The role of the Senior Specialist, US Emergencies, Response Backstop (“Backstop”) provides multiple services to the response Team Leader(s), US Program Advisor (USPA), Department of Humanitarian Response (DHR and Headquarters (HQ). The post holder acts as a coordinating focal point for day to day operational issues, providing support to Response Team(s), ensuring effective information flows and assistance in adherence to SC response benchmarks. In domestic response(s), the role of the Backstop is also one of ensuring a level of coordination between DHR, USPA and HQ. The Backstop has delegated authority from the Vice President, DHR and the Senior Director, US Emergencies to ensure that actions and decisions agreed between the DHR/USPA management team and Team Leader are implemented.
Initial funding for this position is in place for one year (Jan-Dec 2018). Initially this position will be dedicated 100% to supporting the response in Puerto Rico.
Areas of Responsibility:
The role ensures that the response has the necessary support to achieve SC essential standards as far as possible, and that the response implementation achieves maximum impact, through:
- Ensuring adherence to SC procedures and agreed processes, including ensuring key response deliverables are produced according to schedule and flagging likely delays or issues
- Ensuring implementation of management decisions and actions agreed between DHR VP, USPA AVP, Senior Director, US Emergencies and Team Leader
- Providing a sounding board for the Team Leader for discussion of actions and decisions
- Acting as a focal point for information management for the response, and ensuring liaison, brokerage of support and information dissemination among the Response Team(s), USPA, DHR and HQ business teams
- Coordinate with USPA and working groups (DEWG) to ensure that operational / technical support is available and that support for adequate staffing is also available as required. Ensure that the agreed deployments are meeting the needs of the response team.
- Act as a central focal point, liaison, brokerage and disseminate information for the response. Review and provide input and assistance to the preparation of key documents and, assist in preparation and review of declaration documents and other documents that are produced for the response
- Collect and disseminate response operations monitoring information
Support response implementation (45%)
- In close coordination with DHR and USPA, establish and/or confirm the role of each person for technical backstopping, and confirm advocacy, media/communications, finance, awards, HR, and logistics leads as necessary for the response
- Ensure seed funding need(s) are finalized and requested in a timely and coherent fashion, and work with Resource Development (RD) and others (for example, Save the Children Action Network (SCAN)) to source required funding
- Work with US Programs (USP) Finance to ensure committed funding is made available for Response Team to use in a timely fashion, includes establishing response codes for spending and timesheets
- Award Requirements: Ensure key information regarding response award implementation is shared with USP and Field Team and any start-up, implementing, reporting implications are discussed and appropriate actions agreed
- Ensure communication of funding opportunities between RD, USPA and Response Team and ensure appropriate and timely follow-up
- Work in close collaboration with the Senior Director, US Emergencies, Team Leader, SCUS Surge Team to ensure agreed response team staff and volunteers are requested in a timely fashion with clear terms of reference. Work with USPA and other functions (Finance, Awards, Human Resources (HR), Logistics, Media/Comms and Advocacy) to source appropriate staff and work with HR teams to ensure timely deployment /recruitment
- Ensure staff deployed/recruited follow appropriate pre-departure security requirements
- Work in close collaboration with the Team Leader to ensure that Child Safeguarding standards and requirements are included across all aspects of the response
- Identify critical supply or logistical support gaps and issues
- Flag serious issues that might affect response implementation to Team Leader, Senior Director, US Emergencies and to VPs of DHR and USPA, and the Associate VP (AVP) of USPA.
- Provide specific gap filling capacity as agreed with supervisor
Quality control (40%)
- Work closely with Team Leader and Senior Director, US Emergencies to maintain an overview of the response, provide a sounding board for decisions and actions and help to proactively identify issues that might affect response implementation, flagging these to the Team Leader and to VP DHR and AVP USPA.
- Work with response team to ensure production of deliverables according to Key Deliverables Timeline and agreed timings with Team Leader. Review deliverables and ensure necessary sign-off and dissemination. In particular:
- Ensure appropriate and timely use of seed funds
- Ensure tracking of funding pipeline and reporting of funding against appeal targets
- Ensure adequate reporting of income and spend
- Provide support to ensure output trackers are in place and submitted on time
- Monitor financial information relating to the on-going response and raise issues with USP AVP and Finance, and DHR team(s) as required
- Work in close collaboration with the Team Leader, SCUS Global Roster Manager and HR teams to ensure tracking of staffing and deployments
- Support Team Leader in the implementation of minimum safety and security requirements, in liaison with the SCUS security team as required.
- Support the Team Leader in the implementation of Child Safeguarding
- Support implementation of evaluations (i.e. Real Time Reviews (RTR), etc.)
- Work with Response Team to ensure adherence to agreed strategic priorities and plans and implementation of agreed decisions and actions, flagging issues to VP DHR and AVP USP
- Ensure appropriate level of support is provided to Response Team by technical backstops and other operational and support functions
- Ensure action plans developed as response to Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) activities such as RTRs are followed up on with relevant stakeholders
- Ensure transition of the management of programs from DHR (response phase) to USP (recovery phase)
Coordination (15%)
- Agree upon a Situation Report (SITREP) schedule; edit, review and publish SITREPs
- Organize and chair regular Domestic Emergencies Working Group (DEWG) coordination calls and organize other coordination calls as necessary/agreed
Management:
- This position may manage a Backstop Coordinator, if there is one designated during active responses
Educational Background:
Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field Strong background in program development and grant management.
Skills/Experience:
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 others to do the same
- Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
- Future orientated, thinks strategically
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
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 5-7 years' experience in International or Domestic development or humanitarian work
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills for a wide range of different audiences including donors, journalists, beneficiaries, and the ‘general public’.
- Experience delivering communications assets across multiple channels, including print, social and digital.
- An initiative-taking, proactive, inspiring attitude with the ability to manage and prioritize an unpredictable workload and solve problems quickly with needed support.
- Experience working with other NGOs, developing strategies and information products.
- High-level analytical and strategic thinking skills and strong research skills.
- Willingness and ability to travel up to 20% of the time to domestic locations as required
- Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy; ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people.
- Patience, adaptability, flexibility, and ability to improvise and remain responsive and to communicate clearly and effectively under pressure.
- Commitment to the aims and principles of Save the Children.
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 and with the American Management Association, as well as language learning opportunities
Job Function:
Organization Info
Listing Stats
Post Date:
Dec 28 2017
Active Until:
Jan 29 2018
Hiring Organization:
Save the Children US
industry:
Nonprofit