Senior Specialist, Field Liaison (Biotech)

Summary

As part of the Program Quality & Impact department within International Programs, the Sr. Specialist, Field Liaison plays an important role in ensuring Save the Children US (SCUS) supports the strategy and advances program quality of our country offices, while delivering on the movement's transformation agenda. The Sr. Specialist strengthens SCUS' relationship with the field, through effective knowledge management, and by fostering communication, problem solving and decision-making between SCUS and Save the Children International (SCI). They also support collaboration, learning and accountability across SCUS International Programs Group (IPG) and other relevant Departments by convening colleagues across teams, facilitating dialogue, and supporting follow up with SCI to improve program quality in the field.

 

What You'll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

Manage information systems and communication to advance effective engagement with SCI (40%): The Sr. Specialist is proactive in soliciting, compiling and sharing information from SCUS stakeholders to SCI, and serves as the “face of SCUS” to SCI field visitors and queries. Key tasks include:

• Portfolio Review calls: Under the direction of the AVP, prepare for and lead logistics for annual Portfolio Review calls between IPG senior staff and 15-20 priority Country Offices (COs). Facilitate focus groups with Technical Advisors (TAs), Awards Managers and New Business colleagues to compile feedback prior to the calls; support follow up and knowledge management of issues discussed.
• Strategic planning: Facilitate thoughtful engagement of IPG staff in support of CO strategic and annual planning; establish systems to efficiently manage requests from COs for input, facilitate cross-BT reviews and synthesize SCUS inputs, share consolidated feedback to CO; coordinate preparation for SCUS engagement in Regional and Country Consultation Group meetings.
• Plan and execute SCUS-SCI Engagement events: Lead on scheduling annual Engagement Week sessions, managing participant registration and communications, preparing the agenda, scheduling internal/external meetings, making all logistical arrangements, supporting session leaders on planning content and delivery of their sessions, soliciting and compiling materials from presenters, co-facilitating with the AVP and ensuring smooth flow of activities during the week. Ensure meeting is well documented and evaluated, and feedback is integrated to improve future sessions.
• Manage SCUS Member page on OneNet: Share relevant and updated SCUS resources for the SCI audience, including donor account information, SCUS Senior Management Team and country backstops, materials from SCUS orientation/engagement week, and calendars and events.

 

Manage Information Systems and Communication to Support SCUS Staff in staying abreast Of Field Developments and Collaborating with SCI to Resolve Issues (40%) The Sr. Specialist is a go-to person for SCUS staff seeking up-to-date information on our field programming, with a focus on priority countries. The Sr. Specialist builds effective relationships with peers and managers, and enhances SCUS-SCI collaboration to identify, escalate and resolve issues as necessary. Key tasks include:

• Knowledge management about field programming: Utilize data from Award Management System (AMS), OneNet, the Trip Report library and future systems such as PRIME to produce synthesized profiles of SCUS portfolios; liaise with Award Managers, Technical Advisors (TAs) and others regularly engaged with country offices to ensure programmatic and operational challenges and lessons learned are documented across business teams. Provide information to Senior leaders so that they can make accurate decisions.
• Ensure accessibility of information on field programming: Manage the Program Quality and Improvement Field Liaison page and the IP Trip Report Library on SaveNet: Country Folders containing portfolio analysis, recent strategic plans, minutes of annual portfolio calls; CO/RO contact list; regional meeting materials; traveler list and Trip Reports
• Support TAs as Ambassadors: Support the development of resources and materials that can be used by TAs to represent broader SCUS interests during technical visits to country offices.
• Geographic Priorities: Conduct annual analysis that supports the Senior Management Team (SMT) to make decisions about SCUS geographic presence and priorities.
• Support agency risk review efforts: Contribute to agency efforts (e.g. regional risk reviews, internal audit visits, enterprise risk assessments) by synthesizing key information about country office operations.
• SCUS CEO trip preparation: Serve as IP point person for CEO field visit planning, working with the Office of the President and Country Offices (COs) to compile briefing packets, award portfolio and pipeline status, project briefs, donor profiles, donor meeting talking points and other key resources.

 

Support the PQI AVP and undertake special projects that advance program quality and delivery on our transformation agenda (20%): The Sr. Specialist will undertake activities that complement our field face and enhance IP's performance in line with our broad Agency strategy and values. Key Tasks Include:

 

• Continuous Improvement (CI) and Accelerated Delivery and Improvement (ADI): Model ADI and CI practices in day-to-day work; as needed support IP continuous improvement projects; undertake and/or support the embedding of ADI in the Agency.
• Contribute to making Save the Children a great place to work: Model collaborative and inclusive behaviors in the workplace; support the success of employee affinity groups; promote a culture of learning through leadership in Knowledge Management and sharing of skills.
• Contribute information for agency dashboards/Quarterly Business Reviews and Board meeting presentations;
• USAID re-registration: Support our Finance Division to collect and organize any information as needed.

 

• Other tasks as needed: These may relate to supporting SCUS engagement in Global Strategy or SCI projects and work streams, including High Performing Organization (HPO) projects.

Required Qualifications

• You have a minimum 5-7 years' experience in area of expertise
• Bachelor degree or equivalent relevant experience required
• Professional level of technical or managerial knowledge, skills, and experience to manage the operational activities of a unit or team, or provide the technical and management support related to various size programs, grants or projects.
• Experience with data management and web-based platforms (i.e., SharePoint, Microsoft-suite: Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word)
• Strong customer service orientation, and the ability to work with and through others.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with an Awards Management System (AMS) a plus
• Familiarity with USAID and USG rules and regulations is a plus.

 

Why you should join the Save the Children Team… 

  

Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, pet insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more.   

  

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in YOU! 

 

About Save the Children 

  

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.  

  

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom Save the Children is in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children's policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation. Any violations of this policy will be treated as a serious issue.  

  

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.