Strategy and Transformation Manager
Closing Date: 29 September 2024
Ref 6845
Save the Children UK has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Strategy and Transformation Manager to join our forward thinking DDaT team on a 12 month fixed term contract.
About Us
Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave.We ensure children's unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.
About Digital, Data and Technology at Save the Children UK
We have set out an ambitious vision for Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) at Save the Children.
We see Digital, Data and Technology as the catalysts that will drive our organisational transformation. We want to empower DDaT experts with the agility and customer-centricity to meet the ever-changing needs of their stakeholders, our supporters, and the external context.
We are now working to realise that vision. Our ambitious 3-year strategy sets out to shift us from a traditional IT function with scattered digital and data expertise into a more cohesive user experience-first, product-based approach. As part of a wider organisation change agenda (currently called the Organisation of the Future), we are looking to DDaT to facilitate a lighter process footprint aligned with Agile values, and a digital ready and data enabled workplace.
About the role
As Strategy and Transformation Manager, you will be part of a DDaT Leadership Team who will lead the delivery and evolution of our DDaT 2025-27 strategy, acting as change agents to deliver a fundamental shift in mindset and culture, capabilities, ways of working and drive clear business outcomes across DDaT and in collaboration with wider SCUK.
In this role, you will:
- Lead on the continuous improvement and delivery of our first-draft Digital, Data and Technology strategy, roadmap and operating model, guiding the leadership team to produce clear vision and holding them to account for its implementation.
- Be responsible for the design, delivery and execution of DDaT transformation activities across multiple workstreams.
- Ensure the transformation plan covers engagement and communication, training and development, processes and transition which will maximize adoption and engagement with colleagues and stakeholders.
- Collaborate on organisational strategy development and transformation as well as the Organisation of the Future programme to ensure digital, data and technology act as a strategic enabler for our organisational ambitions.
- Champion and advocate Agile-first ways-of-working and encourage more user-centricity in how we deliver and support a more collaborative iterative approach.
- Partner and collaborate with range of stakeholders and departments to ensure that transformation is well planned, understood, communicated and embedded.
- Deliver the communications strategy and plan, in conjunction with the internal communications team and wider project team, ensuring consistency and collaboration around key communication messages and methods.
- Help define a light-touch governance approach to DDaT portfolio and transformation delivery and be responsible for regular reporting to a key group of senior SCUK stakeholders, and other functions (e.g. Finance, People) within SCUK.
- Identify risks and routes to mitigation throughout the planning, delivery and assessment process and escalate where relevant to the programme team.
About you
Essential requirements:
- You'll bring exceptional communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate messages to a variety of audiences, along with proven experience influencing others in moving toward a common vision or goal.
- Considerable strategy skills including:
- Experience managing and facilitating digital, data and technology strategy development and implementation processes
- Considerable transformation management skills including:
- Experience managing large-scale transformation programmes across people, process and technology change and a solid understanding of the transformation process
- Experience in service design, innovation, agile design and delivery, and transformation best practices, tools and methodologies
- Strong project management skills especially in planning projects, risk management, reporting, holding others to account and managing stakeholders.
- Experience managing communications plans and proven ability to build strong long-term relationships.
- Forward looking with a strategic approach.
- Ability to clearly articulate messages to a variety of audiences, including influencing others and communicating technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
- Adaptable and flexible when working with ambiguity.
- A team player and able to work collaboratively with and through others.
- Able to work effectively at all levels in an organization from Executive leadership to project teams.
- Commitment to Save the Children's vision, mission, values and approach.
What we offer you
Working for a charity provides one of the best benefits there is – a sense of purpose and reward for helping others. However, we understand the importance of giving back to our employees to ensure a happy and healthy working environment and work/life balance.
We focus on flexibility, inclusion, collaboration, health and wellbeing both in and outside of work.
We provide a wide range of benefits which will reward your hard work, motivate you, and inspire you to work to improve the lives of children every day.
Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience.Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.
Ways of Working:
The majority of our roles can be performed remotely in the UK, but there are likely to be times when you will be required to come to your contracted office (up to 2-4 days per month or 6-8 days per quarter). This will be agreed with your Line Manager and team and is intended to be time spent on collaborating with colleagues and relationship building.
Please note: travel costs to your contracted office will be at your own expense.
Flexible Working - We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview.
Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:
Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be "Free to Be Me".We are not looking for just one type of person - we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think.
We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences - of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability - help us to see things we might otherwise miss.Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here.