Job Specifications
Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Specialist, Award Management, SCI Led Funding to join our global team.
Team And Job Purpose
Team purpose
To provide expert strategic and operational comprehensive award management and donor compliance support to countries globally, and to global teams, ensuring efficient operations, adherence to donor requirements, and management of risks, while fostering collaboration and learning across teams to enhance processes and practices based on real-world data and insights. Leads with practical business partnering support in sub-award management. Directly supports award-funded programmes by exception to ensure compliant, quality delivery.
Role purpose
To provide comprehensive award management and donor compliance support to countries globally, the Senior Specialist, Award Management, SCI Led Funding, will work collaboratively with Implementing Offices, global team functional business partners, and the Global Awards and Donor Compliance team. The role's primary focus is to manage a discrete portfolio of directly received/led awards, offering essential support and capacity building to country award teams, and enhancing internal processes. This position contributes to the organisation's objectives by ensuring efficient operations, adherence to donor requirements, and the management of risks while fostering collaboration and learning across teams based on real-world data and insights.
Job Title: Senior Specialist, Award Management, SCI Led Funding
Reports To: Head, AM Business Partnering (Africa & Global SCI Led Funding)
Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available
Contract Length: Fixed Term Maternity Cover – from 1 March 2026 to 31 August 2026
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
Time Zone (that the role holder must be available to work in): GMT-GMT+5
Right to Work: The successful candidate must possess the unrestricted right to work in their current or preferred location for the duration of employment
Language Requirements: English
International Travel Requirements: up to 10%
Principal Accountabilities
Manage oversight of the global portfolio of SCI Led Funding/Directly Received awards, ensuring alignment with donor compliance and organisational policies at the system level, using data to provide visibility to Business Partners on key areas for intervention or decision.
Build capacity of staff across implementing offices through targeted training and development initiatives, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and competence.
Develop procedures and tools related to AMDC SCI-Led Funding Management including Agreement Review Process and Income Tracking Process. Generate and maintain a monthly AMDC SCI-led funding analysis report with key insights and recommended actions for the AMDC team.
Organize and deliver a capacity-building plan on SCI-led funding procedures and policies for COs to strengthen understanding of AMDC requirements and support consistent and independent management of SCI-led funding across COs.
Complete the ongoing review and update of AMS records for SCI-led awards, including completing the closeout campaign, updating payment schedules to reflect actual income, correcting active award contract details and reporting schedules, and verifying pipeline data accuracy.
Facilitate effective collaboration with Implementing Offices and regional functional teams to support the successful management of high and critical risk awards, escalating issues as necessary.
Drive improvements in internal processes related to award management, promoting innovative solutions and best practices to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. Responsible for the delivery and roll out of process updates after Global Team changes to ensure that Country accountabilities are clear and so that processes/guidance/tools are available as a self service pack for COs to follow in Awards Management.
Monitor and manage risks associated with the portfolio, proactively addressing potential challenges and ensuring compliance with donor requirements and organisational standards.
Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of award management activities, ensuring that practices are fair, inclusive, and aligned with SCI's DEI policies.
Essential
Experience and Skills
Proven track record of in-country award portfolio management and knowledge of major donors’ compliance requirements, with a basic understanding of operational programming, including the realities of the context
Experience communicating with impact in a complex stakeholder environment, with the ability to tailor communication to different audiences. Strong written and spoken communication skills in English, with effective interpersonal abilities to manage multicultural teams.
Demonstrated problem-solving skills to