Title: Head of Climate & Child Poverty Reduction open to Somali nationals only

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Head of Climate and Child Poverty Reduction will play a pivotal role in shaping and advancing Save the Children International’s strategic ambitions in Somalia. This position sets the direction, growth, and coordination of our work on Climate and Child Poverty, encompassing a diverse portfolio that includes cash transfer programming, social protection and shock-responsive safety nets, economic resilience, disaster risk reduction (DRR), anticipatory action, climate change adaptation and resilience, food security and livelihoods, and youth economic empowerment including TVET.

Aligned with our Country Strategy (2025-2027) and Global Strategy, this role reflects our commitment to sustainability, and context-driven programming. The Head of Climate and Child Poverty Reduction will lead the development and delivery of high-quality, cost-effective programs in both humanitarian and long-term development settings—resulting in immediate and lasting change for children.

In collaboration with the Research and Evaluations team, the Head of Climate Child Poverty Reduction will provide technical leadership in climate and child poverty-focused studies and drive the documentation and dissemination of innovations and good practices to inform project design, implementation, and policy advocacy, in line with the Country Office’s Evidence & Learning Agenda.

The role also involves strategic networking and partnership building with government ministries, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and donors. A key responsibility will be to mobilize resources and expand donor relations to support the sector’s strategic growth and impact.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to:

Senior Director of Programme Quality and Impact

Staff directly reporting to this post: 2

Technical Specialists (1 on Youth Economic Empowerment and 1 on Social Protection)

Budget Responsibilities:

None

Primary Technical area:

Head of Climate & Child Poverty

Secondary Technical area:

Food Security & Livelihoods/Economic Resilience, Anticipatory Action/DRR, Child Sensitive Social Protection/Shock Responsive Safety Nets, Youth Economic Empowerment

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

QUALIFICATIONS

Master’s degree in social sciences; economics; natural resource management or a related field.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

•  8 years’ experience in developing, overseeing and delivering high quality and cost-effective poverty reduction programmes (experience in social protection or youth economic empowerment or climate change/economic resilience preferable)
•  Experience in strategic planning, including an ability to prioritize among competing demands and opportunities, and an ability to scan the horizon and manage risks
•  Experience working in Somalia or similar fragile/conflict/humanitarian contexts is desirable
•  Experience of working with local/national governments and capacity building of systems, partners and staff
•  Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner, and experience of being a strategic influencer with relevant stakeholders, building personal networks at senior levels, resulting in securing significant new opportunities for the organization
•  Experience of building, leading and developing staff in a matrix management and remote management environment
•  Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
•  Strong results delivery with the ability to solve complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy-in
•  Ability and willingness to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming surge teams, in the event of emergencies
•  Fluency in English, both verbal and written, required
•  Commitment to Save the Children values.

Application Information:

Please apply in English saving your cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document.

For more information about Save the Children in Somalia and to see a full a job description, visit our website at SCI Career Site Careers (oraclecloud.com)

Save the Children is an equal opportunity employer, and our working environment is inclusive and accessible.

We need to keep children safe, so our selection process includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse. Employment is subject to our Child protection standards including background checks and adherence to our Child Safeguarding Policy

Application will be closed on 20th December 2025

We need to keep children safe, so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse. Employment is subject to our Child protection standards including background checks and adherence to our Child Safeguarding Policy

Trócaire is an International NGO. We work with local partners in the world’s most at-risk communities and with people in Ireland to tackle the underlying causes of poverty and injustice and respond to the crises they create. Together we bring about positive and lasting change for a just world. Trócaire works in up to 20 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. We work towards five goals:

• Defend Human Rights and Promote Access to Justice;

• Achieve Climate & Environmental Justice;

• Ensure Women & Girls’ Protection, Voice & Influence;

• Save Lives and Protect Human Dignity and

• Mobilise the Public on the island of Ireland to achieve Global Justice.

Our work is rooted in our values of Solidarity, Courage, Participation, Perseverance and Accountability.

This is an exciting opportunity to work with a large Trócaire Somalia team to lead and develop a diverse portfolio of humanitarian and nexus programming in Gedo, Somalia. The right candidate will be a leader in the team, joining the Senior Management Team (SMT) and taking on responsibility for the delivery of our current Humanitarian and Resilience programming and pushing the direction of new programming. The Humanitarian Programme Manager is critical to ensuring coherence and consistency in our programming and in our different approaches to partnership across this diverse portfolio. S/he is the key technical contact for major donors of the humanitarian portfolio, including BHA, Irish Aid, ECHO, and SHF.

For the candidate with the required experience and passion for the role, Trócaire offers a competitive package of salary and benefits.

The Somalia Country Office supports the implementation of the Somalia country programme, which currently focuses on humanitarian response, health and nutrition programming, gender-based violence, education and protection. Considering the strong geographic focus of Trócaire’s work in Gedo, Jubaland State, the Senior Management Team was relocated to Gedo in 2021. We work with a hybrid model of direct implementation with District Health Boards as well as working with a growing number of new partners in Gedo. Our key relationship and engagement with District Health Boards (DHBs) and community elders has ensured that programming has continued unabated for thirty years.

The role will report to the Deputy Country Director and will manage a team of 14 staff.

Key responsibilities:

Programme Development and Management:

• Manage and deepen the current portfolio of thematic programmes on humanitarian response, protection, and resilience programming that responds to the local context, and contributes to a clear strategic country vision and theory of change in line with Trócaire’s Strategic Plan 2021-2025 and the Somalia Country Strategic Plan.
• Ensure that Trócaire in Somalia has a clearly identified niche and that our added value contributes to our partners’ work.
• Ensure the community elders and leaders participate in and are aware of all initiatives related to programme design and implementation.
• Work in close co-ordination with the Deputy Country Director to ensure strategic coherence across programmes, MEAL, business development and partner capacity strengthening.
• Ensure that different thematic areas of work are mutually reinforcing and contribute collectively to the achievement of country-level outcomes in view of an integrated programming approach and to ensure strong linkages between our humanitarian work, resilience work and our large health and nutrition programme.
• Ensure safeguarding and accountability are considered in programming.
• Ensure that all our programmes promote policy and advocacy work, research and innovation.
• Ensure that all programmes effectively mainstream gender and protection throughout the programme cycle.
• Ensure there is constant and open communication between the country programme team and head office, in particular the Humanitarian team and Programme Impact and Learning Unit. This should facilitate joined up thinking and learning that can contribute towards organisational goals and priorities.
• Identify learning priorities within each programme and facilitate the sharing of this learning with partners, across programmes, and externally as appropriate.
• Ensure regular communication with the Business Development and Grants Manager (BDGM) in country and the Global Programmes and Funding Unit in HQ to identify new funding opportunities and guarantee all programmes meet the requirements of back donors and that relevant support is given to Programme Co-ordinators and Officers as needed to meet these requirements.

Specific to Programme Design:

• Provide technical leadership to the programme staff to ensure that the programmes are designed, implemented, monitored and evaluated within the Trócaire Programme Management and Accountability Framework (PMAG).
• Provide the necessary support to the country team to undertake analysis (contextual/poverty/ power etc.) that informs appropriate programme strategies, location and target population.
• Ensure that team members have access to technical support required to carry out programme baselines and evaluations. This includes supporting the process of identifying appropriate consultants and other technical support, where necessary, and providing guidance to the MEAL team.
• Ensure that HQ-based Programme Teams are aware of and engaged in the programme design process in order to create synergies across country programmes and that technical advice from the Programme Teams is taken account of.

Specific to Programme Implementation and Monitoring:

• Ensure that all programmes are being implemented within a clear engendered monitoring and evaluation framework that includes regular monitoring by the team, supported by technical advice from the MEAL Coordinator.
• Through a regular programme review process with Co-ordinators and/or Officers, ensure that programmes are on track and challenges are dealt with.
• Assist programme staff to deliver high quality Annual Programme Reviews and donor reports that provide clear evidence of progress (or lack of) on an annual basis and that can be used for programme management, and ongoing learning and adaptation, as well as to highlight case studies for communication and advocacy.

Specific to Programme Evaluation:

• Ensure that all programmes are evaluated according to Trócaire’s evaluation policy and that learning from evaluations is incorporated into new programme design.
• Support the Deputy Country Director in establishing evaluation methodologies that foster internalisation of learning, and where possible promote elements of peer review and evaluation including with Partners.
• Together with Programme staff, identify and encourage participation at relevant thematic working groups, cluster groups, networks and learning forums at regional, national (and possibly international) level in order to improve programme and advocacy impact.

Human Resource Management

• Implement an effective performance management system in line with organisational policy.
• Support, mentor and coach the team members as part of their professional development and to help them to be highly effective in their work.
• Ensure close coordination of finance staff with the Finance and Administration Manager and Business Development and Grants Manager on all aspects of financial management and grants management.
• Establish a team approach to programming and partner capacity buildng, ensuring that programme staff work together to share learning and to exchange skills.
• Ensure regular team meetings for information exchange and strategic discussions as well as to facilitate rolling out of organisational programme processes and policies within the country team.
• Ensure that all programme staff complete an induction process that equips them to confidently and effectively deliver on their role.

Financial and Admin Management

• As a member of the country senior management team, support the Country Director and Head of Finance to develop annual country budgets and participate in regular budget reviews.
• Organise and maintain quarterly team meetings together with the finance and programme staff to have oversight of programme budgets and to review and monitor expenditure in close coordination with the Finance/Admin Manager and the Business and Grants Development Manager
• Ensure regular visits by finance or programme staff to all programme partners to review systems and financial management and to provide support to partners in line with Trócaire’s Partner Governance and Finance Policy.
• Ensure that all programme financial reports are produced in a timely manner and to a high standard.
• Jointly with the BDGM ensure that finance/programme staff are familiar with internal, and where relevant external (e.g. back donor), financial management guidelines and policies, including fraud policies, and that these are adhered to.
• Support the CD, DCD and BDCM in identifying possible funding opportunities in-country.

Partner Relationships and Support

• Ensure that the Partnership Policy guides Trócaire’s engagement with partners in Somalia and that Programme staff are familiar with and implement the policy.
• Support the Partnership and Resilience Co-ordinator to develop a Partner Capacity Building Programme with and for all partners in Somalia. This should be developed using the Trócaire Partner Capacity Building Framework and should have a corresponding monitoring and review element for each partner.
• Provide the necessary support to Programme Staff to ensure that all necessary capacity assessments are carried out and analysed prior to entering into any new partnerships.
• Provide leadership in the engagement with District Health Boards and other elders that ensures community ownership of Trocaire’s Programme and adequate access for all Trocaire’s programme work in Gedo.

Policy, Advocacy and Communications

• Support the CD and the Programmes teams to pro-actively drive an evidence-based advocacy agenda, informed by a contextually relevant power and stakeholder analysis, as well as a thorough risk analysis regarding sensitive messaging.
• Support programme staff to embed advocacy within programme strategies, and oversee country level advocacy initiatives led by Trócaire which complements desired outcomes of programme strategies.
• Support the team to ensure Trócaire communications channels (online, offline) are being used to promote/highlight Trócaire Somalia’s work.
• Support the CD and Programme staff to respond to organisational needs for materials, or to host visits, related to organisational campaigns, fundraising and communications.

Risk Management

• Take responsibility for Risk Management at a programme level, ensuring that Programme Coordinators have the capacity to analyse and respond to risk at project and programme levels and that programme level risks are captured and managed as part of a country risk management strategy.
• As part of the SMT, support risk and security management.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

• Represent Trócaire at relevant external fora.
• Fulfil other reasonable duties and responsibilities, as requested by the Deputy Country Director, including deputising for the DCD when necessary or appropriate.

Essential Requirements

Qualifications:

• Third level qualification in Development, Humanitarian, or related field of study.
• Masters, or other post-graduate qualification in a relevant area, or significant humanitarian experience beyond that outlined below.

Experience:

• Minimum of three years experience in a similar senior management role.
  • Excellent leadership skills. Provides a clear sense of direction and purpose for the team.

Skills:

• Proactively deals with and addresses conflict and disagreement to achieve a satisfactory resolution.
• Ability to motivate staff to align behind a shared vision and objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and to develop and implement a clear programme strategy aligned to the country and organisational strategy.
• Ability to present information and decisions related to Trócaire’s work and performance in a transparent and effective manner.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a multicultural team, and to implement performance management effectively.
• Ability to coach and help others develop in their professional lives.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills and demonstrated ability in using these with internal stakeholders (Trócaire staff in different locations) and external stakeholders (District Health Boards, Local Authorities, State/Federal Ministry officials etc.).
• Command of spoken Somali is essential.
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets and financial systems on a significant scale, in development and humanitarian contexts.

Safeguarding Programme Participants-Children & Adults

Trócaire is committed to safeguarding people within our programmes from exploitation and abuse and has specific policies on this commitment (including a Global Code of Conduct) which outlines the expected behaviour and the responsibility of all staff, consultants, and other organisational representatives. More information on Trócaire’s safeguarding policies available here.

Diversity and inclusion:

We welcome diverse applicants to join our inclusive workforce.

Trócaire is an equal opportunities employer. We are an organisation that embraces diversity and inclusion. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds to bring their experiences and perspectives to Trócaire.

Diversity and Inclusion statement available here