East Area Director

The role

As a member of the DRC Country Office Senior Management Team (SMT), the East Area Director will provide strategic leadership to Save the Children programme in Eastern DRC, representing the organisation externally, and playing a key role nationwide in regards to humanitarian responses. The post holder will provide management oversight to ongoing activities in the provinces of South and North Kivu, and Ituri; and will be a primary contributor to the definition of strategic programmatic direction for the organization in the region, and to SC DRC National Strategy.

This is an exciting role in which the right candidate can enable large scale and impactful programming for children.

You will Be:

• Leading a team of multi-national professionals working to ensure the survival, learning and protection of children in Eastern DRC;
• Providing management oversight to programmes in Health, Nutrition, WASH, Education and Child Protection in the provinces of South and North Kivu, and Ituri;
• Ensuring and sustaining humanitarian response and surge capacity, seconded by a Humanitarian Manager with a team of deployable programme and support staff;

• Provide external representation, and ensure coordination with provincial government, partners and adjacent implementing agencies, and humanitarian coordination forums in Eastern DRC;

• Support evidence based and impactful programming working with programme quality teams and SC members to ensure adequate and timely technical support to programmes;

• Ensuring optimal security management procedures and practices are in place and continually monitor the security and political situation in the concerned area;

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where the teams strive to achieve excellence.

You will have:

• Proven experience managing programming within a complex national program in dynamic, insecure contexts of conflict or fragile state, within international standards, and preferably from a child rights approach;
• Substantial people management experience with excellent communication skills and the ability to synthesize complex information succinctly;
• Proven experience of security management, humanitarian programming, and ability to operate in a volatile environment;
• Demonstrated political awareness, representational, and advocacy skills;
• Experience of working with partners and in a participatory approach;
• Strong commitment to the Save the Children vision, principles, mission and values;

• Fluent French and English, both written and spoken.

  What’s in It for You

• Meaningful work, with a realisation that you are changing the lives of children for the better;

• A challenging, dynamic context that will allow you to engage in a wide range of management and programming activities; with highly collaborative and innovative teams;

• Family duty station (Optional – Gisenyi, young children only) and still near the action;

• Generous benefits package;
• Healthcare plans including medical, dental, and life insurance;
• Retirement savings account with matching company contributions;

• Extensive opportunities for formal and informal learning, and career advancement.

  Qualifications and experience

  Essential:

• At least 8 years/substantial experience working with a humanitarian/ development organisation, including significant experience working at senior management at field level;

• Skills and experience in project/programme implementation, monitoring, review and evaluation preferably from a child rights approach and within international standards;

• Substantial people and programme management experience with good interpersonal skills and ability to communicate at all levels;

• humanitarian programming, and ability to work in a volatile environment;
• Experience of working with large, complex donors (USAID, EU, DFID etc.) to secure and/or manage new large-scale and/or competitive funding;
• Representational, political awareness and advocacy skills;
• Ability to work with limited supervision from line manager;
• Experience of working with partners and a participatory approach;
• Fluency and speaking and writing in both French and English;
• Commitment to the Save the Children vision, principles, mission and values;

Desirable:

• Experience working in DRC and/or the Great Lakes Region.

Contract length: 24 months

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.

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.

We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply

Applicants are advised that Save the Children International does not require any payment or expense during the entire recruitment process. Any request in this direction should be immediately reported as contrary to the values and practices of our organization.