Sourced directly from Save the Children International's own careers page
Head, Transformation Project
Save the Children International
London, England, United Kingdom["Full time"]
Thinking of applying? Check your CV against this job first.
See your match score, your strongest skills for this role, and what's missing — before you spend time on an application.
Your real match score
Free CareerPilot account · Takes about 2 minutes
Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Head,
Transformation Project to join our global team.
Team Purpose
The Transformation Development team drives Save the Children’s organisational
change agenda by delivering high-impact, global transformation initiatives that
strengthen our ability to achieve more for children. The team works across a
broad and evolving portfolio — spanning systems implementation, process
reengineering, target operating model design, data, and artificial intelligence
— adapting its focus in response to organisational priorities and emerging
needs. Members of the team are assigned to a specific project and are expected
to dedicate their full effort to delivering it. However, as the portfolio
evolves — whether a project concludes, priorities shift, or an urgent need
arises elsewhere — team members may be redeployed to a different initiative.
This flexibility is core to how the team operates, ensuring Save the Children
can direct the right capability to the right priorities at the right time.
Role purpose
The Head, Transformation Project provides senior leadership and accountability
for a complex, global transformation initiative within the Transformation
Development team. The specific project will be allocated upon joining and will
focus on one of two priority areas: the application of Artificial Intelligence
to support and enhance programme delivery across Save the Children, or the
design and implementation of a new technology solution to strengthen programme
delivery capabilities. The role holder is responsible for the full lifecycle of
a major transformation initiative — from inception and feasibility through to
delivery and embedding — ensuring a clear strategy, robust governance, and
measurable outcomes aligned to Save the Children’s mission. They will provide
direct leadership to the project team, drive senior stakeholder engagement up to
and including Board level, and ensure delivery is aligned with organisational
priorities and the broader Transformation Development portfolio. The Head will
also play an active role in shaping the team’s approach, coaching and developing
team members, and ensuring the project is run to the highest standards of
project and change management.
• Job Title: Head, Transformation Project
• Reports To: Director of Transformation Development & Deputy CTO
• Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available
• 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 [https://www.savethechildren.net/careers]
• Required Time Zone: Any
• Contract Length:Permanent
• Right to Work: The successful candidate must have the right to work in the
country where the role is based, for the duration of employment.
• Language Requirements: English
• International Travel: up to 10%
• Number of people managed in total: 3 (minimum); Manager of a team: Yes; Team
Manager (manager of multiple teams): Yes
• Budget Responsibility: ~$1m annually
• Remit: Global
Principal Accountabilities
• Project Leadership: Including direct and indirect management of team members
and accountability to the CTO and TSG on delivery of the Project
• Governance and Senior Stakeholder Engagement: Define, implement and manage
Governance and Engagement with wider Senior leaders, including setup and
management of reference groups (to ensure SME input into design and
delivery), design authorities (to sign off design decisions) and a Management
Review Group (MRG) acting as the ultimate decision makers for the project
• Planning and Reporting: Including ensuing alignment with standard Project and
Change Methodologies and associated Portfolio management requirements
• Budget management: Define and monitor ongoing management of the Budget for
the Project, ensuring compliance with required processes and any issues are
escalated and managed effectively in a timely way
• Future State Definition: Lead the detailed definition of the future operating
model and actions required to achieve the required change, including all
impacts on people (programme participants, partners and staff), processes,
data and technology. Where relevant, ensure AI or technology solutions are
evaluated and embedded in a way that is sustainable, scalable, and aligned to
programme delivery needs
• Dependency management: Working effectively with wider initiatives and
functions to ensure dependencies are understood and actively managed with
clear owners and accountability ensured
• Problem Solving: all projects face challenges along the way and the Project
Lead will need to take a hands on role to identify issues and ensure they are
effectively managed through to resolution and any subsequent impacts are
reported to Governance in a timely way.
Experience and Skills
Essential
1. Considerable experience in the leadership, management and deployment of
large, global, transformation projects within Save the Children or an
additional equivalent scale organisation across both system and non-system
change. Demonstrates direct accountability for issue resolution and capacity
building to empower others in problem-solving
2. Experience leading the setup of large-scale Global Transformation
initiatives including recruitment of key roles, governance setup and
functional alignment
3. Familiarity with industry project (agile and waterfall) and change
management standards including evidence of completing formal training, with
the ability to hold project teams accountable to those standards
4. Demonstrated experience leading engagement with Senior Leaders up to Board
level and partnering with functional leaders across multiple functions
5. Ability to lead the resolution of complex project issues with a balanced
approach of pragmatism and rigour including experience leading others to
deliver the required interventions and managing associated governance
6. Extensive Line Management experience, including leading teams with multi
layered hierarchies. As part of this, demonstrable coaching skills to
develop others' capabilities in project management, change management,
project feasibility, and initiation.
7. Proven ability to operate successfully within a matrix organisation
structure, overseeing resource without direct line management accountability
and being experienced working across multiple different functional areas
8. Operational expertise working with digital technologies in a transformation
context, including familiarity with the application of Artificial
Intelligence to support programme delivery and/or the design and
implementation of technology solutions to strengthen organisational and
programme delivery capability
Desirable
• Non-profit sector knowledge/experience
• Proficiency in a second core language of Save the Children (French, Spanish,
Portuguese or Arabic
Education and Qualifications
Essential
• Educated to degree level of equivalent work experience
• External Project and/or Change Management accreditation
Working at Save the Children International
Save the Children [https://www.savethechildren.net/] 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 at SCI Careers
[http://www.savethechildren.net/careers/apply]. 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 recruitment process.