£45,100 – £50,100 pa

Full-time / Permanent

Farringdon, London/Home-based

Ref 6734

We are looking for a Programme Manager to join the Start Network within our Humanitarian Department to oversee the successful implementation, performance and strategic direction of the global Start Fund programme.

About Us

Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children’s unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.

About the Team

Start Network is a global membership of close to 100 civil society organisations, working across six continents, to tackle what we see as the biggest systemic problems in the global humanitarian system. Start Network is an independent charity that works with Save the Children, as a grant custodian for some Start Network initiatives.

Start Network solutions:

• Locally led action: Shifting power and resources and decentralising decision-making to locally led networks and organisations.
• Early and rapid financing: Building a global financing system that reduces risk, anticipates, and acts ahead of predictable crises.
• Community led innovation: Incentivising innovative, locally led, and contextual solutions and learning from them together with people affected by crises.

Start Network was formerly hosted within Save the Children UK (SCUK), where it was incubated since its establishment in 2010. When Start Network registered as an independent charity in 2019, the Start Programmes comprising Start Funds and Crisis Anticipation and Risk Financing continued to be hosted by SCUK as Grant Custodian to Start Network. A Grant Custodian Agreement is in-place, which describes the roles and commitments of each entity.

The Start Fund Programme Manager is a role within the Start Funds (as part of Start Programmes) contracted and line-managed within SCUK.

About the role

Start Network is a leading-edge funder, enabling network members to access rapid, early and risk-informed funding based on collective decision making and local leadership. As a funder, Start provides an alternative to other funding mechanisms in the humanitarian sector, with a unique niche focused on small-to-medium sized and underfunded crises and a progressive model that relies on collaboration with members deciding and actively managing the funds in concert.

The Start Fund Programme Manager will be responsible for the performance and strategic direction of the global Start Fund, as part of Start Network’s family of funds. The global Start Fund provides around £20M of rapid financing in response to underfunded small to medium scale crises, spikes in chronic crises, and in anticipation of impending crises, filling a critical gap in humanitarian financing.

As the Programme Manager you will be responsible for overseeing the successful implementation of the global Start Fund programme, managing all contractual obligations and compliance. In addition, the role will continue working closely with the Head of Start Funds to ensure the fund contributes toward Start Network strategy.

You will provide support to Start Network’s resource mobilisation work to ensure the fund is appropriately resourced as well as providing leadership to the Start Fund Programme Team ensuring successful implementation of the global Start Fund, and management of crisis alerts and associated awards.

In this role, you will:

People management

• Effectively manage a team of four Start Fund Programme Officers responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the Start Fund.
• Proactively develop relationships built on trust, provide staff with clear guidance and direction; use coaching techniques to support personal ambition and professional development. They will create an inclusive environment where team members feel safe to express ideas and acknowledge mistakes.
• Ensure that Start Funds team members have performance and professional development goals, that correspond with Start Funds team objectives, and are well managed and monitored.

Programme leadership

• Play a critical role in representing the global Start Fund as part of Start Network’s family of funds, both internally and externally.
• With support from the Head of Start Funds, constantly review and propose adjustments to the Start Fund programme approach in response to learning, and to ensure continued alignment with Start Network strategy.
• Be responsible for the management of the Start Fund Committee as one of the fund’s governing bodies.
• As part of the Start Funds team, regularly review and adapt the global Start Fund programme design and operations to ensure it remains fit for purpose.
• Contribute to resource mobilisation, to ensure the fund is appropriately resourced, donors and associated awards are appropriately managed, and fundraising initiatives informed and supported.
• Ensure strong relationships are maintained between Start Network and SCUK, supporting the transition toward Start Programmes (including Start Funds) full integration within Start Network.
• Led by the Head of Start Funds, play a critical role in the development of Start Funds plans including plans specific to the global Start Fund.

Fund management

• Responsible for the Start Fund’s performance in line with agreed Start Fund Key Performance Indicators.
• Contribute toward reporting of the global Start Fund to the Start Fund governing bodies, SCUK, Start Network, and the global Start Fund donors as required.
• Responsible for supporting incident management, related to the global Start Fund.

About you

To be successful, it is important that you have:

• Previous experience in humanitarian sector, with experience operating in humanitarian contexts.
• Good understanding and knowledge of humanitarian quality standards.
• Demonstrated experience in managing large and/or complex programmes in the humanitarian and/or development sector and proven experience in humanitarian project cycle management.
• Proven experience in award and financial management.
• Demonstrated skill in developing funding proposals, budgets and reports.
• Demonstrable experience of working in partnerships and/or networks.
• Proven experience of embracing innovative approaches, to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of programme operations.
• Previous experience of managing people, including line-management experience.
• A confident communicator and networker with excellent relationship-building skills.
• Proven ability to drive and implement strategy.
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills.
• A flexible, ‘can do’ attitude with the ability to manage an unpredictable workload.
• Experience of internal and external representation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with stakeholders at different levels.
• Willingness to travel, including to humanitarian settings.
• Language skills in French, Spanish, Arabic (desirable).

Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

Ways of Working:

The majority of our roles can be performed remotely in the UK, but there are likely to be times when you will be required to come to your contracted office (up to 2-4 days per month or 6-8 days per quarter). This will be agreed with your Line Manager and team and is intended to be time spent on collaborating with colleagues and relationship building.

Please note: travel costs to your contracted office will be at your own expense.

Flexible Working – We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview**.**

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:

Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be “Free to Be Me”. We are not looking for just one type of person – we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think.

We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences – of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability – help us to see things we might otherwise miss. Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here.