The Opportunity
The Cash & Markets Technical Advisor will use their in-depth contextual understanding, technical expertise, and relationship building skills to define and deliver our strategic ambition for Cash & Market-based Programming in Afghanistan. The role will lead strategy development and the technical design and implementation of high-quality programmes that deliver change for children in both emergency and development programming. The role supports national advocacy and influencing, while driving strategic partnerships for new business development. It supports the design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems to demonstrate impact, while sharing learning across our programmes, teams and partners. The role will work closely with operations colleagues (including supply chain) and with partners in Afghanistan CO, building their capacity and building ownership and agency of local organisations. This role includes a focus on external representation on priority issues including market-based assistance, as well as shock-responsive social protection to ensure alignment and complementarity of SCI interventions in the current economic context. Given the current humanitarian emergency and cash liquidity challenges, the role holder may be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
A. Technical Leadership:
1. Provide technical leadership for Cash & Market-based Programming for the Country Office, and set the strategic approach in relation to the wider country strategy
2. Build capacity of national staff and partners in key technical approaches related to Cash & Market-based Programming across all child outcomes.
B. Ensuring Programme Quality (Design & Implementation):
1. Work closely with new business development colleagues to identify and pursue funding opportunities; engage with technical partners, donors and colleagues across Save the Children
2. Lead the technical scoping, planning, and design and proposal writing during new programme development, and ensure that we design and deliver high quality Cash & Market-based programmes for children, building on global best practice. Ensure that gender, disability and resilience considerations are reflected in our programme design and implementation.
3. Provide oversight and guidance to the programme implementation teams to ensure that thematic programme components are technically sound, implementation methods are consistent with national and global strategies, acknowledged good practice (e.g. Save the Children Common Approaches); and are likely to achieve scale, as well as equitable and sustainable results.
4. Work closely with the Supply Chain and Finance colleagues to identify feasible Financial Service Providers given the economic crisis; lead and ensure CVA specific risk assessments are conducted and kept up to date
5. Promote and monitor integrated programming in a way that increases overall impact of Cash & Market-based programmes at the community level.
6. Work with Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) teams as well as with the relevant thematic Technical Advisors (i.e. WASH, Nutrition, Health, Education, Child Protection, and FSL) to conduct quality monitoring against international standards on MEAL for programmes integrating CVA, through participatory methodologies (including child-friendly and disability inclusive methodologies);
7. Contribute towards the creation of an organisational learning culture that promotes the use of data, evidence and analysis and understands its link to quality and accountable programming;
8. Undertake regular field visits to project sites; work with implementation teams to understand impacts, operational challenges, and continuously identify opportunities for learning and improvement.
9. Contribute to organisational learning on Cash & Market-based Programming when applied to and integrated with other sectors (Cash + approaches), ensuring that learning from our programmes is shared across the Country Office, our partners, and the national/subnational Cash Working Group, as well as with colleagues in the wider regional and global Cash & Market community in Save the Children.
10. Participate in the development of emergency preparedness plans, in CVA and market-specific assessments (including gender analysis and disability situation analysis, using SC assessment processes and tools), as well as in the design and delivery of emergency response and recovery strategies. Ensure synergies across thematic and functional teams, data and programme design.
11. Monitor trends in order to ensure early action; and lead technical design and implementation and technical coordination of humanitarian responses
Networking & External Engagement:
1. In alignment with Country Office strategy and leadership, engage in strategic positioning with donors, partners and government in-country, and ensure that Save the Children is a partner of choice in Cash & Market-based Programming.
2. Ensure that Save the Children is influencing and learning from others through national technical coordination and networking bodies such as clusters and the national and sub-national Cash Working Groups.
3. Represent the program with external stakeholders including donors, partner agencies, etc. as required.
4. Ensure the quality, clarity and consistency of technical components of internal and external reports (e.g. programme reports, sit-reps, internal updates), working closely with awards, programme implementation and communications colleagues as needed.
5. Leverage and liaise with technical colleagues from across Save the Children, including technical working groups and centres of excellence, ensuring that learning from the Country Office is shared with others and global lessons brought back.
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 suppliers accountable to deliver on their responsibilities
Ambition:
• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and takes responsibility for their own personal development
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale
Collaboration:
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to; builds and maintains effective relationships with colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity and different people’s perspectives, able to work cross-culturally.
Creativity:
• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Cuts away bureaucracy and encourages an entrepreneurial approach
Integrity:
• Honest, encourages openness and transparency, builds trust and confidence
• Displays consistent excellent judgement
The Organisation
We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.
We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated
We know that great people make a great organization, 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 workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
• Masters degree in Economics, Social Sciences or other relevant field (or Bachelor’s degree with 7 years of experience)
• At least 5 years’ experience of working internationally in Cash & Voucher Assistance in emergency and development settings, for a broad range of institutional donors and sectors (beyond Food Security & Livelihoods)
• Previous humanitarian response experience
• Understanding of Cash & Voucher Assistance in Afghanistan, especially in the current economic context
• Experience with various cash and voucher modalities, including digital, mobile, card, paper voucher, and cash in envelopes
• Management experience of operational aspects of cash and voucher interventions
• Experience in the introduction of internal controls systems to support cash and vouchers delivery in the areas of financial management, logistics, security and programme delivery
• Demonstrable understanding of M&E, beneficiary accountability, and learning
• Experience in the application of methodologies to calculate cash / voucher amounts for sectoral outcomes (e.g. cost of the diet) as well as for multipurpose cash transfers; experience in conducting feasibility and risk analysis for cash & voucher assistance;
• Track record in successful business development/fundraising, especially with ECHO, USAID, OCHA and other donors
• Demonstrated program design, monitoring and evaluation skills, including designing pathways to sustainable impact at scale.
• Experience of strategy development and planning
• Skilled at networking, representation and partnership development in order promote learning, strengthen civil society and mobilise resources.
• Able to generate and use data and evidence to innovate, deliver, learn and share what works and what doesn’t work for children
• Experience of promoting quality and impact through at least one cross-cutting area: gender equality and inclusion, adaptive and safer programming; child rights; disability; migration and displacement.
• Significant experience in training, capacity building, and mentoring
• Fluent in English and high level of English writing skills.
KEY COMPETENCIES
Technical competencies:
Primary technical competences:
• Leads operational feasibility and other assessments to inform cash & voucher assistance go/no-go decisions
• Champions preparedness and capacity building for cash & market-based programming across sectors
• Trains and advises others on Standard Operating Procedures and best practices related to the set-up and implementation of cash & voucher assistance
• Works with thematic experts on the design of sector-specific (e.g. WASH, Nutrition, Health, Education, Child Protection, and FSL) and cross-sectoral programmes using cash & voucher assistance and a market lens including MEAL frameworks to measure impact on desired child outcomes
• Champions the use of market-based programming approach also to inform the choice of response options and programme design
Generic Competencies
• Being the Voice of Children: Promotes evidence-based policy and public engagement that includes the voices of children and their communities
• Advancing Equality & Inclusion: Displays a commitment to ensuring everything we do considers the most deprived and marginalised children
• Building & Strengthening Partnerships: Promotes working with diverse partners as critical to delivery
• Child Rights: Promotes the rights of children in own work and in work with colleagues and peers
Application Information
Please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document. Please also include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. A copy of the full role profile can be found at www.savethechildren.net/careers
Closing Date for Application: 21 December 2021
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment policy.
To help us track our recruitment effort, please indicate on the application form /in your cover letter where (ngotenders.net) you saw this job posting.