Director Influencing and Impact

Level 3: the role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work in country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ROLE PURPOSE

Lead the delivery of Save the Children impact agenda and integrated influencing, external engagement plans in Pakistan working closely with relevant departments and the Country Director. The role holder will be accountable for country office portfolio target as per CSP.

Champion Save the Children Child Rights based programming and influencing approach and ensure it's embedded in all interventions across the programs starting from design phase.

Coordination and ensure coherence across I&I team in Pakistan through regular engagement and support. Support New Business Development Opportunities in line with country strategies and regional strategic framework.

Provide strategic leadership in the areas of Advocacy, Campaigns, Communication and Media to deliver the country strategic plan of Save the Children in Pakistan. The role will aim to strengthen the organizational representation and positioning for influencing policies and practices, mobilizing public engagement. The role will seek to amplify the voice of children for the strategic priorities, to deliver lasting impact for children in both development and humanitarian contexts.

A key aspect of the role is ensuring capability building, mentoring and coaching of technical specialists to support program quality in line with global standards and key performance indicators. S/he plays a representational role with the government, donors, partners, peer agencies, SC Members and others.

Through strategic leadership and collaboration, this position ensures the organisation's efforts are maximised to create substantial, lasting impact for and with children.

SCOPE OF ROLE

Reports to: Country Director, Pakistan CO

Direct reports: ACCM staff, all Technical Advisors, MEAL and MIS Coordinator and NBD Manager

Budget Responsibilities: Financial approval

Role Dimensions: (e.g. complexity, relationships, communication with stakeholders)

• SMT role with strategic leadership, oversight, technical expertise, budget management
• Development and Humanitarian context, child rights programming, nexus programming
• External networking and representation, 360º engagement with CO, regional and global team

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

1. Strategy and planning

• Lead the delivery of Save the Children impact agenda and integrated influencing, external engagement plans in Pakistan working closely with relevant departments and the Country Director.
• Work as a key partner to the Country Director to inspire and drive Save the Children Impact agenda, Theory of Change and Global Strategy in Pakistan.
• Will be accountable for country portfolio target as per CSP. Country Portfolio strategic lead: engage with SMT to understand their portfolio and identify opportunities and needs to provide strategic support (programs models packaging, experience and capacity sharing, strategic partnerships, donors engagement, evidence generation and use, strategy development/review…) in line with country strategies.
• Planning and management of short- and long-term deliverables in technical adviser contracts/secondment agreements, ensuring TEs are accountable for measurable results, exploring TE sharing arrangements with other COs etc.
• Lead and oversee the development of a robust resource mobilisation strategy, ensuring alignment with the country strategy and regional priorities. Work closely with donors and funding partners to position Save the Children as a key partner for innovative, high-impact programs. Identify new funding opportunities and diversification strategies, including engaging with corporate partners, social enterprises, and innovative financing mechanisms.
• Lead ACCM functions to deliver PKCO country strategic plan while also design, develop, and execute the country ACCM strategy.
• Strengthen SCI PCKO representation and positioning for policy influence and public mobilization.
• Facilitate child and youth engagement to create space for them and amplify their voice for SCI PCKO priorities as well as in policy discourse at sub-national, national, regional and global level.

2. Advocacy and Campaigns

• Analyse and critique relevant policies to inform advocacy agenda, strategies and actions.
• Provide strategic leadership on country advocacy actions encompassing both sector and cross-sectoral advocacy level in alignment with CSP 2022-24.
• Provide leadership to ACCM team to drive impactful campaigns for programmatic integration and policy linkages through active engagement of the supporters and stakeholders including general public.
• Drive fundraising efforts and produce concept notes to secure sufficient and sustained funding to maintain and expand country's advocacy and campaign activities.
• Lead on developing monitoring and measurement mechanisms for advocacy and campaign with strong integration of learning element within.
• Support the Country Office to update and monitor advocacy risk assessments for the activities and objectives encompassing both development and humanitarian advocacy including refugee advocacy.

3. Media and Communications

• Provide leadership for strengthening SCI branding in the domestic and international market to support campaign as well as diversify and mobilize resources.
• Lead on relationship building with the media and other key stakeholders critical for our branding.
• Manage media engagement strategy, including proactive and reactive, especially in line with advocacy and campaign priorities.

4. Representation and Partnerships

• Represent Save the Children in strategic internal and external high-profile influencing events and conferences, including with donors, higher-level government stakeholders, and multilateral institutions working closely with the CD.
• Facilitate relationships management with key donors and partners for countries in the region, jointly identifying priorities and opportunities for influence and demonstrating impact.
• Nurture strategic partnerships at regional level, particularly in line with our commitment to localisation.

5. Program Design & Development

• Work with the Awards, New Business Development teams on strategic resource mobilization, positioning for opportunities that will drive the CSP.
• In consultation with the Country Director, Program Director and Members, ensure technical engagement with donors to pre-position for opportunities, leading engagement directly as appropriate.
• Play a leading role in designing innovative, writing and high impact programmes/projects and proposals, including:
• Leading in writing and finalizing donors' quarterly & final reports, evaluation studies, assessments, surveys, base lines etc.
• Leading the team of technical experts (TE) to ensure high quality, evidence-based designs that draw on needs assessments, learning from past programs and child safeguarding principles;
• Ensuring partners are identified and appropriately engaged in program design, linking with Operations and Awards teams for assessments, especially to strengthen gender sensitivity at design stage;
• Ensuring proposal designs and their budgets include robust MEAL plans that are aligned with the Global Results Framework (and therefore advance towards our Breakthroughs), incorporate Common Approaches as relevant, and build in critical learning questions.
• Ensuring the project budget will enable the project to be delivered as designed.
• Incorporating child and community participation into design, as relevant.

6. Research, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Learning (MEAL) and Knowledge Management

• Oversee a monitoring system that provides timely and accurate project results by embedding MEAL across program implementation; ensure effective collaboration across MEAL staff, TE and program implementation teams to develop logframes, indicators, implementation plans, quality benchmarks, monitoring and evaluation frameworks and related tools.
• Lead programme quality improvements by monitoring and improving Programme KPI performance, including resourcing and conducting high-quality evaluations to demonstrate outcomes and impact and ensuring that accountability mechanisms are in place for all projects so that identified actions are resolved, with critical issues escalated to senior management.
• Ensure the research, evaluation and policy work of the Country Office contributes to generation of evidence for development and improvement of Common Approaches, sound decision making and policy influencing internally and externally.
• Establish effective program learning and knowledge management systems to support adaptive programming and innovation that improves outcomes for children.

7. People Management

• Ensures appropriate ACCM structure across the CO ensuring appropriate gender and diversity.
• Makes sure that all staff understand their responsibilities and have clearly defined performance objectives including plans and activities to develop their professional capacities.
• Encourage a team culture of learning, creativity, and innovation.

8. Country Office Leadership and Representation

• Represent Save the Children at appropriate country-level working groups.
• Support the Country Director and other relevant Country Office staff in high-level humanitarian advocacy work towards relevant authorities, Humanitarian Country Teams, key UN actors and Agencies, Donors and other NGOs, as well as media, if necessary.
• Ensure coordination of advocacy messages and activities between the field offices, Country Office and the regional and international levels.

9. Child Safeguarding Responsibility

• Uphold and adhere to child safeguarding principles and procedures as well as Code of Conduct at personal and professional level to create a child-safe workplace.

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.
• 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

• Master's Degree, preferably in Communication/Social Science/English from reputed University.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Significant (more than 10 years) experience in similar role in a large I/NGO, UN or corporate entity.
• Proven experience in developing advocacy strategies and leading evidence-based policy development, influence and wins.
• Demonstrated experience in leading public campaign design and understanding various types of communication and branding materials for diverse audience (internal/external).
• Deep understanding of socio-economic-cultural-environmental-governance-policy landscape, preferably for both development and humanitarian context.
• Experience in managing high performing multidisciplinary teams.
• Extensive experience in representing organisations at high-profile internal and external forums, influencing policy, and advocating for child rights and protection.
• Demonstrated ability in building and nurturing strategic partnerships with donors, government stakeholders, and other key partners at regional and national levels, aligned with our commitment to localisation.
• Demonstrable experience and proven track record in leading resource mobilisation efforts for large-scale development funding, with a successful track record in securing multimillion-dollar grants.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and leading innovative development programs with a market systems development approach. Proven ability to integrate private sector engagement, social entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion strategies to create sustainable impact for children and communities.
• Credibility to lobby, influence and represent Save the Children at all levels.
• Experience in developing and managing monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning systems.
• Strong interpersonal, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Excellent ability to analyse, interpret and present complex data for diverse stakeholders.
• Agility to manage own team and engage with teams at regional and global level.
• Excellence in written and spoken communication skills, including demonstrated ability to respond to media professionally.

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.

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

Child Safeguarding:

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.

Safeguarding our Staff:

The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy.

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Save the Children has zero tolerance towards Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

Save the Children holds its Safeguarding principles and policies with high importance and commits to rigorous procedures to ensure all our personnel and programs are safe, particularly for children. All candidates will, therefore, be subject to strict background checks.

Qualified candidates from minorities, indigenous groups, women and people with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.

Short-listing will be done on rolling basis and only short-listed candidates will be called for an interview.

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