Summary: The Senior Manager, Transformation Project Management – SCUS FMS Transition at Save the Children International is responsible for overseeing the implementation of a new Financial Management System (FMS) across various entities. This role involves managing project deliverables, ensuring alignment with global standards, and collaborating with stakeholders to minimize operational risks. The position requires extensive experience in transformation projects and effective project management methodologies. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in delivering a significant organizational change by 2027.
Key Responsibilities:
- Partner with the Project Lead to set up the project, including recruitment and governance.
- Manage the project to ensure successful delivery within budget and on time, using agile or waterfall frameworks.
- Develop and oversee a realistic project plan, considering deadlines, dependencies, resources, and costs.
- Establish and maintain reference groups for input from functional SMEs.
- Work with the Business Analyst to define and agree on required analysis and future state operating model.
- Document and report project controls including risks, issues, and dependencies.
- Lead the governance process for review and sign-off from relevant leaders.
- Engage with stakeholders, including senior leaders, to ensure effective communication and collaboration.
- Monitor scope definition and implement change control in line with PMO principles.
- Implement best practices in project management and contribute to continuous improvement.
- Support delivery of change impact and interventions related to transformation design.
Key Skills:
- Extensive experience in managing transformation projects for system and non-system change.
- Experience in establishing Agile or Waterfall methodologies for project delivery.
- Proven ability to deliver projects on time and within budget using project management processes.
- Strong understanding of scope and change management.
- Comprehensive management and influencing skills with experience working with senior executives.
- Strong team leadership skills with the ability to motivate individuals globally.
- Excellent communication skills in written and oral English.
- Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to prioritize work and communicate effectively within the team.
- Strong work ethic and initiative to deliver value to the organization.
- Non-profit sector knowledge/experience is desirable.
- Second language – French, Spanish, or Arabic is desirable.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
- Understanding of structured Project methodology (e.g., PRINCE2) or accredited Project Management training.
- Desirable qualifications include PRINCE2 (Foundation and/or Practitioner), Scrum Master, Agile PM.
Salary (Rate): undetermined
City: undetermined
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: hybrid
IR35 Status: undetermined
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: Other
Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Manager, Transformation Project Management – SCUS FMS Transition to join our global team.
Team purpose
A robust Financial Management System (FMS) is essential for the efficient operation of any organization. Across SCI and several Members, we currently use an FMS originally designed for SCI and later extended to opt-in Members. Due to our vendor’s transition from an on-premises solution to a SaaS model, we initiated a tender process and selected Oracle FMS as the new global solution. This system will support across SCA, including all SCI entities, and multiple Members. SCUS has committed to migrating to this shared FMS, with go-live planned for 2027. To deliver this change, a global project has been established to design and implement the solution across all participating entities. Given SCUS’s size and complexity, its local implementation must be managed effectively to minimize operational risk and maximize the value of this significant investment. The SCUS FMS Transition Project will work in close partnership with the Global FMS Project to ensure successful delivery of the global solution within SCUS. The approach will prioritize “off-the-shelf” functionality and global alignment wherever possible, while ensuring SCUS-specific requirements are understood and addressed.
Role purpose
The role holder will be responsible for establishing and maintaining the required project and portfolio management reporting including risk and issues logs, dependencies, status updates etc. In addition, they will manage the Project Management deliverables as part of the defined Save the Children Project Lifecycle examples including the Project and Assurance Plan. The role will also be required to work closely with the Business Analyst, Project Lead and relevant Business Functions. The Senior Project Manager will work with the relevant Global Change Manager to manage the relationship with our Offices as well as work with an international team of staff and subject matter experts to drive our delivery and deployment forward.
Job Title: Senior Manager, Transformation Project Management – SCUS FMS Transition
Reports To: Head, SCUS FMS Transition Project
Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available
Contract Length: FTC - 18 months
Grade: M3
Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location.
Time Zone ( that the role holder must be available to work in ) : Any
Right to Work: The successful candidate must possess the unrestricted right to work in their current or preferred location for the duration of employment.
Language Requirements: English
International Travel Requirements: up to 10%
Principal Accountabilities
- Partner with the Project Lead to ensure the effective setup of the Project including recruitment of key roles, definition and setup of governance and ongoing meeting requirements
- Lead the comprehensive management of the project, ensuring that it is delivered successfully in alignment with agile and/or waterfall project frameworks, within the allocated budget, and on time. As part of this, develop and oversee a realistic and committed project plan, considering organisational deadlines, dependencies, necessary resources, and associated costs
- Ensure reference groups are established and maintained and continue to be used effectively to ensure the required input is received from functional SMEs from both SCI and Members (if relevant)
- Work with the Business Analyst to ensure any required analysis is defined and agreed. Support the BA to ensure effective development of the requirements to deliver the future state operating model
- Ensure project controls including risks, issues and dependencies are documented and reported in line with the Portfolio Management Office requirements and any critical issues are escalated quickly through the agreed channels and stage gates are effectively managed
- Lead the governance process including ensuring sufficient time is available for review and sign off from the relevant leaders that are agreed up front
- Lead engagement with stakeholders within SCI including engagements with senior stakeholders in coordination with the Project Lead and Global Change Manager
- Continue to monitor scope definition and implement change control in line with the PMO principles
- Implement best practices and procedures in project management within the project and contribute to the continuous improvement of the Project Lifecycle
- Input and Support Delivery of Change Impact and Interventions relating to the transformation design, resource impacts, comms and engagement etc.
Experience and Skills
Essential
- Extensive experience in managing transformation projects for system and non-system change. This should include considerable experience in establishing and embedding Agile or Waterfall methodologies to ensure successful project delivery . As part of this experience working with a standard Project Management Methodology and aligning with a centralised PMO function to ensure effective project monitoring and issue resolution as needed
- Proven ability to deliver projects on time and within budget, utilising project management processes and tools including risk management, benefits management, financial management, and quality assurance
- Strong understanding of scope and change management, ensuring projects adapt seamlessly to evolving requirements and in line with formal governance
- Comprehensive management and influencing skills with significant experience in working with senior-level executives, fostering a collaborative environment
- Strong team leadership skills with the ability to motivate and mobilise individuals within and beyond their reporting lines, across a global setting aligning with our value of collaboration.
- Excellent communication skills (written and oral English), including the ability to communicate and present to all levels of the organisation with cultural awareness for international delivery
- Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, fostering innovation and creativity in project solutions. Possesses intellectual curiosity and the ability to question thought partners across functional areas, driving excellence and continuous improvement
- Ability to effectively prioritise work, agree and communicate priorities within the team, ensuring optimal resource allocation and job performance
- Demonstrates a strong work ethic and is able to take the initiative and ownership to deliver value to the organisation, consistently modelling our highest values of integrity and accountability and ensuring others are held to the same standards and actively held to account for delivery.
Desirable
- Non-profit sector knowledge/experience (especially international development projects)
- Second language – French, Spanish or Arabic
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
- Understanding of a structured Project methodology (e.g. PRINCE2) or accredited Project Management training (APM or PMI)
Desirable
- PRINCE2 (Foundation and/or Practitioner), Scrum Master, Agile PM
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 follow the link to re-direct you to the careers page for more information and how to apply for the role Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.