Mali Specialist, Shifting Power and Localisation Knowledge Management
Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Specialist, Shifting Power and Localisation Knowledge Management to join our global team.
Team and Job Purpose
To achieve our global breakthroughs for children by 2030, the Save the Children movement has committed to significantly changing the way we work – a core component of which is to shift power to local and national actors. The Shifting Power strategic enabler and our Localisation ambition – ‘Local to Global for Impact’ - form an ambitious, multi-year, transformational journey that will see us – and the wider sector - deliver more, better, and fairer impact through context-responsive, locally-designed, locally-led and locally–owned programs for children. We will achieve this by addressing fundamental challenges in the way current aid is delivered to enable and facilitate local actors’ own access to global resources for maximum impact – and we will overcome blockers within our own organization that currently prevents this from happening.
The Shifting Power strategic enabler is a core pillar of Save the Children’s 2030 strategy and ensures movement wide alignment on key priority objectives and initiatives that shift power to local communities. This role will drive strategic alignment across all parts of the organization with respect to the Shifting Power objectives and initiatives.
The Localisation Initiative sets out the key transformations that need to be made to meet the movement’s Localisation ambition and the strategic approach to delivering them. This role will be accountable for ensuring the timely and quality delivery of key outcomes across prioritised workstreams, as well as to ensure meaningful engagement and buy-in from key stakeholders across the movement. The priority areas of focus in 2024 will be - Behaviours and Organisation, Funding, Equitable Partnerships and Compliance and Child Participation.
The Localisation Task Team is a group of Subject Matter Experts on Localisation that sit across the membership and wider movement and are responsible for sharing best practice, knowledge development and exchange, including thought leadership & technical expertise across the 7 dimensions of localisation.
Role purpose
Save the Children is seeking a qualified Knowledge Manager to support and ensure the systematic documentation and dissemination of knowledge generated through these efforts by supporting us to operationalize our new Global Localisation Knowledge Management (KM) Plan. The Global Localisation KM Plan is centered on a belief that knowledge is power, and that we and the local actors we work alongside need access to the evidence, knowledge, and learnings derived from localised approaches to effectively shift power and produce lasting results for children. By implementing this plan, the Knowledge Manager will A) improve Save the Children’s capability to learn from, evidence and facilitate locally-led development and humanitarian action and B) increase the visibility of the locally-led technical capacities and knowledge of both Save the Children and local actors themselves C) Improve access to evidence and learning for national and local actors.
A large part of realizing our KM plan’s goals means we are looking for a highly-motivated KM expert to further develop and oversee our new Localisation Community of Practice (COP). The Knowledge Manager will support this by strengthening relationships with existing members and growing new relationships with professionals across the Save the Children Movement, and eventually, extend membership to local and national actors to become a vibrant, collaborative network worldwide. The Manager’s role in building knowledge and trust amongst our members and with local partners will be instrumental to furthering our localisation approaches and increasing thought leadership in this cross- cutting area.
Job Title: Specialist, Shifting Power and Localisation Knowledge Management (NEW0000058)
Reports To: Director – Shifting Power and Localisation (dotted line to Localisation Task Team Co-Chairs)
Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available
Contract Length: Permanent
Grade: P3
Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in, please visit: Hiring Locations
Time Zone (that the role holder must be available to work in): Any
Right to Work: The successful candidate must possess the unrestricted right to work in their current or preferred location for the duration of employment.
Language Requirements: English
International Travel Requirements: Yes, up to 10%
Budget Responsibility: None
People Management Responsibility: None
Principle Accountabilities
• Lead areas of work to strengthen processes, practices, culture, and systems that drive knowledge management practices on Localisation and create an enabling environment and culture for improved organizational learning. This will include identifying, sharing, supporting or leading on global, regional, or national learning events as well as external events learning events as appropriate.
• Promote collaboration and knowledge sharing through defining, supporting and encouraging the use of knowledge on Localisation by implementing and maintaining the Global Localisation KM Plan
• Responsible for the development and maintenance of Knowledge Management tools, trackers and processes to support delivery of Localisation Knowledge Management. This will include cataloguing and and keeping up-to-date a library of case studies and good/promising practice and establishing a centralised Localisation Knowledge Hub by supporting the consolidation of existing localisation-related knowledge on SC preferred platforms (e.g. Resource Center, OneNet, etc.) and develop socialisation and promotion plan to redirect all users via effective signposting.
• Collect, develop and/or facilitate the production of case studies and good examples of effective/innovative localised approaches implemented by SCA entities across our thematic portfolios and strategic enablers (e.g. hunger and livelihoods; education and child protection; humanitarian response; etc.) and design introductory modules on localised approaches for new staff and/or staff new to localisation and interested in expanding their understanding and capacities, organized along key thematic areas (e.g. Seven Dimensions of Localisation; others as needed).
• Manage and Maintain Global Localisation Community of Practice by managing and developing the Localisation Community of Practice (COP)’s membership and learning and engagement activities and to support the global Localisation key stakeholders in delivering our wider strategic objectives.
• Coordinate and facilitate the delivery of quarterly thematic training webinars on localised approaches successfully implemented by Save the Children Association (SCA) entities including but not limited to: engaging partners equitably in program design; implementing new approaches to partnership management and capacity strengthening; showcasing lessons learned from experience implementing localised approaches in humanitarian programs/settings; innovative funding mechanisms; etc.
• Facilitate and manage, at minimum, a monthly localisation community of practice (COP) learning forum to foster discussion and sharing between countries and teams around practical implications of implementing localised approaches and launch a Questions and Answers (Q&A) forum and requests platform for the community of practice and SCA localisation focal points, including management and triage of the Q&A forum and request platform
• Support the LI and LTT to develop and implement internal/external localisation communications plans across the SC Movement.
• Develop clear metrics for monitoring localisation-related KM in conjunction with key focal points
• Work with relevant stakeholders across SCA such as Global KM and Learning, MEAL, and others as needed to support and improve inter-agency localisation integration and engage and coordinate with SC’s learning agenda
Experience and Skills
Essential
1. Significant understanding of the principles behind localisation and locally-led development
2. Significant job-related experience in knowledge management, including relevant experience in development and/or humanitarian contexts and at organisation-wide level.
3. Experience in user-focused/ human-centred design and a strong track record of driving continuous improvement in service or product delivery.
4. Exceptional oral and written communication and interpersonal skills
5. Familiarity with the state of the art in communication technology, including the application of Workplace to accommodate business related needs, demonstrated proficiency in the use of SharePoint 2010 or 2013 and in the development and management of data bases and/or document catalogues.
6. Experience in delivering different learning and capacity-development strategies and in establishing and leading communities of practice, particularly via online platforms.
7. Excellent listening, communication, and networking skills; proven experience and effectiveness working across functional teams and in a matrixed structure; and an ability to work with diverse populations.
8. Strong interpersonal and cultural awareness skills, and the ability to develop productive relationships across a wide range of stakeholders in a diverse, international environment; Ability to work and communicate across cultures, as part of a geographically dispersed team and across organizations and stakeholders
9. The ability to work in a second language would be a strong advantage Arabic, French or Spanish.
10. Highly organised with strong project management skills, adaptable working style and effective when working in situations that may appear ambiguous and able to work with high degree of autonomy and without close supervision.
Desirable
• Lived expertise through origins in the Global South
• Experience of working across other areas of SC’s operations and/or functions and with SC’s Theory of Change
Education and Qualifications
Essential
• Educated to degree level in a relevant subject (e.g. international development, law, human rights, education, sociology etc.) or qualified by equivalent relevant professional experience.
Working at Save the Children International
Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first.
We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities
DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.
We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply.
Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.
Application Information
Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found here via the job listing. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.
Our recruitment process:
- Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter
- Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team
- Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview
- If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks
We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse. All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.
Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.
