The Opportunity
Reporting to the Asia Regional Director, this role is a key member of the leadership team that will lead on two key areas of work for the Asia Regional Office (ARO):
- Supporting strategic portfolio
- Resource mobilisation through non-traditional sector
Resource Mobilisation and Strategic Portfolio
This role works closely with the Member Growth team, Country Office Program Development & Quality and New Business Development leads, to understand funding needs at a Country level, and works on how Save the Children grows and optimises funding to address these needs.
It will focus on developing a regional funding strategy that looks to align the funding portfolio with Country Strategy Plans and to drive improvements in new business development across all funding streams. This includes embedding the principles of partnership management, award portfolio guidance, strategic use of match and pooled funding in order to maximise the impact of unrestricted income, and working on key initiatives including win/loss analysis and closer alignment between country strategic plans and fundraising. The post holder is responsible for improving new business development in SCI Country Offices and coordinating with member teams to build capacity in this area. It will be the business owner of the Fundraising Protocol at regional level, and will improve the way we work within the protocol and how we apply organisation wide account management rules using the partnership management guidance.
It will play a leading role in ensuring cross-departmental coordination and collaboration with other teams at headquarter, regional and country offices as well as engaging with Save the Children members.
This role will also be responsible for developing a small fundraising team in the region based on the outcome of the market assessment work and regional funding strategy.
It will also ensure alignment with the Member Growth team, and in particular with the Global Fundraising Hub and the institutional partnerships team.
Key Responsibilities
Resource Mobilisation
- Increase quality funding for our programmes in Asia, with a focus on our countries of collective focus and priority thematic areas
- To develop a regional funding strategy that clearly aligns the demand (country strategic plans) with supply (different funding opportunities). This will include working close with Member Growth (private and public fundraising teams) as well as with Country offices and members.
- Lead the creation of a new small regional fundraising unit based in Singapore focusing on capturing the best funding opportunities, aligned with global fundraising priorities as well as member regional fundraising priorities.
- Identify further strategic initiatives to support Save the Children’s business strategy in driving and accelerating sustainable growth for Save the Children within the region, working in alignment with the global Member Growth strategy.
- Helping to seed and build new regional and non-member funding partnerships in support of the agreed funding priorities on behalf of the Region (e.g. Asia Development Bank)
Strategic Portfolio Alignment
- Work to strengthen the link between the country strategic planning process and Member fundraising strategies. This involves reviewing the current processes and tools for strategic planning, pipeline review, gap analysis and subsequent member engagement.
- Develop and maintain a regional list of priority funding gaps agreed with Country Directors and regional leadership to be discussed and managed with funding members (includes managing revamped must-win process)
- Work with other functional leads, especially the Head of Institutional Funding Partnership Management and International Program team in the Centre to clarify roles and responsibilities for new business development within Country Offices, giving clear direction to field teams to enable a high standard of new business development
- Assess models for staffing new business development in Country Offices and Regions, reviewing success stories, return on investment and challenges to develop an agile and sustainable approach to resourcing
- Coordination of new business development related capacity building conducted by member teams to ensure that skills training is conducted in an efficient and impactful way, responding to the capacity building needs at a Country level
- Provide direct support to Countries on specific funding opportunities, including mechanisms for accepting funding, advice on account management, running the ‘must win’ awards process
- The role will work across the program partnerships and funding team to drive improvement in strategic portfolio planning and management across the movement; develop the right member-country office planning and operational processes and tools to achieve high quality award portfolios (in terms of alignment to strategy and profile of awards).
Strategy Management
- Support the Regional Director to achieve development and implementation of regional strategic initiatives (e.g. Asia Springboard).
Requirements:
· A significant level of relevant prior experience working with funding portfolios.
· Demonstrated experience of strategic thinking and ability to see things from a global perspective.
· Expertise in project and change management related to organisational development projects and international, cross-functional teams with a proven history of delivering results.
· Demonstrable experience in complex stakeholder management and leading others across a matrixed environment, ability to influence and gain agreement for ideas and proposals from a variety of stakeholders.
· Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching.
· Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy in.
· Previous experience leading and managing people, providing oversight and empowering staff members.
· Commitment to Save the Children values.
· Ability and willingness to change work practices and hours in the event of major emergencies including travelling at short notice and for extended periods of time.
· Attention to detail and the ability to follow tasks and ideas through to completion.
· A high degree of flexibility and adaptability in order to respond to changing needs.
Desirable
· INGO experience and an excellent grasp of operational issues.
· A detailed understanding on funding mechanisms for development work such as Save the Children’s.