Humanitarian Response Team Leader at Save The Children

Role Purpose

• The Humanitarian Response Team Leader will generally be deployed to manage a Category 1 or 2 response, and to provide response oversight and strategic direction to the country programme in collaboration with the Country Director and the Director for Humanitarian Programme.
• The Humanitarian Response Team Leader is responsible for identifying needs and resources and elaborating programmatic, operational, strategic and leadership recommendations for the emergency response in line with Save the Children’s local, national and global priorities.
• The post-holder will develop and manage programmes or country support functions and negotiate and network at the State, national and international level.
• They will ensure that all relevant Save the Children policies and procedures with respect to child safeguarding, safety and security, code of conduct, equal opportunities and other relevant policies are in place.
• The post holder will play a leading role in the effective scale up and management of Save the Children emergency programmes to increase impact and enable positive change for children.
• The response is focused on the Northeast part of Nigeria which is experience a massive humanitarian crisis due to the insurgency and counter-insurgency operations.
• The Save the Children humanitarian response in the northeast focuses on sectors like: FSL, nutrition, education, WASH and child protection.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Assume overall oversight of the regional, Category 2 emergency response in northeast Nigeria, in collaboration with the Director for Humanitarian Programme, the Country Director and other relevant CO SMT members.
• Ensuring strict compliance of programme activities with Save the Children national and global policies and procedures and with relevant donor regulations and agreements, SPHERE guidelines and the NGO code of conduct.
• In coordination with the Director for Humanitarian Programme, lead on the State level strategic planning for the humanitarian response to ensure an effective emergency response in all of its phases of delivery.
• In collaboration with the Director for Humanitarian Programme, have oversight over the development of relevant master budgets, aligned with the Response Strategy objectives, for the duration of the response and for multiple sites and multiple sectors where appropriate.
• S/he will take overall leadership on the implementation of the Response relevant national level budgets, while keeping relevant stakeholders informed and ensuring any corrective actions are taken where required.
• In coordination with the Deputy Team Leader- Programme and other relevant (E)SMT level members from both the Field and CO teams, s/he will ensure the preparation of a timely programme delivery and submitting the donor reports on project activities in compliance with internal SCI requirements and any relevant external donor requirements.
• Submit weekly field reports to the Director of Humanitarian Programme.
• Ensuring that the relevant project monitoring plans and systems for identifying and tracking the indicators and develop processes/procedures and forms to support monitoring and inform learning are established and implemented.
• Ensure optimal safety and security management procedures and practices are in place for the emergency response programme and continually monitor the safety and security situation, adapting staff safety and security procedures accordingly in collaboration and cooperation with the Borno based Safety and Security Coordinator and the Country Security Manager.
• Oversee effective functioning of logistics systems to procure, store and distribute stock, supplies and services for the timely delivery of project objectives at national level.
• Ensure strong accountability to beneficiaries.
• Plan, identify and resource appropriate and effective structure & staffing needs for entire response; In liaison with the Director for Humanitarian Programme and the HR Director ensuring that personnel policies are in accordance with national laws).
• Oversee the development & implementation of staff well-being (policy) and ensure appropriate staff well-being and R&R policy and processes in place.

Capacity Building:

• Ensure that capacity building plans and performance management systems are in place to develop the requisite competencies in staff to ensure ongoing sustainability and quality of response.
• Coach and mentor international staff and national level counterparts and link in to wider organisational talent development mechanisms.
• Work closely with the Deputy Team Leader - Programmes on identify staff and partner capacity building gaps, needs and draw plans to provide relevant capacity building.

Representation & Advocacy & Organisational Learning:

• Represent Save the Children’s emergency response on a national, regional and international level to donors, the media and members of the humanitarian community.
• Help shape broader sector strategies through influence of and leadership within inter-agency coordination forums, ensuring the specific needs of children are being addressed.
• Regularly undertake high level representation and advocacy with Government partners and officials as well as donor representatives. Establish systems for communication with local Government partners, relevant line departments and community representations in the project area(s).
• Lead on organisational level operational practice, innovation and learning in consultation with Humanitarian team.
• Ensure SCI response review framework is implemented and lessons learnt / recommendations followed up.

General:

• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

Qualifications and Experience
Essential:

• Extensive experience (5 years +) with an iNGO of working within a senior management role and within a complex country programme in an emergency response or fragile state setting; and/or extensive experience of setting up responses in out of area contexts.
• Previous experience of managing programme teams in large-scale/complex, first or second phase emergency response is essential.
• Proven understanding of the complexities of humanitarian action within a civil conflict setting (humanitarian principles; do no harm; protection of civilians; IHL and other legal frameworks that apply).
• Degree or equivalent field experience.
• Senior management experience of leading a diverse, multi-function and/or multi-sector team at a Country Director or other relevant SMT level.
• Experience of managing multi-donor, multi-site programmes (including ECHO, DFID and OFDA) of USD 5m+ in a first phase response at regional or country level.
• Multi-site security management in insecure environments.
• Experience of international level representation with key stakeholders, and co-ordination with other iNGOs/UN, local civil society and government stakeholders (HCT, Cluster or Working Group meetings, community engagement etc).
• Experience of international media representation and advocacy.
• Experience of M&E and beneficiary accountability systems in large complex programmes.
• Experience of developing and negotiating successful partnerships with institutional donors.
• Proven ability to influence change at an operational and strategic level.
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy.
• A high level of written and spoken English.
• The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
• Commitment to the aims and principles of SC. In particular, a good understanding of the SC mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support.

Desirable:

• Previous experience with Save the Children in a humanitarian response programme.
• Previous experience in northeast Nigeria or the Lake Chad Basin.
• Knowledge of Hausa or Kanuri.

Core Behaviours
Leading and Inspiring Others:

• Demonstrates leadership in all our work, embodies our values, and articulates a compelling vision to inspire others to achieve our goals for children.
• Level required: Accomplished

Problem Solving and Decision-Making:

• Takes effective, considered and timely decisions by gathering and evaluating relevant information from within or outside the organisation.
• Level required: Accomplished

Networking:

• Builds and uses sustainable relationships and networks to support the work of Save the Children.
• Level required: Accomplished