UN Lead - New York / Geneva (P4)

Save the Children

For over 100 years, Save the Children has been fighting for the rights of children. The right to a healthy start in life. To have access to education. To be in a safe environment, protected from harm. We work in some of the world's hardest-to-reach places - over 100 countries, including the U.S. No matter what your role is, when you join Save the Children, you're creating positive, irreversible change for children, and the future we all share.

The Role

The UN Lead will play a key role in driving Save the Children's advocacy across both the humanitarian and child rights agendas at the United Nations. The postholder will ensure that Save the Children's cross-thematic priorities are reflected in relevant international human rights and humanitarian mechanisms, global processes, and UN fora. They will represent and influence the UN system, Permanent Missions, and other key stakeholders to advance children's rights in both development and crisis contexts, ensuring that the specific needs and rights of children are protected before, during, and after emergencies. The Senior Lead will contribute to shaping Save the Children's global child rights and humanitarian agendas, while enabling strong local-to-global linkages in our advocacy work.

Location

Hybrid - New York Advocacy Office

What You'll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

• Develop and implement integrated UN advocacy strategies covering humanitarian and child rights agendas to influence key UN events and multilateral processes.
• Directly undertake or remotely support a range of engagements to inform and persuade key stakeholders of the value of Save the Children's asks and policy recommendations.
• Develop and cultivate strategic relationships with key stakeholders in Permanent Missions of Member States, UN Agencies, the NGO sector, civil society and think tanks, in coordination with colleagues across the team.
• Lead, represent, or support external advocacy coordination, forums, meetings or opportunities with other key stakeholders and allies, including NGO & CSO networks linked to the UN.
• Liaise closely with staff in the Global, Member and Country-facing teams to integrate and coordinate key global advocacy opportunities and processes, ensuring strong local-to-global linkages.
• Maintain a strategic overview of issues impacting children's rights in humanitarian and development contexts, monitoring trends in the external environment to inform priorities.
• Develop and implement influencing strategies for policy and practice change in relevant UN processes, ensuring alignment with Save the Children's global priorities.
• Monitor and document the outcomes of advocacy initiatives to support continuous improvement and share learning across the movement.
• Produce or manage the production of briefing papers and presentations for internal and external audiences, in line with the joint UN advocacy strategy and wider Global Strategy.
• Support the engagement of the SCI CEO, UN representatives and other senior leaders in global influencing spaces, including planning meetings, priority events, and publication launches to promote Save the Children's organizational priorities and key messages with UN policymakers and decision makers.
• Ensure that voices of children are integral to the advocacy work of Save the Children

Required qualifications for the role

• Minimum of a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, plus at least 7 years of relevant experience
• Significant experience in humanitarian and/or child rights advocacy and policy work either within an NGO, UN agency, donor or policy think tank.
• A good understanding of key and current humanitarian and child rights processes
• In-depth knowledge of humanitarian principles and standards, and of UN human rights/child rights procedures.
• Demonstrable experience of contributing to inter-agency processes/coordinating different agencies in joint processes.
• Experience in leading the creation and implementation of influencing strategies, demonstrating the ability to identify the necessary steps towards an ambitious goal
• A proven ability to network and build relationships with external partners that will add new value
• Excellent writing skills and the ability to translate complex material and data into coherent narratives that resonate with policy makers and peers.
• Professional fluency in English (both written and verbal)
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing and negotiation
• A collaborative and solutions orientated approach, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organize a substantial workload comprised of complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
• A commitment to the mission, vision and values of Save the Children
• Considerable demonstrated experience in progressively responsible positions in advocacy and policy work

Preferred qualifications for the role

• Master's Degree in relevant discipline

About Us

We are looking to build an inclusive team at Save the Children. We offer a range of outstanding benefits to support this goal:

• Flexible schedules and time off: Flexible schedules, generous PTO, 11 paid holidays plus 2 floating holidays and hybrid working opportunities
• Health: Competitive health care, dental and vision coverage for you and your family
• Family: A variety of paid leaves: caregiver, parental/adoption, critical child illness and fertility benefits
• Employee Rewards Program: Annual merit increases and/or additional incentives for eligible employees
• Retirement: A retirement savings plan with employer contributions (after one year)
• Wellness: 15 safety and wellness days annually (if hired on or after July 1, safety and wellness days prorated to 8 days), mental health benefits and support through Calm and company-hosted events
• Employee Assistance Program: free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services
• Learning & Growth: Access to internal and external learning & development opportunities and mentorships

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in you.

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.

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.

If you require disability assistance with the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to applicantsupport@savechildren.org.