Vacancies at Save the Children

Role purpose

The Wellbeing and Engagement Specialist is responsible for designing, implementing and monitoring initiatives that enhance the health, wellbeing, and engagement of Save the Children’s global workforce. This role ensures that staff wellbeing is prioritised and integrated into organisational practices, enabling employees to thrive and perform at their best. Working collaboratively with internal stakeholders and partners, the Specialist focuses on addressing key areas such as mental health, resilience, engagement, and inclusivity. They play a pivotal role in evaluating the effectiveness of wellbeing strategies and fostering a workplace culture that supports physical, emotional, and mental health.

Principal Accountabilities

Design and Deliver Wellbeing Initiatives

• Design and implement holistic wellbeing initiatives that support the physical, mental, and emotional health of staff working in diverse and high-stress humanitarian contexts. Ensure initiatives are practical, culturally appropriate, and adaptable across office, field, and remote operational settings.

Build Capacity and Provide Support

• Develop and deliver tailored training and capacity-building activities on stress management, resilience, trauma awareness, and self-care. Strengthen staff and leader capability to proactively manage wellbeing challenges in demanding operational environments.

Promote Engagement and Inclusivity

• Lead engagement initiatives that respond to the realities of remote, emergency, and multi-cultural humanitarian operations. Foster inclusive participation, collaboration, and connection across geographies, time zones, and contexts, ensuring equitable access to wellbeing and engagement support.

Collaborate and Influence Policy

• Work closely with internal stakeholders (e.g. Safeguarding, Insurance, GSS, One Humanitarian Team) and external partners to strengthen wellbeing systems. Advocate for context-specific policies and practices that address systemic and operational barriers to staff health, safety, and wellbeing, particularly in high-risk and field-based settings.

Provide Contextualised Crisis Support

• Coordinate and deliver targeted crisis and critical incident support in collaboration with safeguarding and security teams. Ensure access to immediate psychosocial support, peer support mechanisms, and post-crisis debriefing to reduce trauma exposure, burnout, and long-term wellbeing risks.

Measure and Report Impact

• Design and manage wellbeing and engagement measurement approaches suitable for complex and sensitive contexts, ensuring staff anonymity and safety. Monitor, evaluate, and report impact to senior leadership, translating insights into actionable operational and strategic improvements.

Champion Continuous Improvement

• Stay informed of emerging trends, innovations, and best practices in wellbeing, engagement, and crisis support relevant to humanitarian contexts. Use evidence, learning, and staff feedback to continuously refine strategies and strengthen organisational resilience. 

Experience and Skills

Essential

• Global Wellbeing Programme Management: Experience managing wellbeing initiatives across diverse humanitarian contexts, ensuring strategic alignment and measurable improvement.
• Programme Design & Implementation: Ability to create and deliver holistic wellbeing and engagement programmes addressing psychological, emotional, and physical health, while fostering inclusivity.
• Data Analysis & Continuous Improvement: Strong skills in collecting, analysing, and leveraging data to evaluate wellbeing strategies, drive improvements, and align with organisational goals.
• Training & Capacity Building: Proficiency in designing and facilitating training sessions on wellbeing, resilience, and engagement tailored to varied audiences and cultural contexts.
• Communication & Stakeholder Engagement: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to articulate complex concepts clearly and build strong stakeholder relationships.
• Project & Initiative Delivery: Capable of planning, executing, and overseeing wellbeing and engagement initiatives (e.g., employee surveys), ensuring delivery within timelines and budgets.
• Cross-Cultural Competence: Demonstrated experience working with diverse cultural perspectives and embedding inclusivity into wellbeing and engagement activities.
• Problem Solving & Innovation: Strong ability to identify challenges and develop creative, practical solutions that enhance staff wellbeing and engagement.
• Ethics & Integrity: High level of accountability and commitment to organisational values of honesty, transparency, and ethical conduct.
• Project Management: Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, maintaining efficiency and ensuring timely delivery of objectives.

Desirable

• Experience in both wellbeing and engagement, ideally within global contexts.
• Practical background in mental health or employee engagement initiatives.
• Knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion principles, particularly in high stress or culturally diverse environments.  

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• A master's or equivalent professional qualification in a relevant field such as Psychology, Public Health, International Development, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience
• Experience collecting, analysing, and interpreting wellbeing and engagement data, using both quantitative and qualitative methods to inform evidence-based decision-making.

Desirable

• Formal training or certification in wellbeing, mental health, or related areas (e.g., Mental Health First Aid Instructor, Trauma-Informed Care, or Stress Management).
• Qualifications or experience in humanitarian aid or crisis response, with an understanding of the challenges faced by staff in conflict or disaster settings. Familiarity with international health and safety standards, travel health protocols, or safeguarding frameworks within the humanitarian sector.
• Experience with data analysis software or dashboards (e.g. Excel, Power BI, SPSS, or survey platforms) to visualise and communicate wellbeing outcomes.

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SCOPE OF ROLE: 

Reports to:  Health and Nutrition Coordinator 

Dimensions: Save the Children has been operational in Kenya since the 1950s, providing support to children through developmental and humanitarian relief programmes delivered both directly and through local partners. Current programming focuses on child protection, child rights governance, education, health, HIV/AIDS, livelihoods, nutrition and WASH. In 2012, as part of a global reorganization process, Save the Children combined the programmes of SC UK, SC Canada and SC Finland to create a single operation in Kenya. In Feb 2014, we completed a second transition, which saw us join forces with the British INGO, Merlin, and merge their health and nutrition programmes with our own. Save the Children now has an operational presence in Bungoma, Dadaab Refugee Camp, Garissa, Mandera, Turkana ,Samburu and Wajir. In 2016, Save the Children established a new project office in Madagascar whose operations are managed by the Kenya CO. 

Staff directly reporting to this post: None

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Program Implementation and Delivery

• The Health and Nutrition Officer will play key role with Ministry of Health and stakeholders in coordinating, implementing, reporting and monitoring the project. 
• S/he will have significant responsibility for delivery of timely results and project implementation & coordination  with  county government, partner and community stakeholders at subcounty level to ensure a coherent project model is established on the ground.
• Ensure effective delivery of community-based health and nutrition  interventions  at community and facility levels in colloaboration with CHPs and facility level health care workers. 
• Ensure delivery  of  healthy behaviors and care-seeking through community radio and other community platforms
• Ensure Capacity Enhancement for Frontline Health Providers and Community Health Promoters 
• Regular reporting to the health and nutrition coordinator with monthly field updates .
• Undertake regular analysis and use project/field data to improve project implementation strategies.
• Provide effective on spot coaching to facility health workers and community health promoters  in building their capacities for quality child health service delivery.
• Organizing and rolling out training for community health promoters , community health committees, religious leaders, mother to mother support groups and facility health workers.
• Strengthen facility and community based data review for decision making. 
• Facilitate  logistical support for project delivery implementations and supplies distribution. 
• Generate evidence and develop project case studies and human stories to voice and show case projets impact and achievements .
• Comtribute  and actively participate in the project review meetings and monthly Awards planning and review meetings ( APRMs).

Capacity building of health workers  for quality health service delivery.

• Contribute in the development of training materials and tools .
• Co-facilitate  project trainings for CHPs and health care workers –  Helping Babies Survive, Community Scorecard  and other areas  that address gaps  in staff capacities. 
• Provide operational and logistical  support for the trainings at county and subcounty level.
• Liaise with department of health and partner agencies in selecting participants for trainings
• In collaboration with CHMTs and SCHMTs Identify training gaps and participate in refresher training sessions , post training follow up and on job training /mentorships. 
• In consultation with CHMTs and SCHMTs plan for CHPs and community based trainings.

Monitoring , Evaluation, Accountability and Learning ( MEAL) 

• Participate in the design, development and implementation of an M&E framework for the project.
• Contribute in the planning and execution of baseline and endline surveys
• Participate in data quality assessments in all project support health facilities and community units . 
• Make regular field visits, and document such visits, to review and support creation and strengthening of community-based structures and mechanisms needed for the process of social behaviour  change, and to monitor project activities.
• Coordinate data analysis and review meetings on quarterly basis at sub county level and provide technical support in the development of strategies to address the identified gaps;
• Submit reports to document the process of implementation, lessons learnt and good practice and ensure information is widely disseminated.
• Prepare monthly activity reports as well as quarterly donor reports. 

Supportive Supervision

• Jointly develop a comprehensive plan/ checklist  for supervision for the project supported health facilities and community units .
• Coordinate supportive supervision to the project target sub-counties .
• Mentor the health facility in charges and CHAs  to ensure that they support and supervise facility linked community units . 
• Supervise and mentor Community Health Promoters  (CHPs) / CHAs  in promoting uptake of  community level health services .
• Document and share feedback in a comprehensive and detailed manner to enable track trends on changes on a timely basis. 

Advocacy, communication and social mobilization 

• Contribute in the development of guidelines and social mobilization materials for SBC plan delivery. 
• Participate in community level program sensitization to ensure GESI is well incorporated . 
• Train CHPs  key  health messages to support community level social behaviour change activities. 
• Train community leaders on community engagement and mobilization to strengthen their capacity to facilitate community dialogue on health promotion and early health seeking behaviors. 

Coordinate with the partners in implementing  health  activities at  community level

• Coordination with relevant partners within and outside the health sector; come up with a comprehensive plan of activities within the identified areas of synergy with the actors working in the project thematic area.

COMPETENCIES

LEADING

• Delivering Results: Takes personal responsibility and holds others to account to deliver our ambitious goals for children, continually improving own performance or that of the team/organisation.
• Developing Self and Others: Invests time and energy to actively develop self and others to help realise their full potential, and to build the organisation’s capability for the future.
• Leading and Inspiring Others: Demonstrates leadership in all our work, role models our values and articulates a compelling vision to inspire others to achieve goals for our children.

THINKING

• Problem Solving and Decision Making: Takes effective, considered and timely decisions by gathering and evaluating relevant information from within or outside the organisation and making appropriate judgements. 
• Applying Technical Expertise: Applies the required technical and professional expertise to the highest standards, promotes and shares best practices within and outside the organisation.
• Innovating and Adapting: Develops and implements innovative solutions to adapt and succeed in an ever – changing, uncertain work and global environment.

ENGAGING

• Working Effectively with others: Works collaboratively to achieve shared goals and thrives on diversity of people and perspectives. Knows when to lead and when to follow and how to ensure effective cross- boundary working.
• Communicating with Impact: Communicates clearly and confidently with others to engage and Influence, Promotes dialogue and ensures timely and appropriate messages, building confidence and trust with others.
• Networking: Builds and uses sustainable relationships and networks to support the work of Save the Children.

 COLLABORATION

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, and external partners and supporters.
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength.
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

INTEGRITY

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor degree  in health sciences or equivalent. 
• At least five years’ work experience  Reproductive Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health
• Understanding of community engagement and community mobilisation strategies .
• Excellent understanding of DQAs and KHIS . 
• Experience of working with CHMTs and SCHMTs in devolved system. 
• Proven capacity to supervise, train and coach local staff and community workers.
• Experience in organizing and excecuting community level service interventions like  outreaches, Community dialogues , community score card  and  community health committes. 
• Excellent communication skills and a willingness to be respectful, kind, sensitive and empathise with children and their carers.
• Willingness and capacity to be flexible and accommodating when faced with difficult and frustrating working conditions.
• Prepared to live and work in an uncertain security environment.
• Ability and willingness to frequently travel and stay at the field with limited social amenities.
• Strong report writing and computer skills.
• Fluent in written and spoken English and Kiswahili  
• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles.

Desirable

• Experience in implementing child health intervention in hard to reach population.
• Experience in rolling out social behaviour change strategy in vulnerable populations
• Understanding the local language is added advantage