Child Protection Programme Manager

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Programme Identification and Planning

• Lead and contribute to Child Protection and MHPSS needs assessments, scenario planning, trend and context analysis to inform programme design and strategic direction.

• Collaborate with technical advisors, partners, and area teams to design responsive, evidence-based interventions aligned with Save the Children's strategic priorities.

• Collaborate and support TAs in the development of concept notes, proposals, and logframes, ensuring integration of cross-cutting themes such as gender, inclusion, and youth engagement.

• Lead on the development of budgets during proposal development, in support of TAs, in line with the proposed Logical Framework and proposed activities. Liaise with partners to ensure timely provision of partners' budgets, providing timely feedback.

Coordinate with other sectors (e.g., Education, FSL, Shelter/NFI, WASH) to ensure integrated and holistic programming.

Award Implementation and Management

• Support the Awards team for the award kick-off processes, leading on the planning and sharing of the CP and MHPSS components of the implementation.

• Lead the implementation of Child Protection and MHPSS programmes, ensuring timely delivery against work plans, budget expenditure plans, procurement plans, and HR planning.

• Oversee day-to-day programme operations, including direct implementation and partner-led activities, ensuring quality, relevance, and conflict sensitivity.

• Act as overall budget holder for CP and MHPSS awards, ensuring effective financial oversight, forecasting, and compliance with donor and SCI policies.

• Support and empower Coordinators to manage specific budget lines and operational responsibilities.

• Ensure operationalization and follow-up of PRIME

• Serve as the key link with Finance for budget planning, spending tracking, forecasting, cash requests, and modifications.

• Ensure timely and accurate donor and internal reporting, including narrative, financial, and indicator performance tracking, coordinating inputs from across the CP and MHPSS team and partners

Award Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• Collaborate with MEAL teams to ensure robust monitoring systems are in place, including activity trackers, quality benchmarks, and accountability mechanisms.

• Support Technical Advisors and MEAL to develop M&E and indicator tracking plans for all grants and contribute to the development of additional tools as needed.

• Ensure tracking of indicators throughout the implementation cycle and support partners in developing appropriate M&E strategies.

• Use monitoring data, including Quality benchmark, to inform adaptive planning and programme improvements.

• Support technical assessments and evaluations, ensuring findings are documented and used to strengthen programming.

• Promote child participation and feedback mechanisms throughout the project cycle.

• Contribute to building an evidence base for Child Protection interventions.

Provide feedback on TA/MEAL visit reports and implement follow-up actions.

Award Closure and Learning

• Lead or support award close-out processes, ensuring documentation of lessons learned and best practices.

• Ensure timely, high-quality, data-driven, and evidence-based final reporting, coordinating inputs from across the CP team and partners to ensure comprehensive and coherent reporting.

Facilitate after-action reviews and contribute to internal learning processes to inform future programming.

Team Management and Supervision

• Ensure appropriate staffing within the CP & MHPSS team and that all staff understand and are able to perform their roles.

• Establish performance management for all line-managed staff through clear objectives, ongoing feedback, quarterly reviews, and fair evaluations.

• Provide strong, supportive leadership to the CP and MHPSS team by coaching and mentoring staff, helping them set and achieve clear priorities, and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous learning. Actively identify and address team challenges, promote well-being, and ensure a collaborative and high-performing work environment.

• Foster a collaborative and cohesive team environment by ensuring that Child Protection and MHPSS components are implemented in synergy rather than in silos, reflecting the interdependent nature of Child Protection work.

• Promote a culture of shared ownership and accountability , ensuring that team members understand their roles and are empowered to contribute meaningfully to programme goals.

• Delegate tasks effectively within the team, balancing workloads and supporting staff development through clear guidance, coaching, and follow-up.

Partnership Management

• Work with the partnership team to identify appropriate partners for implementation of the sector response, including conducting capacity assessments and developing capacity strengthening plans.

• Lead the development and management of partner agreements, including budgets, work plans, and review Annex A and B to ensure timely submission of PAAs to Awards teams.

• Provide ongoing support and supervision to partners, ensuring alignment with programme objectives and compliance standards.

• Regularly review partner progress against budget and work plan, and support adjustments in response to context changes or operational challenges, to meet project goals.

Review partner narrative, financial reports and MEAL data in line with internal deadlines for MEAL, Finance, and Awards Review Meetings.

External Representation and Engagement

• Represent Save the Children in relevant coordination forums, regional government meetings, and with other relevant regional stakeholders.

• Support advocacy and policy engagement efforts in collaboration with the Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications, and Media teams.

Promote local partner participation in coordination mechanisms and policy dialogues.

Internal Coordination and Collaboration

• Foster strong collaboration with Programme Development & Quality, MEAL, Awards, Finance, Safety and Security, and Operations teams across sectors.

• Ensure alignment with area-based approaches and cross-sectoral synergies.

Act as focal point for Centrality of Protection and contribute to internal learning initiatives (e.g., learning lunches, peer exchanges).

General

• Support cross-learning and integration across thematic areas and between field and technical teams, contributing to a unified and strategic programme approach.

• Support emergency preparedness and response efforts, including flexibility to adapt work practices and work outside normal hours during emergencies.

• Ensure adherence to Save the Children's Child Safeguarding Policy and other relevant policies and standards.

• Continuous learning, staying informed of sector trends and innovations, and promote continuous learning and capacity building for staff and partners.

• Adhere to and promote Safety, Security & Risk Policies, standards, plans, and procedures and ensure programme activities adapt to changing security context

KILLS 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 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.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same

• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others

• Future orientated, thinks strategically.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters

• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength

• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions

• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

Honest, encourages openness and transparency.

QUALIFICATIONS

ESSENTIAL

• University degree in psychology, social sciences, mental health, or other relevant discipline or academic background.

• Master's degree in social work, Human Rights, Law, International Relations, Development Studies or similar. Additional years of experience can count in lieu of master's degree to complement an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject.

DISIRABLE

• Academic or professional training in child protection or family, child, and adolescent mental health or psychosocial support.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

ESSENTIAL

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in project management and/or development programming in emergency context, preferably in Ukraine.

• Proven experience in child protection and MHPSS programming.

• Solid experience in grant management, including budget holding and donor reporting.

• Substantial people and programme management experience within the NGO development sector, with good interpersonal skills and ability to communicate at all levels

Experience working with partners and a participatory approach.

Knowledge:

• Sound knowledge of, and experience in applying, established inter-agency standards and guidelines in child protection and MHPSS, such as the IASC Guidelines on MHPSS, the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Settings and Inter-agency Guidelines on Child Protection Case Management, etc.

• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of Ukrainian context, especially related to children and youth, gender, family and appropriate approaches that can enhance engagement and attitude/behaviour change.

• Substantial understanding or proven experience of security management issues.

• Good understanding of the SC mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support.

Skills:

• Skills and experience in project/programme implementation, monitoring, review and evaluation preferably from a child rights approach in accordance with the Child Rights Convention and international humanitarian rights standards.

• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organize a demanding workload comprised of diverse and challenging tasks and responsibilities

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in Ukrainian.

• Advanced level of written and spoken English with an ability to generate high-quality reports.

• Representational, political awareness and advocacy skills.

• Ability to work with limited supervision from line manager.

• Proficiency in computer use including Microsoft Office and Excel.

• Experience in delivering training and capacity building programmes to workers and stakeholders to enhance understanding of CP/MHPSS.

• Creative problem-solving and analytical skills with the ability to work effectively in resource-constrained environments and with minimal supervision.

Ability to maintain focus on long-term objectives and deliverables while addressing day-to-day programme/administrative issues.

Attitude:

• To work in a team.

• Strong self-starter who takes initiative and proactively identifies challenges and solutions.

• Cultural Competency and sensitivity and ability to work with diverse groups, reflecting the organisational commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children's aims, values and principles including rights-based approaches and child safeguarding policies and procedures.

• Commitment to protecting vulnerable and at-risk children through child protection and humanitarian principles.

• Flexibility and willingness to change work practices and hours and spend time in the field, sometimes in difficult conditions and with limited resources, and with remote management.

Patient, adaptable, able to improvise, and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure.

DESIRABLE

Experience of representation and public speaking

Equal Opportunities

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures. Save the Children is committed to create a truly inclusive, effective and representative organisational culture, encouraging equity and diversity among its employees and eliminating discrimination. Having a diverse profile of employees, different age groups, backgrounds, cultures, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientation etc., including a range of different experiences and capabilities helps us understand, represent and serve children better. Therefore, all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or age.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse

Safeguarding our Staff:

The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy