Senior Specialist, Award Management, SCI Led Funding

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.

Experience and Skills

Essential

1.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

2.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.

3.Demonstrated problem-solving skills to identify and lead the resolution of issues efficiently.

4.Cultural awareness and the ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people, appreciating diverse perspectives.

5.Strong analytical skills with good attention to detail.

6.High proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, advanced Excel, Outlook) and financial systems.

7.Patience, flexibility, and the ability to improvise and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure.

8.Excellent planning, management, and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a workload comprising varying and changing tasks and responsibilities.

9.Experience of staff management, supervision and capacity building in Award Management

10.Proven track record of supporting a senior team

Desirable

• Experience developing new policies, procedures and ways of working in grants/contracts
• Experience managing SCI Led Funding awards
• Experience managing awards (grants and contracts) of major donors such as DFID/FCDO, USAID, UN, EU, ECHO, etc
• Commitment to keep up to date with the latest developments in the field through continuous learning and professional development.

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• A relevant degree in international development, business administration, finance, or a related discipline that provides a foundation in award management principles and practices.

Desirable

• Formal training or certification in project management, grant management, or financial management is preferred but not mandatory if practical experience can be demonstrated.

Working at Save the Children International

Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first.

We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.

We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply.

Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found here via the job listing. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline.

Our recruitment process:

1. Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter
2. Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team
3. Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview
4. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse. All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruit