TEAM/PROGRAMME: Senior Management Team, Programme Development & Quality. LOCATION: Freetown with regular travel to operational areas. GRADE: Intl 3. CONTRACT LENGTH: 2 years, possibility for extension. CHILD SAFEGUARDING Level 3: the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently or intensively because they work in country programmes, visit country programmes, or are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process for staff.
ROLE PURPOSE: As a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) in Sierra Leone, the Director of Programme Development and Quality (PDQ) is responsible for driving cross-functional engagement in the development and delivery of Country Strategy Plans (CSPs), developing annual plans and reporting on results. S/he is responsible for ensuring development and delivery of high quality, evidence-based, innovative programmes for children, in all contexts, that contribute to Save the Children's global Breakthroughs: Learn, Survive, Be Protected. The Director of PDQ ensures that a robust monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) system is in place, that the country office engages in the collection and use of evidence and that this is shared across the global organization, and that reliable data is used for decision-making. As a senior leader in the country office s/he plays a representational role with the government, donors, partners, peer agencies, SC Members and others, supports strategic positioning with donors and partners, and leads on project design in line with child rights programming principles. In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and vary working hours accordingly.
SCOPE OF ROLE: Reports to the Country Director, with 7 direct reports. As one of the most senior staff in the Country Office, the post holder must demonstrate agile leadership, work with complexity and multiple tasks, and build strong relationships across Operations, Award Management, Humanitarian, Advocacy and Finance.
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Strategy, Planning and Reporting (15%) - lead the Child Rights Situation Analysis, the Country Strategy Plan aligned to Ambition 2030, the Country Annual Plan and Annual Report. Programme Design & Development (30%) - position for opportunities, engage donors, and lead proposal design with robust MEAL plans, partner engagement, gender-sensitive design and realistic budgets. Programme Quality and Technical Excellence (20%) - ensure high quality multi-sectoral programming in development and humanitarian contexts, monitor KPIs and quality benchmarks, build and lead a team of technical experts, and embed child safeguarding and safe programming. MEAL and Knowledge Management (20%) - oversee monitoring systems, log frames, indicators, evaluations, accountability mechanisms, research and learning systems. Partnership (5%) - identify and strengthen strategic partnerships with local and international civil society, NGOs and governments, providing technical support and capability building. Staff Management, Mentorship and Development (10%) - ensure appropriate staffing, onboarding, workplans, performance management and continuous development of technical, managerial and leadership skills.
CONTRACT: Permanent, full-time.
Closing date: 15 Sep 2026
HOW TO APPLY:
Apply online via the Save the Children careers portal (job ID 17486). Applications close 15 Sep 2026 - 23:59 UTC.
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