Save the Children Regional Humanitarian Operations Officer (East Africa) Job in Nairobi Kenya

About us: For over 90 years, Save the Children has been making a difference in children's lives in more than 120 countries. We are the world's largest independent child rights organisation, underpinned by a vision in a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. Our mission to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

Save the Children is an organization for talented people with different backgrounds and perspectives. We are proud that our people are representative of the children we work with and we thrive on our diversity. We are an equal opportunity organisation dedicated to our core values of Accountability, Ambition, Collaboration. Creativity and Integrity. 

Our culture is embedded in these values, along with a strong commitment to our Child Safeguarding Protocol, ensuring that all representatives of Save the Children demonstrate the highest standards of behaviour towards children both in their private and professional lives.

The East African Regional Office is responsible for 8 countries in East Africa, including Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania and Ethiopia, with a current staff complement of approximately 3500 staff, and current expenditure of approximately $200 million each year.

Save the Children East Africa Regional Office (EARO) is looking to recruit a Regional Humanitarian Operations Officer. 

Job Title: Regional Humanitarian Operations Officer – East Africa

Team / Programme: Humanitarian Team

Location: East Africa Regional Office - Nairobi
 

Grade: Grade 4

Type of Contract: National 

Child Safeguarding: Level 3 – the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people 
 

Role Purpose: The Regional Humanitarian Operations  Officer will support the regional humanitarian team and country offices with the production, coordination and dissemination of quality and timely management information (including tracking of humanitarian response finance/grants and human resource deployments); communication products and regional analysis. 

This will include working with country offices in the coordination and dissemination of ongoing response information through the use of tools including SitReps, Output Trackers; SCI Operations Management Tool (OMT); regional humanitarian dashboard; and updated programme case studies and factsheets. 

The post-holder will support the regional humanitarian team in improving our preparedness, contingency planning and backstopping of categorised emergencies in the region – including direct links with country offices to establish and resource identified support needs.

By supporting the regional humanitarian team, through research and monitoring of humanitarian information sources (internal and external) and attending regional humanitarian forum and networks the post-holder  will assist the production and dissemination of regional humanitarian trend analysis and early warning information, including the regional humanitarian dashboard, response alerts; written opinions and communication products illustrating the issues that children face across East Africa and showcasing Save the Children's humanitarian programme activities and achievements in the region to. 

The Regional Humanitarian Operations Officer; will support the roll out of regional capacity building; training and mentoring initiatives that are coordinated through the regional office in liaison with the Humanitarian and Leadership Academy learning centre in Nairobi. 

The post-holder will also work with country office project officers; information and communication officers and other associated staff in identify and support (including direct training/mentoring) capacity building needs. 

Scope of Role: 
 

Reports to:  The post holder will report to the Regional Humanitarian Operations Director.

The post holder will work closely with the regional humanitarian team; as well as others in the regional office (including HR, Finance, M&E etc.) and country office humanitarian, operations and communications teams. 

Dimensions: Save the Children works in 8 countries in East Africa (Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania and Ethiopia) with a current staff complement of approximately 3500 staff and current expenditure of approximately $200 million each year

Key Areas of Accountability:

Key Responsibilities

•  Build and maintain a understanding of the type of programme management information that is required for the evolving needs of Save the Children Regional Office, Centre and members based on on-going programme support; profile building and fundraising suitable for a variety of audiences.
• Work with country office project officers; information & communications officers and others to produce, consolidate and disseminate regular SitReps; Output Trackers, Funding and Grants; deployment trackers and Operation Management Information (OMT); regional humanitarian dashboard; as well as updated Q&As and Fact Sheets (according to in-country sign off procedures).
• Work with the regional team to track and update Country Office KPIs
• Work with the regional humanitarian team to identify and support improved emergency preparedness and contingency planning across the East Africa region – including for the regional office itself.
• Work with the regional humanitarian team (and identified country focal points) to support identified backstopping needs to categorised responses. Assist in the identification and coordination of resource needs and allocations (including tracking of funding and HR deployments).
• Work with regional humanitarian team and others within the regional office and country offices to support the production and dissemination of regional humanitarian trend analysis and early warning information.
• Monitor internal and external humanitarian information sources to provide oversight of emerging and continued humanitarian contexts. Attend regional humanitarian forum and networks as required.
• Act as a key focal point within the regional humanitarian team for the coordination of media visits and internal and external programme visitors, providing all necessary Nairobi level documentation & support – including transportation, accommodation, registration and security & child safeguarding briefings.
• Act as a focal point across the country programs for media & information requests across the region.
• Work with country programmes to ensure that all media and communication protocols are closely followed and the in-county sign off procedures are adhered to by all SC members.
• Support the regional humanitarian team and country offices in the identification of capacity building needs.
• In liaison with the Humanitarian and Leadership Academy – Nairobi Learning Centre support the implementation of training, capacity building and mentoring initiatives across the region.
• Provide training, mentoring and build capacity of country project officers and information communication officers or other designated staff to deliver usable response management information to meet region, centre and member needs.
• Act as a link between country offices and centre and members to promote 2-way communication and accountability. Ensure country offices understand the value of the information they provide and that centre is sharing this information effectively.
• Occasionally be deployed to country offices in the initial stages of an emergency response to assist with duties linked to this role.
• Undertake other duties and responsibilities commensurate with the grade of this post

Skills and Behaviours (our Values in Practice)
 

Accountability:

• Holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved
• Creates a managerial environment to lead, enable and maintain our culture of child safeguarding

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale

Collaboration:

• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to; builds and maintains effective relationships with colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity and different people’s perspectives, able to work cross-culturally.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Cuts away bureaucracy and encourages an entrepreneurial approach

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency, builds trust and confidence
• Displays consistent excellent judgement

Qualifications and Experience

Essential:

• Able to manage a high workload and meet tight deadlines
• At least 2 years demonstrable experience in role with similar responsibly for information management and coordination
• A university Degree in a related field
• Ability to work effectively to elicit information from a variety of stakeholders and to adapt this into concise materials in English to support and promote the work of Save the Children.
• An understanding of response management and the critical importance of information management and communications
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Excellent and proven communicator able to communicate to a wide range of audiences.
• Builds capacity with hands on practical approach and can demonstrate experience of training.
• Resourcefulness, flexibility, good organisational skills and the ability to prioritise and to meet deadlines.
• Good understanding of children's issues, rights, development and humanitarian issues, and the ability to relate Save the Children's work within this context.
• Ability to work effectively with people from different nationalities, cultures, ethnic and religious groups across the region
• Willingness and the personal circumstances to be able to travel regularly around the region (average of one week a month, sometimes more)
• Competent IT skills and experience of using email and Internet

Desirable:

• Experience of working for or with Save the Children, or a related rights or development organisation
• Understanding of the developments issues and/or work experience in East Africa region
• Basic competence in one or more of the major languages in the region
• Experience of operating multi media equipment including digital cameras, video recording equipment, web cams, and voice recorders.
• Experience of tailoring communication and advocacy messages for a variety of decision-makers and high level audiences.

How to Apply

Please send a copy of your CV with a cover letter to EA.recruitment@savethechildren.org

Application closes 8th December 2013 at 5:00pm. 

We work with children, communities and governments all over the world and we believe in the right person for the job regardless of where you come from and how you identify yourself. We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to ensuring that only those who are suitable to work with children are considered for these posts. All successful applicants will therefore be required to complete a Police Check and must sign onto our Child Safeguarding Policy and organizational Code of Conduct.