Save the Children seeks a Deputy Project Director (Technical) for the anticipated $10 million U.S. Department of State-funded Child Protection Compact (CPC) Partnership Program in Romania. The purpose of the CPC is to strengthen Romanian government and civil society efforts to prevent child trafficking in Romania; effectively investigate, prosecute, and convict perpetrators of child trafficking; proactively identify, protect, and provide comprehensive, trauma-informed care for child victims; and promote effective collaboration to combat child trafficking.
The Deputy Project Director (DPD) will support the Project Director to lead technical design and implementation of a high-quality project focused on combating forced child labor and child sex trafficking in a coordinated, victim-centered, and proactive manner that addresses targeted risk factors, ensures comprehensive victim protection, and effectively investigates, prosecutes, and convicts child traffickers. The DPD will work in close collaboration with the Project Director and a team of Save the Children staff. The DPD will lead project staff and consortium partners, and work closely with the Government of Romania.
Hiring is contingent upon successful award of the project and USAID approval of the candidate.
Romanian nationals are encouraged to apply.
What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties):
- Provide subject matter expertise and technical leadership, ensuring high-quality interventions and coordination between project partners.
- Develop and maintain excellent relationships between consortium partners, civil society, the international community, and government agencies and networks working on child protection.
- Work closely with the Government of Romania to ensure strong, integrated programing, support broader anti-trafficking strategies, and mitigate duplicative efforts.
- Contribute to the development, review, and revision of the project strategy.
- Engage closely with other Child Protection programs to ensure cohesion and integration to facilitate close and complementary and coordinated working relationships.
- Contribute to producing high-quality narrative and financial reports, annual plans, and other donor reporting requirements.
- Monitor programmatic, financial, and administrative performance, ensuring compliance with standard project administrative and financial procedures.
- Ensure that consortium partners receive adequate support and that project plans are achieved.
- Monitor compliance with U.S. Federal Awardee controls and Department of State rules and regulations.
- Ensure that all project activities are aligned and implemented according to Save the Children guidelines.
- Recruit, hire, and manage project staff, consortium partners, and/or sub-partners, as proposed.
- Establish and maintain a culture of teamwork, inclusion, participation, and accountability for Save the Children project excellence.
- Implement effective, agile management systems and mechanisms for cross-department coordination and collaboration.
- Ensure smooth and effective internal and external communications and coordination of project activities.
- Produce high-quality communication materials including websites, bulletins, social media, fact sheets, and brochures including photos and videos.
- Establish and maintain excellent working relationships with host government authorities, donors, and partner agencies including major institutional donors and local and international NGOs.
- Serve in the Project Director’s absence as needed. Represent Save the Children in protection committees, anti-trafficking working groups, and other relevant national networks.
Required Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in international development, public policy, social work/sciences, or related field.
- Minimum of five years in a technical or management position (Deputy Team Leader, Technical Director, Deputy Chief of Party) on projects of similar complexity and size.
- Experience managing relevant U.S. Government-funded projects and activities (USAID, Department of State, Department of Labor).
- Technical expertise in counter-trafficking in persons, child protection programming, rule of law, advocacy, and human trafficking. Practical knowledge of current thematic issues regarding child protection in developing countries.
- Excellent management, communication, and negotiation skills, demonstrating the ability to lead and build consensus, cooperation, and coalitions among individuals, civil society groups, private sector, and government officials.
- Proven experience developing effective working relationships with government ministries, international organizations, donors, academics, and community based and grass roots organizations.
- Sound fiscal management experience, including budgeting and reporting.
- Experience working in Romania or Central or Easter Europe strongly preferred.
- Experience with gender equality and/or social inclusion preferred.
- Commitment to Save the Children’s Child Safeguarding, other global policies, and to Save the Children values.
- Fluent English and Romanian required.
Why you should join the Save the Children Team…
Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more.
Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in YOU!
About Save the Children
No matter your role when you join Save the Children, each and every day you will challenge yourself to devote your skills, talent and expertise to changing the world for kids. It’s an ambitious goal, and a meaningful one no matter how you see yourself professionally: an accountant, a writer, a data analyst, a teacher, a driver, a designer, or any one of the hundreds of dozens of roles we’re looking to fill every day.
You see, Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.
Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.
We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.
Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children’s policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.
Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.