Willingness to spend 50% of their time in the implementation provinces

Desirable

• Good risk management analysis, monitoring and control to keeps track of the identified risks and to ensures the execution of risk response plans, and evaluates their effectiveness;
• Sub granting and partnership capacity strengthening skills;
•  Problem solving of complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy-in;
• Ability to provide support and performance management remotely and work within a matrix management structure;
• Dynamic, innovative and creative;
• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles including rights-based approaches.

Please apply in English saving your CV and covering letter as a single document.

We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse. Employment is subject to our Child protection standards including background checks and adherence to our Child Safeguarding Policy.

Save the Children is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to employ and assign the best qualified talent.