Senior Manager, Transformation Development & Interventions in London

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Manager, Transformation Development & Interventions to join our global team.

Team and Role Purpose

Save the Children is a global organisation with ambitious goals in a constantly changing environment. We need to continuously improve and innovate to achieve our strategic goals and deliver high impact for and with children.

Interventions - Given the size and complexity of the transformation portfolio at Save the Children, we often identify dependencies that need to be addressed through the creation of sub-projects or come across roadblocks that ultimately could impact the successful delivery of our projects. These if not dealt with result in costly delays and the capacity within the existing management structure is not sufficient to cope with this demand. Adding to this we have no transformation resource bench and often the solution to avoid delays is either adding additional burden to resources already at capacity or bringing in external consultants to plug the gap which are costly and require significant onboarding time before they are fully effective. The central Transformation Development team lead interventions to remove these roadblocks and support these dependencies to ensure our portfolio continues to move forward at pace and achieve its objectives.

Development – Despite our wide-ranging transformation portfolio, there are always more opportunities for improvement across our organisation. One of the priorities of the transformation development team is to select new opportunities that will have the largest impact for our movement. In order to achieve this, we first need to understand the pipeline of opportunities available and conduct feasibilities that enables us to make good strategic choices on which projects to take forward. These feasibilities consider the benefits case as well as the cost and wider organisational implications for potential projects.

Role purpose

The Transformation Development & Interventions Manager sits within the Transformation Delivery department and is responsible for addressing business critical risks and issues across the portfolio. This could be supporting the team to avoid issues becoming significant through targeted interventions relating to design, development or implementation of projects or directly intervening where a critical issue is already impacting project delivery. In addition, this role will work in partnership with our PMO team and Transformation Leaders to develop proposals and feasibilities for potential new projects to ensure they are effectively scoped, sized and reviewed prior to being progressed to the required governance bodies. Following feasibility, this role will also support effective set up of agreed new projects and act as a key SME supporting wider teams/functions across Save the Children in setting up and scoping new initiatives. They will also provide hands-on guidance to teams and offer ongoing opportunities for capacity strengthening.

Principal Accountabilities

• Manage and resolve immediate and future critical risks and issues across various projects by working collaboratively with Project Teams, PMO, and the Transformation Delivery Management Team, conducting practical assessments of identified risks and issues to determine and document immediate and tactical solutions, ensuring effective resolution and moving projects forward.
• Develop and execute intervention and resolution plans in partnership with relevant project, IT, and business stakeholders, promoting seamless coordination and effective outcomes.
• Provide coaching and support to team members and stakeholders in managing interventions, fostering skill development and enhancing the team's capacity for risk management.
• Ensure alignment with the Transformation Development Management Team and relevant project leadership to maintain a cohesive approach to managing interventions, prioritising efforts, and sharing necessary support or engagement.
• Work with the Transformation Development Team to align on new project proposal and feasibility development priorities.
• Focal point for all feasibilities on TD-led project initiatives (conducting and/or supporting feasibility activities as well as ensuring oversight of all those in flight).
• Define, agree, implement and continuously improve the formal process to conduct feasibilities for project initiatives in TD.
• Define quality standards for the feasibility process and lead on quality checks/quality assurance and related support.
• Work with PMO to ensure the pipeline of project initiatives is effectively developed and maintained pre-feasibility and provide regular input and status updates.
• Lead on creating and rolling out training materials and standardised templates for feasibility activities (within TD and across the organisation); proactively promote and share skills and tools for developing business cases for change initiatives including providing coaching and guidance to individuals and teams outside TD.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to build capacities and improve processes across the Transformation Delivery Management team.
• Provide ongoing support for new initiatives for the first ~6 months of the project initiation to ensure things are progressing as expected and blockers are identified and removed as they come up.

Experience and Skills

Essential

• Considerable experience in the management and deployment of large, global, transformation projects within Save the Children or equivalent scale organisation. Demonstrates direct accountability for issue resolution and capacity building to empower others in problem-solving.
• Proficient experience in setting up new initiatives including initial scoping and developing complex business cases including both system and non-system projects and calculating Return on Investment.
• Familiarity with industry project and change management standards including evidence of completing formal training, with the ability to hold project teams accountable to those standards.
• Demonstrated experience in engaging and collaborating with global stakeholders across various levels of the organisation including Senior Leaders, from diverse contexts.
• Ability to resolve complex project issues with a balanced approach of pragmatism and rigour including experience documenting business requirements and as-is and to-be process views and options analysis.
• Proven ability to operate successfully within a matrix organisation structure, overseeing resource without direct line management accountability and being experienced working across multiple different functional areas.
• Direct line management experience and demonstrable coaching skills to develop others' capabilities in project management, change management, project feasibility, and initiation.
• Experience working in a dynamic environment characterised by high levels of change and quick turnaround times while maintaining high standards of delivery.

Desirable

• Business Partnership: Demonstrable experience of acting as a ‘business partner’ to functional areas such as Supply Chain, Finance, etc.
• Non-profit sector knowledge/experience (especially international development projects).
• Second language – French, Spanish or Arabic.

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

• External Project and/or Change Management Accreditation.

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 at SCI Careers. 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 2 weeks of the advert deadline.

Our Recruitment Process

Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter. Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team. Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview. 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.