Head of Impact, Innovation and Influencing

The Head of Impact, Innovation and Influencing leads strategic positioning with donors and partners, project design, and ensures robust MEAL systems to support child rights programming. This senior leadership role involves mentoring technical specialists, representing the country office externally, and driving program quality and innovation aligned with Save the Children's global standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and periodic updating of the Child Rights Situation Analysis incorporating comprehensive country context analysis and child rights principles.
• Lead the Senior Management Team in development, review, and implementation of the Country Strategic Plan aligned with Save the Children’s global strategy.
• Facilitate development and implementation of thematic and cross-cutting strategic priorities including gender equality and social inclusion.
• Promote ownership, accountability, and commitment to the Country Office strategy across all functions.
• Represent the Country Office and children’s voices in global discussions and policy formulation.
• Lead and support organizational change initiatives to strengthen performance and achieve CSP objectives.
• Review and strategically position the Country Office for funding and partnership opportunities.
• Ensure proactive engagement with donors and partners to strengthen strategic positioning and preparedness for funding.
• Lead design and development of high-quality, evidence-based proposals integrating child safeguarding and inclusive approaches.
• Ensure delivery of high-quality, integrated, evidence-based programmes across development and humanitarian contexts.
• Monitor and strengthen programme quality and technical excellence through field visits, reviews, and quality assurance.
• Drive innovation and learning by identifying best practices and opportunities for programme improvement.
• Monitor Programme KPIs and collaborate to strengthen programme quality, effectiveness, and compliance.
• Ensure Quality Framework standards, policies, and procedures are consistently applied.
• Build, develop, and lead a high-performing team of technical specialists.
• Foster collaboration with global, regional, and member technical advisors including during emergency responses.
• Oversee quality review of donor and member reports ensuring technical accuracy and compliance.
• Champion child safeguarding and safe programming throughout programme lifecycle.
• Provide strategic oversight and leadership for MEAL function ensuring robust systems for timely, accurate programme data.
• Integrate MEAL throughout programme cycle from design to reporting.
• Foster collaboration between MEAL staff, technical specialists, and programme teams for frameworks and tools development.
• Lead programme quality improvement initiatives and ensure corrective actions.
• Ensure high-quality evaluations, reviews, assessments, and research are conducted and resourced.
• Promote culture of evidence generation, learning, accountability, and adaptive management.
• Strengthen knowledge management systems to capture and share institutional learning.
• Ensure accountability mechanisms are functional and responsive enabling stakeholder feedback.
• Contribute to advocacy strategy and campaign priorities aligned with CSP.
• Support integration of evidence and child rights perspectives into advocacy and influencing initiatives.
• Represent Save the Children in advocacy, networking, and external engagement forums.
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships aligned with Save the Children’s principles and localization commitments.
• Provide technical guidance and capacity strengthening to partners.
• Ensure effective accountability mechanisms across projects.
• Promote systematic use of evidence and learning in programming and organizational decision-making.
• Build, lead, and motivate a high-performing PDQ team fostering collaboration and innovation.
• Manage individual and team performance applying agile and adaptive leadership.
• Foster culture of learning, professional growth, and staff wellbeing including diversity and inclusion.
• Ensure succession planning and talent development mechanisms are in place.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree in a relevant field such as Public Health, Human Rights Law, Development Studies, NGO Management, International Development, Social Sciences, or related discipline.
• Experience managing complex, multi-donor portfolios and leading cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality programme and award management outcomes.
• Extensive experience in programme development, programme quality, and strategic leadership within complex humanitarian and development contexts.
• Proven experience in strategic planning, programme design, business development, and resource mobilization.
• Strong experience in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL), evidence generation, and knowledge management.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective partnerships with donors, government institutions, civil society organizations, and other key stakeholders.
• Proven experience leading and developing high-performing teams, including coaching, mentoring, performance management, and capacity strengthening.
• Strong understanding of child rights programming, child safeguarding, localization, gender equality and social inclusion, and humanitarian principles.
• Experience representing organizations at senior levels with donors, government counterparts, partners, and coordination forums.
• Excellent analytical, strategic thinking, communication, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• Fluency in both English and French (written and spoken) is essential.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressive senior management and/or international development experience, including substantial experience in the design, implementation, and management of programmes that improve outcomes for children.
• Demonstrated experience in one or more of Save the Children’s thematic sectors, including Education, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Health and Nutrition, Child Poverty, Humanitarian Response and Emergencies.
• Strong understanding of advocacy, policy development, and government systems within the country context, including practical experience in child rights programming and application of international frameworks such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Skills

• Program Development
• Programme Quality Assurance
• Strategic Leadership
• Donor Portfolio Management
• Cross-Functional Team Management
• Strategic Planning
• Programme Design
• Business Development
• Resource Mobilization
• Monitoring Evaluation Accountability Learning
• Evidence Generation
• Knowledge Management
• Partnership Building
• Donor Relations
• Government Relations
• Civil Society Engagement
• Team Coaching
• Mentorship
• Performance Management
• Capacity Strengthening
• Child Rights Programming
• Child Safeguarding
• Localization
• Gender Equality
• Social Inclusion
• Humanitarian Principles
• Senior Representation
• Analytical Skills
• Strategic Thinking
• Negotiation
• Influencing
• Advocacy
• Policy Development
• Government Systems
• International Frameworks Application
• MEAL System Development
• Project Design
• Programme Management

Languages

English, French