Senior Director, AI, Digital and Data

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Director, AI, Digital and Data to join our global team.

• Job Title: Senior Director, AI, Digital and Data


• Reports To: Chief Transformation Officer (CTO)


• Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available


• Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in, please visit: SCI Careers


• Required Time Zone: Any


• Contract Length: Permanent


• Right to Work: The successful candidate must have the right to work in the country where the role is based, for the duration of employment


• Language Requirements: English


• International Travel: Yes, up to 10% 


• People Management: Number of people managed in total: ~15; Manager of a team: Yes; Team Manager (manager of multiple teams): Yes 


• Budget Responsibility: ~$2m


• Remit: Global

Team Purpose

The AI, Digital and Data team leads how the movement uses AI, digital technology, and data-driven decision-making to deliver more for children. The team steers the global AI portfolio, accelerating existing scaled products that drive operational efficiency and leading the vision on new AI applications that directly drive impact for children. Alongside this and embedding AI where useful, Digital Programming or ICT4D (information and communication technology for development) accelerates use of technology in programmes for children, from cash and voucher delivery to countries’ broader strategies for digitisation, such as digitising health records or increasing access to learning for remote communities. Technology can range from bespoke for a specific purpose, to a standard off the shelf digital tool. It may be deployed in the field in programme delivery or in the programme development cycle (back office). 

On the data side, this team has accountability for the data insights programme, aimed at driving data-driven decision-making at all levels of the movement, from global to field office. They lead the shift towards a results-based operating model, using integrated performance management capabilities and high-quality, aligned data to enable effective management of programming. This includes giving the movement a comparable view of results for children across programmes and at a global level.  

Bringing AI, Digital, and Data together in a single unit drives the vision and product leadership across these three domains to align the strategy, design, and interdependencies. Across the three capabilities, this team also drives engagement with external parties including other INGOs, partners, technology companies, foundations, and others to leverage external resources and drive change across the sector. 

Role Purpose

The Senior Director, AI, Digital and Data is the movement's senior voice and trusted advisor on AI, Digital and Data. The role should be responsible not only for setting strategy, but also for shaping organisational understanding, influencing senior leaders, representing the organisation externally and translating emerging technology trends into practical opportunities for the movement.

The Senior Director, AI, Digital and Data is accountable for leading the movement's vision for what AI, digital and data should deliver for children, communicating that vision across the organisation, and engaging with projects in development and deployment to unlock the vision. The role owns strategic direction, makes the case for change holding teams accountable for delivery in terms of pace, quality and benefit. In addition to managing the strategy, the role will be accountable for building capacity and capability across the movement in the AI, digital and data space, understanding current levels of capabilities and leading on the development of initiatives to further build this knowledge and hands on delivery capability across the movement. The Senior Director role will ensure we focus our funding and capacity on long term initiatives that enable our strategy whilst also identifying short term opportunities that have the potential to translate into wider initiatives following piloting at a smaller scale. 

Alongside the broader capacity strengthening, this role is accountable for identifying future capability needs and growing the organization’s capabilities in an area where competition for talent is high. This includes building talent pipelines, developing internal talent and creating innovative approaches to accessing specialist expertise where direct recruitment is challenging.

To ensure effective team management and focus, the Senior Director, AI, Digital and Data will be accountable for defining and implementing the required governance in partnership with the Executive Lead and Transformation Steering Group (TSG). The Senior Director, AI, Digital and Data will oversee the team and will work with this team and the governance to define the wider resource requirements and ensure these resources are recruited, on boarded and supported.

Principal Accountabilities

• Lead the AI, Digital and Data capability globally, driving the implementation of agreed priorities in line with the vision. Ensure AI, Digital and Data is a movement wide initiative involving stakeholders from across the Members and SCI and wider external parties where relevant and agreed with the relevant governance 


• Set and keep current the movement's vision for AI, digital and data: a prioritised portfolio of use cases, each with a clear path from pilot to scale, and decide where the portfolio goes next as the technology moves. Ensure that opportunities are effectively scoped and the benefits case is clear to aid decision making on where to invest to ensure the best outcome.


• Act as the lead driving the delivery of the data and digital enabler within the global strategy, ensuring that activities proposed and prioritised support the strategic goals. As part of this manage the relationships with these critical stakeholders


• Ensure resource requirements are understood, and the required team is in place including both internal and external capacity and expertise. Effectively manage the Team resources to ensure they understand their responsibilities, are held to account for delivery and their work is in line with the wider objectives and strategic alignment across the movement. This includes initiative planning and budget management.


• Ensure financial and non-financial benefits are defined up front including the mechanism to measure the benefits and this is used to track effectiveness of AI, Digital and Data initiatives delivered across the movement. This is critical to enable us to continually monitor and improve and to enable effective decision making


• Lead capacity strengthening on AI, Digital and Data across the organisation, ensuring general awareness, practical application and deep expertise where this is required


• Support the CTO to lead the governance process ensuring sufficient time is available for review and sign off from the relevant leaders that are agreed up front. As part of this, put in place reference groups to ensure the required input is received from functional SMEs from both SCI and Members


• Partner with the Transformation Development team to support and champion the effective delivery of projects, ensuring taking a leading role in capturing requirements and ensuring definition of BAU processes and effective management of implementation and ongoing delivery to support the needs of the organisation. Ensure impacts of the initiative including impact on the wider portfolio, change impact and financial impacts are understood and included within the current state and strategy development documents


• Implement best practices and procedures in programme management and contribute to wider lessons learned and improvements so we continue to drive a continuous improvement agenda, and grow the broader capabilities of the Transformation department and of key staff

Experience and Skills

Essential

1. Experience leading a technology portfolio or strategy in a large organisation and seeing use cases through pilot to scaled adoption with measured benefit.


2. Practical working knowledge of modern AI: generative AI and LLMs, agent platforms, build-versus-buy trade-offs, data and platform requirements, and responsible AI practice. Deep enough to direct technical specialists in the team, challenge builders and vendors, and judge what will work in real deployments; hands-on building is not required at this level.


3. Experience leading global teams to deliver change and quality delivery across AI, Digital and Data including having demonstrable experience and in-depth knowledge of programme and project practices and standards including risk management, benefits management, financial management and quality assurance 


4. Proven experience working in a consulting type capacity, engaging stakeholders to gather requirements and delivering results based on a partnership across a complex range of functions and capabilities. A proven ability to apply excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, and to work collaboratively to deliver effective solutions to address complex issues. A key component of this is active management of interdependencies between different initiatives within and outside the remit of the AI, Digital and Data Function


5. Experience leading business development including defining business need and objectives, determining options and effort required and translating this into a proposal to be submitted for consideration with the relevant governance bodies


6. Highly developed organisational awareness and ability to understand any sensitivities within a complex multi-stakeholder structure; and think creatively and strategically to overcome obstacles to cooperation and progress


7. Team leadership capabilities to support and guide team members and ensure they are clear on their responsibilities and are held to account for their delivery


8. Excellent communication skills (written & oral English), including the ability to communicate and influence at all levels of the organisation


9. Able to demonstrate instances of initiative that have delivered organisational benefits


10. Cultural awareness and experience of delivering solutions internationally 

Desirable

• Non-profit sector knowledge/experience


• Proficiency in a second core language of Save the Children (French, Spanish or Arabic)


• Experience working on Organisational Design Initiatives including setup of a new function in a global organisation 

Education and Qualifications 

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience


• Demonstrable applied AI or digital delivery work

Desirable

• Preferable: PRINCE2 (Foundation and/or Practitioner), Scrum Master, Agile PM


• AI, Data and/or Technology for Development accreditation

Working at Save the Children International

Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first.

We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.

We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply.

Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found at SCI Careers. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.


Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline.

Our Recruitment Process

1. Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter


2. Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team


3. Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview


4. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse.  All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-Harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.