TEAM/PROGRAM: Program Operations
LOCATION: Addis Ababa
GRADE: Executive B
CONTRACT LENGTH: 1 Year
CHILD SAFEGUARDING:
Level 2: either the post holder will have access to personal data about children and/or young people as part of their work; or the post holder will be working in a ‘regulated’ position (accountant, barrister, solicitor, legal executive); therefore, a police check will be required (at ‘standard’ level in the UK or equivalent in other countries).
Risk and Compliance:
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Fraud, Bribery, and Corruption policy and code of conduct. The key responsibilities include understanding and complying with the SCI policies and procedures, not committing any act of fraud, bribery, or corruption, understanding risks in their area/role, and implementing mitigation measures, report any suspected fraud, bribery, or corruption immediately, declare conflicts of interest in accordance with internal procedures and complete mandatory training related to ethics and anti- fraud measures.
Project Summary
Save the Children lead the Ethiopia Cash Consortium. Consortium members include Danish Church Aid, Norwegian Refugee Council, Action Against Hunger, Danish Red Cross and Ethiopia Red Cross Society. The Ethiopia Cash Consortium (ECC) implements a large humanitarian cash assistance program (multi-purpose cash assistance) complemented by systemic support to the ECWG, funded by ECHO.
The overall objective of the project is to support the response to critical humanitarian needs in Ethiopia through Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA).. The project is part of the broader efforts to enhance social protection, and the Consortium will exploit complementarities with other social support networks. The multi-purpose cash assistance consortium pursues coordinated response, realizing harmonized approaches to s beneficiary overlaps, standardize assistance packages across project locations, including harmonized financial service providers (FSPs), cash delivery modalities, project monitoring and maximize overall reach at scale in targeted hot spot locations via cost-efficiency.
Role Purpose:
The Cash Consortium Lead provides strategic, operational, and coordination leadership to the Ethiopia Cash Consortium (ECC) and serves as the principal coordination and operational focal point across consortium partners for harmonization, implementation oversight, reporting, representation, learning, and timely information sharing. The role operates under the strategic guidance of the Senior Programme Lead – ECHO Portfolio and leads the Consortium Management team in ensuring coordinated, accountable, high-quality, and cost-efficient delivery of consortium objectives in alignment with donor expectations, consortium governance structures, ECWG priorities, and humanitarian coordination mechanisms. The post holder facilitates collaboration across consortium members, strengthens harmonized approaches and accountability systems, supports strategic engagement with ECHO and humanitarian stakeholders, and promotes evidence-driven and adaptive cash programming across Ethiopia. The role further ensures strong integration and alignment between ECC implementation, ECWG engagement, and the broader SCI ECHO humanitarian portfolio, including linkages with area-based approaches (ABA), referral systems, preparedness, anticipatory action, and multisector programming.
Scope of the role
Report to: Save the Children Ethiopia ECHO portfolio Senior Program Lead
Technical Collaboration:
- Head of National Programme Operation
- ECWG Programmatic Co-Chair
- ECC Consortium Members
- SCI Humanitarian Operations Team
- SCI MEAL and Technical Advisors
- Ethiopia Cash Working Group (ECWG)
- Government and humanitarian coordination stakeholders
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
Consortium Leadership and Coordination
- Lead and coordinate the Consortium Management Unit (CMU), ensuring effective collaboration, planning, delivery, and accountability across consortium functions.
- Provide strategic leadership and coordination support to the Consortium’s humanitarian cash programming portfolio, strengthening harmonized and adaptive programming approaches across consortium members.
- Guide and coordinate the strategic, technical, and operational implementation of consortium cash programming, ensuring timely delivery, quality assurance, compliance, and collective results achievement.
- Facilitate integration, collaboration, and coordinated implementation across consortium partners to strengthen collective impact and operational coherence.
- Promote harmonized approaches across consortium members in relation to targeting, accountability systems, transfer modalities, referral pathways, market monitoring, SOPs, digital systems, and MEAL frameworks.
- Ensure effective communication, coordination, and information sharing among consortium members and stakeholders.
Strategic Portfolio Integration
- Ensure strong alignment and synergies between ECC implementation, ECWG engagement, and the broader SCI ECHO humanitarian portfolio.
- Promote integrated approaches linking MPCA, ABA, referral systems, preparedness, anticipatory action, and multisector programming.
- Support portfolio-level strategic planning, adaptive management, and integrated humanitarian programming approaches.
Programme Quality, Technical Oversight and Delivery
- Ensure consortium programming is strategically designed, effectively implemented, appropriately monitored, and aligned with donor and SCI quality standards.
- Support continuous improvement of programming methodologies, harmonization systems, and operational efficiency mechanisms.
- Ensure programmes are implemented on time and within approved budgets.
- Oversee implementation of consortium monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning systems in line with SCI programme quality standards, ECHO requirements, and CHS commitments.
- Promote evidence generation, learning, and adaptive programming across consortium activities.
- Ensure cost-efficiency considerations remain central throughout implementation.
Representation, Coordination and External Engagement
- Serve as the principal coordination and engagement focal point with donors, consortium members, the ECWG, government stakeholders, and external humanitarian actors.
- Represent the Ethiopia Cash Consortium in national humanitarian coordination platforms including the Ethiopia Cash Working Group (ECWG), ICCG, donor engagements, and relevant technical forums.
- Foster strong collaboration and strategic relationships with consortium members, donors, government stakeholders, clusters, and humanitarian actors.
- Promote collective learning, visibility, evidence generation, and harmonized approaches across the consortium.
- Support strategic positioning and resource mobilization opportunities for the Consortium.
- Maintain regular engagement with ECHO Technical Assistants and other relevant stakeholders.
Consortium Governance and Partnerships
- Facilitate and coordinate Consortium governance structures including the Steering Committee, Partners’ Implementation Unit, and Technical Working Groups.
- Ensure effective functioning of consortium coordination systems and governance mechanisms.
- Support development and implementation of consortium SOPs, operational frameworks, and accountability systems.
- Ensure formal agreements, coordination arrangements, and operational frameworks remain updated and functional.
- Promote collaborative decision-making and collective ownership across consortium structures.
MEAL, Accountability and Learning
- Ensure programming meets high standards in programme design, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning.
- Ensure harmonized Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM) systems and learning frameworks are implemented across consortium partners.
- Promote joint planning, monitoring, evaluations, and learning exercises across consortium members.
- Ensure accountability systems are functional, responsive, and aligned with CHS commitments.
- Support development and implementation of consortium accountability frameworks.
- Ensure learning and evidence are documented and used to strengthen programme quality and adaptive management.
- Coordinate technical updates and analytical products related to cost-efficiency, programme impact, and operational learning.
Financial Oversight and Compliance
- Ensure consortium expenditures are aligned with approved budgets, donor requirements, and activity plans.
- In collaboration with the CMU Finance Manager and SCI finance teams, review award performance, spending trends, financial forecasts, and budget utilization across consortium members.
- Ensure donor compliance and adherence to SCI financial, operational, and procurement procedures.
- Support risk management and mitigation measures related to programme implementation and consortium operations.
Team Leadership and Capacity Strengthening
- Lead and support the Consortium Management Unit (CMU) through collaborative leadership, coordination, mentoring, and performance management.
- Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, learning, innovation, and shared ownership across consortium structures.
- Support technical capacity strengthening and mentoring across consortium teams and technical working groups.
- Identify capacity strengthening needs and facilitate targeted learning and development initiatives.
- Foster effective communication and collaboration between consortium members and SCI support functions
BEHAVIOURS (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.
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.
- Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others.
- Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.
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:
- Honesty encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity
QUALIFICATIONS
Master's degree in development or other Project Management, social sciences or related fields.
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
- Recommended 12 years of relevant progressive experience, out of which 5 years in managerial positions. Experience in a humanitarian environment including significant field operations experience running both emergency & development programs is required Skills/Ability required:
- Significant management experience working in emergency response or fragile state contexts.
- Direct experience in implementing cash assistance Programs , market analysis and economic recovery.
- Previous experience of managing highly technical teams in CVA implementation
- Previous experience of working as Consortium manager would be preferable
- Previous experience of project management
- Experience of and commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability
- Demonstrated monitoring and evaluation skills
- Ability to work both in an advisory and a hands on implementation capacity
- Ability to speak and write Amharic and other local languages is preferable
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.
Equal Opportunities
- The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and
- Diversity policies and procedures.
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.
Health and Safety
- The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures
