Senior Advisor, Climate and Anticipatory Action at Save the Children

Principal Accountabilities

• Provide specialized technical guidance and advice to Country Office teams, ensuring high standards in programme implementation, with a focus on specialized support in Climate and Anticipatory Action. Technical support for the current position will likely be particularly focused for East and Southern Africa.
• Conduct regular reviews and analyses of Climate and Anticipatory Action awards to ensure compliance with donor requirements and organisational policies, identifying areas for improvement.
• Apply specialised Climate and Anticipatory Action technical and donor knowledge to support the development and implementation of high-quality proposals and strategic plans in collaboration with country teams, ensuring alignment with Save the Children's mission and values.
• Oversee the design and quality assurance of capacity building and training initiatives for national and local partners to ensure sustainable and effective Climate and Anticipatory Action interventions
• Lead on the strategic development and coordination of partnership strategies with global and regional climate and forecasting institutions as well as supporting engagement local actors, local authorities and peer agencies to advance Climate and Anticipatory Action work 
• Play a leadership role in external and internal working groups to continually learn and adapt best practices in Climate and Anticipatory Action and institutionalize key learning. 
• Supporting and mentoring colleagues in the application of best practice, to aid the development of Climate and Anticipatory action processes, tools and guidance. 
• Ensuring internal systems are in place to support and learn from country office colleagues implementing Climate and Anticipatory Action programs
• Manage global and multi-country projects and initiatives to strengthen Climate and Anticipatory Action, including supporting coordination of SCI engagement with World Meteorological Organisation. 
• Deploy to priority countries as needed for emergency response and provide in-person technical support and guidance (up to 40%).
• Promote a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion within all programmes, ensuring all interventions are accessible and effective for all community members, regardless of background or identity.

 Experience and Skills
Essential

Technical Expertise: 

• Deep understanding of sector specific principles and practices related to climate adaptation, resilience-building and anticipatory action. This should include experience in designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs and interventions. 
• Demonstrated commitment to ongoing professional development and staying updated with the latest trends and best practices in relevant sectors.

Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: 

• Strong ability to analyse complex data, review programme performance metrics and translate findings into actionable improvements. For example, experience in reviewing available forecast and climate-related information to consider how this can be applicable to different thematic and geographic areas of focus.

Capacity Building and Mentoring: 

• Considerable experience in building capacity, delivering training, and mentoring staff and local partners on sector specific practices and broader technical approaches. For example, experience in developing and facilitating training related to climate resilience, use of weather and climate information and anticipatory action. 

Proposal and Strategic Plan Development: 

• Proven experience in developing high-quality proposals and strategic plans. A track record of writing successful proposals for donor-funded projects is essential.

Compliance and Quality Assurance: 

• Proficient experience in reviewing and assuring compliance of awards with donor requirements and organisational policies. Demonstrated ability to identify and implement areas of improvement.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills: 

• High proficiency in communication, including experience in negotiation, influencing, and coaching. Must demonstrate the ability to build and maintain effective relationships with diverse teams and stakeholders. Proficient in communicating key climate and forecasting concepts and information in accessible ways to colleagues and partners. 

Ability to Operate in High-Pressure Environments:

• Ability to travel and work independently, occasionally in challenging environments and with short notice (up to 40%).
• and occasionally work in challenging environments, potentially on short notice.

Desirable

• Experience in providing climate and anticipatory action technical support to East and Southern Africa is particularly welcomed for the focus of the current position.

Education and Qualifications 
Essential

• A post-graduate degree in degree or equivalent in Environmental Science, Climate Change, Development Studies or a related field is essential. Consideration for a combination of relevant academic qualifications and substantial work experience is also possible.

Desirable

• Professional training or certification of Project Management, Climate-related programming or related areas would be beneficial.  Desirable
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