Job Description

TITLE:  Technology for Development (T4D) Specialist

TEAM/PROGRAMME: IT

LOCATION: Mogadishu/Hargeisa/Garowe

GRADE:    2

Post Type: National

CONTRACT LENGTH: one year (renewable)

CHILD SAFEGUARDING:

Level 3:  the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting the country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ROLE PURPOSE:

As part of Save the Children’s global 2020-2024 strategic plan, the Somalia Country office has identified digital transformation as a critical issue for programming success and to achieve impact for children.  Digital transformation in our programmes is one of nine priorities and Somalia country office is becoming a centre of expertise within the organisation. As part of this priority, Save the Children contracted Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to develop a digital transformation toolkit and roadmap to implementation across the region over the next four years.

BCG has completed the toolkit, handed it over to the regional office, and roll-out, adoption and expansion of digital programming is underway. The purpose of this position is to provide the capacity bridging to use the toolkit, adopt digital solutions and document lessons learned.

This role will co-ordinate the delivery of the toolkit and implementation plan, alongside the Head of the IT and Digital Transformation. 

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Head of IT and Digital Transformation and PDQi Director  

Staff reporting to this post:  None

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

As the T4D Specialist you will work with the program and operation teams to:

• Provide expert T4D guidance: Lead the Country Office in identifying, selecting, designing, deploying, and sustaining impactful T4D interventions that address program bottlenecks and drive results.
• Ensure successful tech implementation: Lead the implementation of digital technologies, providing technical oversight, troubleshooting, and meticulous documentation of challenges and their resolutions.
• Align tech with program needs: Coordinate with business and program stakeholders to define requirements, ensuring T4D solutions are designed, developed, and deployed in alignment with Save the Children's Digital Toolkits.
• Embed T4D in program planning: Integrate digital development and innovation into the entire program lifecycle, participating in planning to ensure T4D is prioritized, and its functional accountabilities are met.
• Drive Country Office tech strategy: Guide the implementation of the technology and digital innovation strategy, highlighting T4D gaps, opportunities, and a scale-up strategy aligned with Country Office priorities.
• Foster strategic tech collaboration: Partner with thematic area leads and Technical Specialists to co-create strategies that leverage technology and innovation to enhance the country program's impact.
• Champion quality assurance: Oversee quality throughout T4D planning and deployment. Contribute to establishing and upholding standards, documentation, and support mechanisms for T4D.
• Cultivate strategic partnerships: Build and nurture relationships with local solution providers, innovators, NGOs, private sector entities, ICT authorities, and academia to foster a space for testing innovations and building local capacity.
• Secure resources for T4D: Identify and pursue resource mobilization and new partnership opportunities, including proposal and donor development.
• Strengthen government collaboration: Establish and maintain effective partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders, actively sharing knowledge, skills, and tools to enable technology-enabled programming.
• Share T4D insights: Capture and disseminate lessons learned from T4D initiatives, contributing to broader knowledge development, advocacy, and communication efforts.
• Ensure robust M&E: Collaborate with the MEAL team to design and implement comprehensive monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for innovation and T4D projects, encompassing baseline data, ongoing monitoring, and initial data collection and analysis.
• Guide program innovation: Assist program sections in identifying and evaluating new or expanded T4D initiatives with the potential to rapidly enhance programming effectiveness.
• Empower staff with tech skills: Build staff capacity in the effective use of frontier technologies and innovations such as UAVs, Generative AI, wearables, IoT, mobile money, and blockchain. Stay abreast of the latest trends and developments.
• Prioritize user-centric design: Employ human-centered design methodologies (e.g., design thinking) to support user-acceptance testing, evaluation, documentation, and analysis.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, and achieving and role modeling Save the Children values.
• holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance, and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Set ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, take responsibility for their personal development, and encourage their team to do the same.
• widely shares their vision for Save the Children and engages and motivates others.
• Future-orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Build and maintain effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members external partners, and supporters.
• values diversity and sees it as a source of competitive strength.
• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develop and encourage new and innovative solutions.
• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates the highest levels of integrity.

Experiences and Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS 

• An advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) is required in Digital Transformation, Business Analysis, ICT Management, Computer Science, Innovation, Digital Development, International Development or another relevant technical field.
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in a relevant field combined with 7 years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• Experience identifying, designing and implementing solutions for large-scale projects with technical components – including supervising external vendors and software developers; responsibility for business analysis, budgets, contracts, project management and procurement, etc.

• Experience with Comcare, PowerBI, KOBO, ODK, RapidPro, Primero, DHIS2, and other global public good technologies, and deploying, maintaining, and scaling these technologies

• Experience with ICT, mobile and web-based technologies, particularly designing or deploying tools appropriate to the region
• Exposure to UN or other INGO programmatic areas, including health, nutrition, child protection and/or education.
• Experience in applying technical solutions to address programmatic issues
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.

 Desirable

• Experience in open source, mobile, and emerging technology applied to Save the Children programme areas
• Experience working in T4D/ICT4D program design, service design, and field deployment/implementation in developing countries.
• Software programming experience, with a focus on writing new code to deliver enhancements, new functionality, and defect resolution as well as proficiency with source code and continuous integration solutions (such as GitHub, Circle/Travis, Jenkins, etc.)
• presentation skills to fulfil the diverse technical and managerial requirements of the project description.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English (professional level proficiency) and Somali language is mandatory. 
• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children International’s aims, values and principles.
• Ability to write clear and well-argued assessment and project reports. A high level of written and spoken English.

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Adult Safeguarding.

The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy, all employees are also expected to carry out their duties in accordance with SCI protection from sexual exploitation abuse.

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At SCI, we uphold the principle of equal rights and opportunities for all our employees. In our commitment to fostering a more inclusive workplace and addressing gender gaps, we have implemented additional efforts aimed at supporting female qualified candidates: -

• Maternity leave (6 months)
• Annual Leave 30 working days
• 10% *gross salary. (female allowance)
• 1.5 flexible working hours for lactating mothers

Skills Required

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