Start Funds Operations Officer

Closing Date: 6 October 2024

Ref 6843

Save the Children UK has an exciting opportunity for someone with experience of working on humanitarian or international development programme operations to join us as our Start Funds Operations Officer where you will provide operations support to Start Funds portfolio of programmes and awards.

About Us

Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm.  When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave.  We ensure children's unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.

Start Network is made up of more than 50 aid agencies across five continents, ranging from large international organisations to national NGOs. Together, our aim is to transform humanitarian action through innovation, fast funding, early action, and localisation.

We're tackling what we believe are the biggest systemic problems that the sector faces. Problems including slow and reactive funding, centralised decision-making, and an aversion to change mean that people affected by crises around the world do not receive the best help fast enough, and needless suffering results. Our work focuses on three areas to change the system; localisation, new forms of financing and collective innovation.

About the role

As the Operations Officer you will provide dedicated support to the Start Funds' portfolio, currently comprising the global Start Fund, Start Fund Bangladesh, Start Fund Nepal and the Ukraine locally-led pooled fund. The role will contribute to ensuring that Start Funds' awards are efficiently and effectively managed, provide support to the financial management of the Start Fund programmes, implement the fund's approach to and management of risk and compliance, and assist with procurement.

In this role, you will: 

Operational and programme management:

• Support the Start Funds Operations Advisor in maintaining effective award management processes, in close coordination with SCUK as Grant Custodian to the Start Network
• Support in ensuring that Start Funds' programmes are fully compliant with grants and contracts and managed in-line with relevant SCUK and Start Network policies and practices
• In coordination with the Start Network Assurance team, provide inputs for the implementation of the Start Funds' approach to and management of risk and compliance
• Support the Start Funds Operations Advisor in the management of audits
• Administer serious incident reports (specifically those that are fraud-related) concerning Start Funds
• Play a supporting role in the financial management of the Start Fund programmes, liaising closely with budget holders, the Finance Business Partner and the Start Network finance team
• With support from the Start Funds Operations Advisor, provide operational advice to colleagues in relation to day-to-day tasks as well as when challenges arise
• Support the Start Funds Operations Advisor and relevant colleagues in managing procurement processes, ensuring that relevant policies are upheld. Support with contract management
• Support the maintenance and administration of Start Funds systems and processes
• Support the Start Funds Operations Advisor in the development of effective ways of working with colleagues in other teams (Start Programmes, SCUK and Start Network)
• Support the Start Funds team with the coordination of meetings and events. Assist in the development of annual business plan and work-plans, and associated annual and quarterly reporting to stakeholders with SCUK and Start Network.

About you

To be successful, it is important that you have:

• Proven experience in international development/humanitarian programme operations
• Familiarity with approaches to risk management in international development/humanitarian settings
• Familiarity with financial and budget management
• Excellent computer skills including the use of EXCEL spreadsheet, word processing, presentation and ability to maintain office and management information systems
• Experience in procurement, and the management of service contracts
• Experience in award management
• Experience of working with diverse and globally dispersed teams
• Analytical and creative problem-solving skills
• Able to operate effectively and flexibly within an evolving portfolio of work
• Good interpersonal skills, able to communicate with colleagues in a dispersed and multicultural professional environment
• Strong organisation skills, with a proven ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Ability to work on own initiative with a ‘can do' attitude.

What we offer you:

Working for a charity provides one of the best benefits there is – a sense of purpose and reward for helping others. However, we understand the importance of giving back to our employees to ensure a happy and healthy working environment and work/life balance.

• We focus on flexibility, inclusion, collaboration, health and wellbeing both in and outside of work.
• We provide a wide range of benefits which will reward your hard work, motivate you, and inspire you to work to improve the lives of children every day.

Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

Ways of Working:

The majority of our roles can be performed remotely in the UK, but there are likely to be times when you will be required to come to your contracted office (up to 2-4 days per month or 6-8 days per quarter).  This will be agreed with your Line Manager and team and is intended to be time spent on collaborating with colleagues and relationship building. 

Please note: travel costs to your contracted office will be at your own expense. 

Flexible Working - We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: 

Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be "Free to Be Me". We are not looking for just one type of person - we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think. 

We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences - of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability - help us to see things we might otherwise miss. Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here.