Head of Quality Management at Save the Children

Role Purpose:

The Head of Quality Management will play a key role in the International Programme Operations team and the organisation as a whole, as it will be responsible for defining and implementing Save the Children International’s (SCI’s) approach to Quality Management. The purpose of which is to ensure that quality is the key driver for all of SCI’s work at all levels / entities and across all functions / departments – both programming and operations.

Save the Children’s Quality Management team is at the vanguard of change. It is a team that strives to simplify how we work in the pursuit of impact and strategy delivery; bring coherence to the way in which we assess, plan, and deliver continuous improvement across all functions; overhaul our existing Quality Framework to ensure that policies, procedures, and standards are up-to-date and of high quality; and seeks to deliver greater alignment across the movement in how we assess the quality of our work.

Given the size and complexity of the organisation, the postholder needs to be someone who can establish and nuture relationships with a diverse group of senior stakeholders, bridge ‘big picture’ pragmatism with high levels of detail and not be afraid to hold a mirror up to the organisation where needed.

Save the Children is a large and complex organisation with many interdependencies, layers, and duplicative processes across assessment, planning and reporting processes. This role is critical in achieving cross functional buy-in and driving forward complex changes in this area – ensuring that functions align their planning and reporting requirements with these core processes, and only request information from Country and Regional Offices that is deemed mission-critical, minimally burdensome and of value to those involved.

The role will lead the ongoing development of the Quality Framework, to ensure this is effective in supporting staff across SCI to deliver programmes for children with quality and compliance. SCI’s Quality Framework (QF), contains all of SCI’s Policies, Quality Standards, Procedures, Tools and Supporting Guidance. Up to 16,000 staff members are required to follow the mandatory documents (SCI’s Policies and Procedures) contained in the QF. It is therefore crucial that these are high quality, comprehensive and easy to access and use.

The role will be responsible for strengthening the organisation’s approach to quality management primarily within SCI, but also as part of Save the Children Association’s (SCA’s – incorporating all of Save the Children’s Member Offices) wider approach.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Significant years of leadership and management experience in a large and complex INGO.
• Strong experience of designing and implementing quality management / continuous improvement approaches in the aid and development sector.
• Strong experience of designing and implementing change management and organisational development initiatives that aim to strengthen staff behaviours and organisational culture.
• Excellent coordination and relationship building skills using a positive, flexible and collaborative approach to achieve project outcomes.
• Ability to plan ahead, anticipate requirements and obstacles with sound judgement, juggle competing priorities, and work effectively under pressure to tight deadlines.
• Substantial experience in communications management, including developing key messaging and reporting for senior management and communicating complicated concepts simply.
• Strong experience of managing staff, using a supportive and empowering approach for staff to perform effectively and reach their potential.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills, including the ability to listen well and engage effectively with a broad range of people across different cultures and to act with confidence, credibility, discretion and diplomacy.
• Strong experience in designing and delivering trainings and other capacity building initiatives, both face-to-face and online.
• Competent in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Sharepoint and Outlook. Experience with web-page design a plus.
• Thorough and trustworthy, takes pride in delivering high quality work and gives a high level of attention to detail.
• Commitment to the mission, vision and values of Save the Children.