Manager, Learning Measurement

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Manager, Learning Measurement to join our global team.

Team and Role Purpose

The Programme Delivery department drives the implementation of our strategy by ensuring that programme and advocacy delivery is done right, the first time – at scale, with impact and quality, on time, on budget and with compliance. We aim to strengthen and enable implementing offices' ability to work in complex and hostile environments, be more locally-led, smarter in its sourcing, and with a smaller environmental footprint. The department leads comprehensively on the organisation's humanitarian and crisis response strategy, including prioritisation, programme quality, operational delivery and interagency collaboration and influencing.

The Breakthrough team drives strategic, technical, and operational leadership for Save the Children's global goals to achieve programmatic breakthroughs while ensuring high-quality, evidence-based, and integrated programming across our portfolio. The team delivers context-responsive, demand-driven technical support to Country Offices to enhance programme effectiveness in line with local needs and global priorities. The team also advances sector innovation and learning through external engagement in clusters, in inter-agency groups, with donors, peer agencies and foundations. The team is responsible for new business development and resource mobilization efforts as well as developing partnerships to strengthen our collaborative impact globally.

Role purpose

The primary focus of the role is leading the Education Cannot Wait Acceleration Facility Grant: Measuring what Matters: Generating and Using Multi-Year Resilience Programme Teaching and Learning Data to Drive Sector-wide Action (MwM) within the Learn Breakthrough Team.

Leadership of MwM (Measuring what Matters) means primary accountability for timely, high quality, on-budget and compliant delivery. This means building and maintaining strong relationships across the partnerships needed for delivery, coordinating technical inputs and ensuring they meet necessary quality standards, facilitating and contributing to technical discussions, ownership of timelines, roles and responsibilities. This is a critical role for delivering a complex, high impact initiative, and is ideally suited for someone confident in their ability to take technical leadership and drive impact.

We expect the MwM role to account for a maximum of 80 percent of the learning measurement managers role. The additional time available would be dedicated to leadership in other global outcomes measurement focused awards, as well as broader contributions to delivering on education data and measurement as a key strategic priority for the Learn Breakthrough.

• Job Title: Manager, Learning Measurement
• Reports To: Senior Advisor – Learning Outcomes
• Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available
• 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: SCI Careers
• Required Time Zone: Any
• Contract Length: Fixed Term Contract (Minimum 24 Months – 0.8-1 FTE Full-time role 24 m)
• Right to Work: The successful candidate must have the right to work in the country where the role is based, for the duration of employment.
• Language Requirements: English
• International Travel: up to 20%
• Remit: Global

Principal Accountabilities

This is a full-time role as project manager for the MwM initiative. However, we are open to a discussion of a part-time arrangement for the right candidate. In the case that this is recruited as a part-time role, some of the accountabilities will be shared with other team members, and responsibilities outside of the MwM initiative will be limited.

This role is critical for the delivery of MwM. As a multi-country, multi-stakeholder initiative, strong coordination and leadership are essential. The PM will ensure that we are delivering on schedule to the highest quality possible, and that the right voices and technical expertise have been included throughout. The core team for MwM is small, and so we expect anyone in this role to play a strong technical role, which can be adapted to the candidate's experience and interests where feasible.

PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT, DELIVERY & COMPLIANCE

• Ensure quality, compliant, on-budget and inclusive programme delivery to inform strategic decision-making using management tools including detailed implementation plan, phased monthly budget, procurement and consultancy services plan, MEAL plan of the project, grants filing, recruitment plan, etc.
• Ensure risk analysis and mitigation plans are completed with active participation and inputs from partners and key stakeholders, and that programming interventions are implemented and adjusted based on regular context analysis
• Work with SCI Finance and Awards and SCUS Finance and Awards to ensure high-quality financial management, ensuring accurate and quality forecast is conducted, and financial performance is monitored and achieved especially through good performance on KPIs (BVA), and modification of budget and activities where appropriate.
• Manage relationship and act as primary point of contact for ECW on all matters of project delivery and manage partnership with the REAL centre and the Centre for Lebanese studies, as well as supporting COs in recruiting and managing data collection partners where relevant. Supporting COs in managing relationships with national/sub-national NGO partners, particularly where Save the Children is not the MYRP grant agent.
• Ensure Save the Children's Child Protection & Safeguarding Policy is understood by staff within the programme as well as partners and stakeholders, and that it is integrated into all aspects of the team's work.

PROGRAMME STRATEGY & QUALITY

• Coordinate the MwM external steering group, including managing communication with members, planning engagements, and ensuring the group has a meaningful impact on programme delivery.
• Coordinate ongoing development of a) the Measuring what Matters Framework, and b) the Learning in Action Framework, including technical inputs to both where needed. This coordination will be essential to ensuring that both frameworks are completed on time, in the right format and with the right inputs.
• Coordinate training of data collection teams, including support for other team members on developing training materials, and where feasible participating in an in-country launch and training event in at least one country. Support to the management of the central digital data system, including liaison with SCI digital teams on hosting and management of the platform. Coordination of any ethical review procedures needed for research conducted by Save the Children or partners.
• Coordination and participation in national and global learning events. This may involve leadership on planning for any participation in global events for the presentation of findings from the project.
• Lead on development of monitoring and evaluation approach for the AF, including setting indicators, data collection approaches and the development of a framework for capturing cost data.

ADVOCACY, CAMPAIGNS, MEDIA AND EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION

• Work with other team members and external steering group to define and deliver the advocacy and communications strategy for MwM and ensure that costed plans for advocacy and communications activities are represented in the project budget.

TRAVEL TO TARGET COUNTRIES

This role will involve travel to one or more of the countries participating in Measuring what Matters. The timing of this travel has not yet been confirmed, but we expect that the manager is available for and travels to at least one of these countries to deliver project set up meetings or other activities.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

While this role is planned to be focused primarily on Measuring What Matters, we do envisage that where time is available, the Learning Measurement Manager would support the Learn Breakthrough team on other activities related to the measurement of learning outcomes. In particular we envisage the role holder holding management and leadership roles in other, smaller, outcomes measurement focused awards.

This is an opportunity for the holder to thrive and push forward the teams thinking outside of the MwM project. Specific tasks would be discussed on a case by case basis considering scope, level of effort and time available.

Experience and Skills

Essential

1. Extensive experience in Education programming, advocacy, and policy engagement, including proved experience of working on complex, multi-country initiatives.
2. Experience and expertise in education data, and specifically with learning outcomes measurement, or the measurement and tracking of school level processes.
3. Proven leadership in the leadership and delivery of high quality, timely, compliant programmes including operational experience of planning; compliance; donor engagement; risk management; contract and award management.
4. Financial Acumen: Proficient in budgeting, financial analysis, and cost management to ensure programmes are completed on budget and financial resources are managed efficiently.
5. Experience of ensuring and demonstrating impact through robust MEAL systems and a commitment to promoting continuous learning and best practice
6. Excellent analytical skills with demonstrated experience in solving complex issues, defining a clear way forward with the ability to influence others, challenge mindsets and ensuring buy-in.
7. Experience of partner engagement, including onboarding, monitoring, collaborating during implementation, supporting reporting obligations, and conducting organisational capacity strengthening, and a demonstrable commitment to the Localisation agenda and experience in uplifting national and local partners
8. Ability to think strategically and creatively to problem-solve and identify opportunities for growth and improvement within the programme portfolio.
9. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of engaging and influencing a wide range of stakeholders including donors, partners, and team members.

Desirable

• International work experience in complex environments, preferably in conflict-affected regions.
• The ability to speak languages relevant to ECW MYRP countries, including (but not limited to) French, Arabic or Spanish.

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Minimum a bachelor's degree in a related field (education, social science, among others). Preferably with a post-graduate or master's degree in education.

Desirable

• Qualification in project management

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 at SCI Careers. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available