The Puerto Rico Director will manage Save the Children’s long term recovery program following the impact of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. S/he will ensure high quality implementation and delivery through 4 program technical areas - Resilience & Disaster Preparedness, Education, Early Childhood Development[1], and Child Protection[2]. The Director will be responsible for providing strategic direction and leadership to program and operations staff, and ensuring programs address the needs of the most vulnerable communities by enhancing coordination and strengthening community-based, local level, and commonwealth systems. The Puerto Rico Director will represent Save the Children in the commonwealth with key local and NGO partners, as well as with donors and VIPs, and in local media, as appropriate. S/he will work in partnership with U.S. Programs and Advocacy (USPA) headquarters staff to ensure that all relevant Save the Children policies and procedures with respect to finance, human resources, child safeguarding, safety and security, code of conduct, equal opportunities and other relevant policies are in place.
Areas of Responsibility:
As the most senior Save the Children staff member in Puerto Rico:
- Assume overall oversight of the Puerto Rico recovery programs, staff and office
- Lead the implementation of an initial 2-year recovery plan, expected through Oct 2019
Leadership – 40%
- Manage diverse team focused on program delivery in 12 target municipalities and across the Commonwealth; provide programmatic leadership and direction to Puerto Rico team
- Ensure appropriate program monitoring and reporting and delivery of high quality results
- Work in partnership with U.S. Programs and Advocacy finance team to oversee >$15M budget; keeping relevant stakeholders informed, ensuring corrective actions are taken as needed and responsible management of grants and donations, including compliance of program activities with Save the Children policies and procedures and with relevant donor requirements and agreements
- Lead cross-functional Senior Management Team of program and operations staff[3]
- Coordinate with U.S. Programs and Advocacy to ensure that all required support needs are identified and operational / technical support is requested based on need
- Ensure strong accountability to beneficiaries and adherence to child safeguarding policies
- Ability to identify training resources locally, and from within Save the Children USPA and and in some cases internationally for our team members, many of whom are new to emergency response, recovery, and development programming.
- Ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all staff, with a zero tolerance posture regarding harassment and discrimination
- Ensure optimal safety and security management procedures and practices are in place for the program and continually monitor the safety and security situation, adapting staff safety and security procedures accordingly in collaboration and cooperation with Headquarters safety and security staff
Program Design and Technical Assistance – 40%
- Take a lead role with technical specialists to develop and implement program sector strategies and annual plans ensuring coordination of all technical input to country strategy, proposals and reports
- Participate in conceptualizing and designing cost effective, innovative and high-quality programs reaching targeted beneficiaries
- Ensure that the Child Protection, Early Childhood Development, Education, and Resilience sectors are coordinated, integrated and support each other to optimize programs and projects
- Ensure that technical staff provide input into proposals and proactively and regularly communicate planned requirements for program design and implementation
- Support the programs team in ensuring adequate resources are secured and allocated for program activities
- Ensure that all sectors apply a risk lens to program design and implementation in line with the Save the Children policies on Child Safeguarding on Disaster Risk Reduction
- Ensure appropriate levels of technical assistance and capacity-building are provided to partners
- Ensure coordination with USPA program teams and technical backstops; proactively and effectively engage other divisions to support programmatic needs; request TA visits as needed
Representation and Partnership – 20%
- Represent Save the Children in the Commonwealth
- Oversee implementation of the program’s advocacy strategy
- In coordination with USPA staff in Fairfield and Washington, actively seek additional funds to expand our work in Resilience & Disaster Preparedness, Education, Early Childhood Development and Child Protection.
- Establish and maintain active relationships with key local government agencies and officials (e.g. Department of Education), NGO and university partners, as well as with donors and VIPs, and local media, as appropriate
- Nurture and maintain strategic partnerships and networks to increase program reach, impact and sustainability
- Help shape broader sector strategies through influence of and leadership within inter-agency coordination forums, ensuring the specific needs of children are being addressed
Educational Background:
Bachelor’s degree
Skills/Experience:
- You have a minimum 7-10 years' experience in area of expertise
- Strong Level of Technical and/ or Managerial knowledge, skills, and experience to direct the operational activities of a Unit or Team, or provide technical advice, guidance and management related to various size programs, grants or projects.
- Senior management experience of multi-national, multi-sector team at a Country or State Director level.
- Experience managing multi-donor, multi-site programs
- Experience with international / national / and or sector-level representation with key stakeholders, and co-ordination with other NGOs
- Experience with media representation and advocacy
- Experience with M&E and beneficiary accountability systems in large complex programs
- Experience with developing and negotiating successful partnerships with institutional donors
- Proven ability to influence change at an operational and strategic level
- Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
- Flexible, affable, adaptable, team player
- High level of written and spoken English
- Spanish language proficiency
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working within a senior management role within a complex-country program in an emergency response or fragile state
- Puerto Rico specific, or regional experience in the Caribbean
Compensation/Benefits:
- Meaningful work, with a knowledge that you are changing the lives of children all around the world
- A family friendly work environment
- Highly collaborative and innovative teams
- Generous paid vacation days, holidays, family leave days, and sick time
- Healthcare plans including medical, dental, and life insurance
- Retirement savings account with matching company contributions
- Structured and formalized management development and coaching programs for mid and senior level managers
- Extensive e-learning opportunities on a variety of topics offered through our affiliation with several prestigious universities as well as language learning opportunities
Job Function:
Organization Info
Listing Stats
Post Date:
Jun 2 2018
Active Until:
Jul 2 2018
Hiring Organization:
AARP
industry:
Nonprofit