Program Leader – Civil Society Strengthening for Children’s Rights Program - LIMA at SCI MENAEE

THE OPPORTUNITY 

The Program Leader is responsible for directing the comprehensive implementation of the Civil Society Strengthening for Children’s Rights Program (2025–2029), ensuring high-quality results, sustainability, and accountability. The role focuses on strengthening civil society organizations’ capacity to monitor children’s rights, generate evidence, and influence public policies, laws, budgets, and services, ensuring that the voices of children and adolescents are meaningfully included in decision-making processes.  

The position also plays a pivotal role in positioning Save the Children Peru as a reference in equitable partnerships and localization, consolidating the Country Office as a frontrunner in implementing collaboration models that prioritize mutual accountability, fair power distribution, and locally-led leadership.  

As the designated Localization & Equitable Partnerships Champion, the Program Leader facilitates the adoption of the Equitable Partnerships Framework, ensuring that Peru models and leads the transition towards inclusive, sustainable organizational practices based on trust, capacity transfer, and recognition of the added value of local organizations. The post holder also serves as a bridge between national and global levels, generating two-way learning and sharing experiences that inform the rollout of localization and equitable partnership tools in other Country Offices.  

In emergency contexts, the post holder is expected to demonstrate flexibility and adapt to organizational needs, supporting priority response actions when required. 

Some points you have to consider: 

• Work modality: Hybrid. 

• Work location: San Isidro. 

Qualifications and Knowledge: 

Essential  

• Professional education or academic background in Social Sciences, Political Science, International Relations, Human Rights, Development Studies, or other relevant fields.  

• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and analytical tools.  

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in Spanish; advanced English proficiency (bilingual desirable).  

Desirable  

• Postgraduate studies in Human Rights, Democratic Governance, Gender Equality, Climate Justice, or Civil Society Strengthening.  

• Knowledge of national and international frameworks on civil society, child participation, and international cooperation. 

Experience and Skills: 

Essential 

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in development, human rights, or civil society strengthening programs, preferably with NGOs or international cooperation agencies. 

• Demonstrated experience in advocacy and child rights monitoring, with emphasis on child protection, gender, or climate justice. 

• Advanced time management and organizational skills; able to manage multiple priorities in dynamic environments. 

• Proven ability to take initiative, set priorities, and lead processes independently and within teams. 

• Strong interpersonal skills: inclusive, consensus-builder, and bridge-builder, with the ability to develop trust-based relationships. 

• Demonstrated ability to work in fast-paced environments, delivering high-quality results under pressure. 

• Positive leadership that motivates partners, colleagues, and children to engage in advocacy and monitoring agendas.  

Desirable 

• Experience or interest in civic space, organizational development, environment and climate change, gender, and non-discrimination. 

• Experience participating in international or multilateral fora related to civil society, democracy, or children’s rights. 

• Skills in managing cultural change and institutional strengthening processes. 

Key areas of accountability:  

1. Program Implementation Leadership 

• Direct overall program delivery, ensuring alignment with the theory of change and institutional objectives. 

• Guarantee that civil society strengthens its capacity to monitor commitments, generate evidence, and effectively advocate in policies, laws, budgets, and services impacting children’s lives. 

• Mainstream gender, climate justice, and child participation throughout all programmatic actions. 

2. Capacity Strengthening of Civil Society and Local Partners 

• Drive processes of localization, institutional sustainability, and autonomous leadership of partners. 

• Ensure meaningful, safe, and influential participation of children and adolescents in advocacy and monitoring of rights. 

• Facilitate collaboration and networking spaces among organizations to enhance collective impact. 

3. Program Quality, Compliance and Accountability 

• Oversee technical, financial, and administrative management of the program and partners, ensuring compliance with Save the Children and donor standards. 

• Ensure that monitoring processes generate robust, verifiable evidence translated into policy proposals and effective accountability mechanisms. 

• Identify risks and lead corrective and preventive measures to strengthen program sustainability. 

4. Representation and Strategic Positioning 

• Represent Save the Children in advocacy, children’s rights monitoring, gender equality, climate justice, and civil society strengthening spaces nationally and internationally. 

• Position the program as a regional reference in innovative, evidence-based methodologies for advocacy and monitoring of children’s rights. 

• Develop strategic alliances with government, civil society, donors, and multilateral organizations to expand the program’s reach and legitimacy. 

5.  Localization & Equitable Partnerships Champion 

• Lead the implementation of the Equitable Partnerships Framework within Save the Children’s Country Office in Peru, ensuring that partner relationships are built on trust, transparency, mutual accountability, and equity. 

• Document and systematize lessons learned, sharing them regionally and globally, positioning Peru as a Champion Country in the localization and equitable partnerships agenda across the Save the Children movement. 

• Actively participate in global working groups on Localization and Equitable Partnerships, contributing to the development, piloting, and feedback of institutional frameworks and tools across the movement. 

• Drive organizational cultural change towards practices that recognize, strengthen, and transfer power to local leadership as the foundation of sustainability. 

6. Team Leadership and Institutional Coordination 

• Lead a multidisciplinary team, fostering diversity, inclusion, collaboration, and technical excellence. 

• Establish inter-functional synergies across Programs, Partnerships, MEAL, Communications, and Finance for coherent implementation. 

• Ensure the program’s advocacy and child rights monitoring agenda is aligned with Save the Children in Peru’s country strategy and global frameworks. 

Save the Children tiene como responsabilidad individual y colectiva asegurar que todos los niños, niñas y adultos estén protegidos de actos deliberados o no intencionales que conducen a riesgos o a daños reales, con especial atención en aquellos que forman parte de nuestras intervenciones. Por ello, la organización cuenta con Políticas de Salvaguarda, un Código de Conducta y herramientas de programación segura para prevenir riesgos y cualquier daño que pueda ser causado a los beneficiarios de nuestros programas por parte de personal propio, representantes, consultores, socios, voluntarios, contratistas o visitantes.