Senior Project Lead, Strategy INGO Collaboration

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Project Lead, Strategy INGO Collaboration to join our global team.

Job Purpose
Care, Mercy Corps, and Save the Children are exploring a new path for deeper collaboration, driven by a shared vision to drive greater impact, efficiency, and local leadership in global assistance. In the context of major shifts in global funding, each organization recognizes that increasing impact requires new ways of working together. We are initiating a set of collaborative opportunities designed to prototype that future alliance—from shared procurement and support services to participant feedback tools and a more coordinated approach to working with local partners. We are now seeking a skilled Project Leader to drive forward this work in its crucial early phase.

The Senior Project Lead will be responsible for driving forward and program managing the collaborative initiative consisting of a portfolio of cross-organizational opportunities, managing a light-touch Program Management Office function, and ensuring structured progress, learning, and alignment between the three organizations.

This is a unique opportunity to drive forward a strategic transformation effort with the potential to influence the future of the global development sector.

What we offer

• A key role in an ambitious collaboration effort in the global development sector.
• The chance to work closely with senior leaders across three major INGOs.
• Flexibility in working location and hours.
• A dynamic, high-trust environment focused on learning, experimentation, and bold thinking.

Job Title: Senior Project Lead, Strategy INGO Collaboration

Reports To: Working Group of Chief Strategy Officers

Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available 

Contract Length: Fixed Term Contract for 6 months (extendable)

Start date: As soon as possible

Grade: P6

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: SCI Careers

Time Zone (that the role holder must be available to work in): Available for meetings between 8am-1pm EST / 1pm-6pm CET

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 10% 

Principal Accountabilities

1. Project Leadership 

• Develop a Strategic Collaboration Opportunity Roadmap
• Manage the Opportunity Tracker and track progress against milestones for each collaborative initiative.
• Facilitate efficient decision making and governance; coordinate and prepare materials for regular Working Group meetings (CSOs) and Steering Group check-ins (CEOs).
• Facilitate leadership and stakeholder engagement, including communication and information flow between initiative leads and leadership groups.
• Monitor and manage risks and dependencies across initiatives and escalate as required
• Track use of funds and manage budgeting/reporting as needed.

2. Strategic Collaboration Initiative Support

• Provide hands-on project leadership support to selected initiatives where required
• Help initiative owners define and refine scope, timelines, and success measure, to mobilise and resource new initiatives, and with issue resolution
   

3. Learning & Adaptation

• Facilitate a “test, learn, adapt” approach to capture and share learning and emerging insights across workstreams.
• Ensure internal and external stakeholders are briefed
• Contribute to development of decision-making frameworks for scaling or adapting initiatives.
   

4. Engagement (external and across organisations)

• Support funder engagement including development of funder updates and communications in collaboration with initiative leads.
• Prepare internal communications across the three organisations regarding the collaboration, to ensure consistent messaging and build support

Experience and Skills
Essential

• Experience managing large scale, complex transformation/organisational change in or with large INGOs, global networks, or consortiums.
• Experience working directly with C-level leaders
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize information and drive strategy execution.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, negotiation and facilitation skills.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and bringing structure to evolving initiatives.
• High EQ and cross-cultural sensitivity; able to work across diverse organizational cultures.
• Fluency in English (spoken and written).

Desirable

• Working for one or more of the organizations (CARE, Mercy Corps, Save the Children).
• Exposure to humanitarian or development operations and/or localization efforts.

Education and Qualifications
Essential

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
• Understanding of a structured Project methodology (e.g. PRINCE2) or accredited Project Management training (APM or PMI)

Desirable

• PRINCE2 (Foundation and/or Practitioner), Scrum Master, Agile PM

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.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 3 weeks of the advert deadline.

 

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.