The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization that promotes children’s rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries

ROLE PURPOSE: 

• The Regional Strategic Partnership and Localisation Advisor takes the lead role as the focal point for Save the Children’s strategic approach and operational support to partnerships and localisation agenda in East and Southern Africa (ESA) Region. The overall aim of the Advisor will be to ensure partnership and Localisation practices are in line with Save the Children’s Partnership and localisation Principles of value-driven and empowering relationships, locally led, transparency, accountability and mutual benefit; adhere to humanitarian principles and a Do No Harm approach; and ensure quality programme implementation through a strategic and informed partnership approach guided by Save the Children’s Global Partnership Framework. The Advisor will contribute to quality programming and implementation by ensuring a conflict sensitive lens is applied to decision making in relevant COs.
• Partnership working group, Region and Country Office Partnership staff and Senior Mamangemnt Team; Regional Program Ops, Regional PDQI, Regional Awards team and Save the Children Members.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Partnership Management

• Build the skills set of partnership staff and staff across functional departments (program, awards, MEAL, finance, etc) on partnership management (Save the Children International’s module) and training on soft partnering skills.
• Working with CO Partnership focal points, ensure programme implementation teams working with partners are well informed of conflict sensitivity and humanitarian principles
• Develop and nurture strategic partnerships with government at national and local levels and wit civil society organizations to influence national policies and strategies and to build the capacity of duty bearers to ensure that children’s rights are met
• Provide recommendations to develop a partnership roles and responsibilities matrix with Country Offices, to clearly identify who plays what role along the partnership life cycle
• Provide ongoing in-person (technical visits, short term deployments) and remote technical support to Country Office staff on partnership practices along the partnership life cycle.
• As requested, support Country Offices with the recruitment and induction of Partnership staff
• Establish partnership staff peer network for cross learning and sharing; facilitate cross learning/secondment opportunities for Partnership staff across ESA Region.
• Facilitate regular Partnership focal point meetings, exchange of best practices & Community of practices.
• Support the roll out of Save the Children’s Global Partnership Framework, including the Country Office self-assessment on partnership practices to identify internal capacity gaps, and develop and follow up on action plans.
• Support Country Offices with an assessment of their current partner portfolio, evaluation of partners, the identification of strategic partners advise on / develop best practices for longer term partnership with strategic partners.
• Support Country Offices to actively engage partners in strategic planning processes.
• Facilitate partner consultations to monitor, assess the effectiveness of partnerships in Country Offices and Document best practices and lessons learned for wider dissemination.
• Advise Country Offices on appropriate partnership tools and respond to gaps with the development of tools/resources, link new resources to Partnership Framework
• Review partnership practices and systems and themes, ensure partnership tools and processes are institutionalized in Country Offices.
• Review and support Country Offices with the use of partnership assessments and organizational capacity assessments; development of capacity strengthening plans; and monitoring and documenting capacity strengthening results.
• Work with partners and field teams on the development of an organisational culture that reflects Save the Children’s mandate, promotes accountability and remains impartial in conflict.
• Support Country Offices with mapping and securing capacity strengthening support resources for partners – training modules, trainers, self-learning course, online courses etc.
• Mapping of ESA staff and capacities, to ensure more effective use of existing technical resources and potentially running a Community of Practice (CoP).
• Ensure Child Safeguarding capacity bulding plans are in place for partner organizations and ensure that CSG policies and standards are in place for partners (in cooperation with CO CSG focal points)
• Participate Save the Children International Partnership Working Group (PWG), Center and regional Partnership working group and contribute to the development, pilot, and roll out of agency tools, guidelines, resources, including Save the Children International Montoring in Partnerships toolkit.

Collaboration, Representation and Strategic Engagement

• Coordinate externally with peer agency Partnership Advisors for potential collaboration, to share learnings, and exchange on approaches and initiatives
• Present partnership work, as requested, at relevant Save the Children International regional and global events.
• Coordinate with Save the Children International Members on Partnership technical support to COs

 Localisation

• Support mapping and analysis of Country Offices and Region localisation policies, priorities, activities, investments and milestones.
• Contribute to knowledge management, sharing and learning across the Localisation Initiative, ensuring the representation of partners’ voices and their visibility.
• Play active role on Regional Localisation taskforce and SCI Center Localisation working groups.
• Collaborate effectively as a member of the ESA Localization taskforce and center Localisation Initiative team, developing and delivering aligned workplans and supporting shared objectives.
• Act as a positive role model, exhibiting leadership and celebration of diversity and inclusion within your team and with others.
• Maintain positive, constructive relationships with our business partners in other departments in the Region/COs/centere and with Save the Children members.
• Support key initiative documentation, presentations and workshops in design for COs.
• Work with country offices to understand their current state and direction of travel – mapping out the framework for how countries will get to where they want to be, the operational changes required to get there and the support that they would need to achieve this (guidance, resourcing, systems etc.)
• Working closely with Center Localisation working groups and ESA localisation taskforce, gather evidence of the types of localisation activities our policies/processes/requirements support, and the activities they hinder.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)
Accountability:

• holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE 

 Essential

• Post graduate or Master degree in relevant field or equivalent work experience
• Minimum 10 years of international experience, with minimum 5 years working in civil society programming.
• Experience working in an emergency response contexts or fragile state, preferable previous experience in East and Southern Africa Region.
• Solid knowledge about core elements of approaches to working in partnerships, including capacity strengthening
• Excellent and proven training/facilitation skills
• Proven excellent strategic and analytical skills
• Experience of representation and ability to represent Save the Children International effectively in external forums
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
• Innovative and creative problem solving skills
• Strong commitment to team work and understanding of how to contribute to this
• Willingness to travel at short notice and for extended periods of time
• English language fluency, both spoken and written
• The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
• Commitment to and understanding of child rights, the aims and principles of Save the Children, and humanitarian standards such as the Sphere Charter and the Code of Conduct. In particular, a good understanding of the Save the Children mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support.

Additional job responsibilities

• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities 

• The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures