Program Development and Quality Director, Ukraine Response

Ukraine

Program Development and Quality Director, Ukraine Response

Organization

• Save the Children

Posted 8 Sep 2025 Closing date 30 Sep 2025

Save the Children International is a leading global humanitarian organization that has been protecting children's rights worldwide for over 100 years. We operate in more than 100 countries, responding to emergencies, implementing innovative development programs, and advocating for children's rights on a global scale.

Our work in Ukraine began in 2014. Since then, we have significantly expanded our presence, providing support to children and families affected by war. Our key areas of focus include education, child protection, food security, social support, and advocacy to drive lasting change in children's lives.

Role Purpose
As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in Country, the Program Development and Quality Director (PDQ Director) is responsible for driving the country office strategic plan and theory of change. S/He is responsible for ensuring strategic development and technical oversight of high quality, evidence based, high impact, innovative full spectrum programs that respond to humanitarian needs while substantively contributing to the acceleration of efforts towards post-war recovery and system strengthening in Ukraine, to deliver immediate and lasting change for children and contribute to Save the Children's global breakthroughs: Learn, Survive, Be Protected.

One of the key aspects of the role is to lead on the shift of Save the Children programming in Ukraine to broader post-war recovery and system strengthening activities that build lasting change for children while maintaining technical and other support to humanitarian response programs. The post-holder will drive a change management process to shifting the strategic focus of Save the Children programming to align to longer-term development agenda identified through an understanding of the wider political and specific socioeconomic context within the country.

Scope Of Role
Reports to: Country Director
Technical Report: Global PQI
Staff directly reporting to this post:
MEAL, New Business Development, and Program Quality/Technical Expertise staff. These positions will vary depending on the thematic programmes.

Role Dimensions
: The PDQ Director plays a key role in defining and pursuing the strategic direction for Save the Children's programs in-country, ensuring the relevance, strategic coherence, and impact of our programs for children in all contexts.

The PDQ Director will play a pivotal role in supporting Save the Children's mission to transform education, protection, livelihoods and child rights delivery in Ukraine, looking beyond the ongoing war towards the recovery phase. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in child protection, rights, education and systems strengthening, with proven leadership experience in complex environments in conflict and post-conflict settings. S/he will excel at navigating policies and regulations, driving impactful improvements and fostering strategic partnerships.

The incumbent will work across various oblasts in Ukraine, offering technical collaboration and support for ongoing programs, and work closely with organisation's Senior Management Team, cross-functional teams, and the government. Areas of collaboration will include developing and implementing supportive supervision and quality assurance mechanisms; monitoring, reporting, evaluation, and documentation efforts to inform course corrections and strengthening representation with program/ sector partners and the government. Additionally, the PDQ Director will foster public-private partnerships, build sector and donor relationships, and lead/ support resource mobilization efforts.

Key Areas Of Accountability
Strategy and Planning

• Provide strategic leadership, technical direction and effective management of the current portfolio of projects and new areas of impact. Develop strategic vision for system strengthening work and provide senior management acumen across Save the Children system strengthening initiatives in collaboration with the Save the Children Senior Management Team (SMT).
• Lead on the design of strategy and program activities that support national and sub-national governments to become better stewards of children rights, including supporting policy dialogue, country-driven reforms, and evidence generation and use.
• Lead on the SMT to drive forward the Country Strategic Plans (CSP) and take overall leadership on designing multi-sector recovery, system strengthening and response strategies, programme plans including responsibility for sectoral log frames and programme master budgets, ensuring the highest technical expertise is represented across these, and ensuring linkages with existing humanitarian programmes and strategies.
• Support development of cross-team coordination mechanisms to ensure effective collaboration and integration across key programs (e.g. program operations, advocacy) and related departments (e.g. awards,).

Recovery and System Strengthening

• Drive a change management process to shift of Save the Children programming in Ukraine to broader post-war recovery and system strengthening activities that build lasting changing for children.
• Identify gaps in the child rights stewardship system in Ukraine that have significant impact on children in the country and opportunities for Save the Children for entry into building a recovery strategy that addresses those gaps.
• Understand solutions that are currently being rolled out by the national and subnational government to those challenges, and identify new solutions that are yet to be launched, which will include mapping the needs & process, identifying areas and processes for improvement, identify most fit for purpose solution to challenges to stewardship of children rights, with focus on education, child protection and mental health.
• Identify new donors, civil society and government partners that are more geared towards recovery and system strengthening.

Ensuring evidence-based programme and project design

• Ensure that the country office has high quality, cost-effective and evidence based multi-sector programs reflecting SC's global initiatives, socioeconomic context in Ukraine and Save the Children theory of change
• Ensure programmes in the design process have a strong evidence base resulting from learning via needs assessments and situational analyses
• Ensure all thematic strategies include key global indicators to guide programme development, holistic needs of children and communities are considered, and safe programming principles are integrated across program and project designs

Research, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Learning (REALM) and Knowledge management

• Ensure the implementation of MEAL strategies, frameworks and systems and ensure roll out of core SCI MEAL tools, in line with Save the Children's MEAL in Emergencies (MiE) System Quality Benchmarks and SC MiE Procedure, and broader SCI policies
• Oversee the development of a monitoring system that provides timely and accurate project results by embedding MEAL across programme implementation
• Ensure plans to promote accountability to affected populations (AAP) and child participation are high quality and inform programming
• Ensure regular data collection and meaningful analyses, establishment of accountability and learning mechanisms, with regular dissemination of strategic information to SMT and other relevant staff to drive learning and improve program quality

Thematic Expertise, capacity building and quality assurance

• Monitor and advance technical and operational quality of field programmes across all themes and accountable for results and sustainability of programme outcomes
• Ensure relevant technical support is provided promptly, at scale and in line with Save the Children principles and standards during emergencies.
• Support capacity development of technical experts, maximizing their role as technical support providers to field teams and local project partners
• Ensure that Technical Specialists engage in larger communities of practice to link with the most relevant and evidence-based approaches and conduct timely and useful review of project reports to support quality reporting for Members and donors

Senior leadership function

• Support the development of an organisational culture that reflects SC's full spectrum mandate and values, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a cross -team culture of learning, creativity and innovation in a productive work environment, and frees up people to deliver outstanding results for children and excellent service for our members and donors
• Support the necessary change management process to ensure the strategic reorientation of the programme towards more development oriented portfolio while ensuring ownership from the SMT and related functions.

Strategic partnership and New Business development

• Lead an effective New Business Development strategy and process, identifying key donors and funding opportunities in line with CO strategy.
• Support fundraising, ensuring the development of high-quality concept notes and proposals linked to the CSP, and engage effectively with donors and relevant stakeholders

Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development

• Ensure appropriate staffing within PDQ team and the sub office staff and ensure all staff understand and are able to perform their role
• Manage PDQ team; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, evaluate reports regularly
• Ensure the recruitment, training, and promotion of staff is appropriate and ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for staff. Incorporate staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems into team building process.
• Work closely with the Human Resources team, provide recommendations on key technical competencies and related capacity building support and training for program staff as appropriate

Qualifications And Experience

• Post graduate qualifications in relevant social science, human rights, development studies, NGO management or equivalent field
• A minimum of ten years of progressive senior management and/ or humanitarian and development experience, including experience designing and implementing programs for children in complex conflict/post-conflict settings.
• Experience in more than one of Save the Children's thematic sectors: education, child protection, child rights governance, health and nutrition, child poverty, emergencies
• Strong skills and proven experience in leading strategic planning, change management and program management processes; also from the knowledge and learning perspective
• Knowledge of New Business Development, members and donors and their environments and a basic understanding of advocacy, policy, and reform in the host country .
• Strong skills and proven experience in new program development, project design, and donor proposal design with corporates, foundations and institutional donors
• Experience of lobbying, influencing and representing an organisation at all levels and across diverse sectors
• Experience working with high level government agencies and academics on issues related to children
• Developing and managing monitoring, evaluation and learning systems
• Excellent listening, inter-personal, communication and networking skills; and the ability to work with diversified populations
• Skilled at delivering and facilitating training and capacity building interventions, e.g. coaching, mentorship.
• Analytical, problem solver, with strong experience and understanding of project cycle management and coordination.
• High level of self-awareness and self-development with the maturity to deal with constructive feedback the willingness and ability to adapt leadership and management style as appropriate
• Experience of conducting research, drafting and presenting reports to varied audiences.

Additional Job Responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Child Safeguarding Policy
We are committed to ensuring children's safety. Our recruitment process includes strict background checks and reflects our commitment to protecting children from harm.

Equal Opportunities
The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Health And Safety
All employees are expected to perform their duties in accordance with our global policy on harassment prevention.

In your cover letter, indicate your expected salary.
How to apply

Program Development and Quality Director, Ukraine Response - SCI Career Site Careers

Job details

Country

• Ukraine

City Kyiv Source

• Save the Children

Type

• Job

Career category

• Program/Project Management

Years of experience

• 10+ years

Themes

• Education
• Protection and Human Rights
• Recovery and Reconstruction

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