Context of the position:

SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda is an independent, non-governmental social development & child-focused organization. The Organization supports vulnerable children and young people in four locations of Kigali, Gicumbi, Kayonza and Nyamagabe. SOS Rwanda applies a holistic approach to childcare ensuring that the best interest of the child is catered for. SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda therefore seeks to recruit Partnership and Alternative Care Area Specialist to support the implementation of our program’s activities in Kigali Program Area.

Job Purpose

The Partnership & Alternative Care Area Specialist is responsible for strengthening partnerships and ensuring the effective implementation of alternative care programs aligned with child rights and national policies. The role focuses on developing and managing community-based childcare interventions, supporting family strengthening, safeguarding children and youth, and facilitating reintegration into families and communities. The position also contributes to project design, budgeting, and resource mobilization.

The Specialist supports the promotion of children’s rights and ensures that children and young people without parental care or at risk of losing it receive appropriate, high-quality care and protection services.

Main clients:

• Head of Programme Area
• Programme Units Coordinators
• National Office Staff
• Government local Leaders
• Partner NGOs and Civil Society Organizations
• Community leaders and structures
• Children, youth, caregivers, and families

Main responsibilities and key performance areas

Programme Implementation and Coordination:

• Lead the annual planning and budgeting process and ensure planned interventions are respond to the identified needs of children under various community- based care options.
• Lead and manage the admission process for children placed in short-term care, ensuring appropriate assessment, care planning, and successful rehabilitation prior to reintegration into their families of origin.
• Ensure that children and young people in Small Group Homes have consistent access to essential services including education, healthcare, and psychosocial support and are empowered to develop the skills needed for self-reliance and independent living.
• Ensure tailored program interventions are inclusive and implemented in a multisectoral approach together with key stakeholders focusing on child protection, education & youth empowerment, health, MHPSS, WASH and livelihood support to facilitate self-reliance for targeted families & communities.
• Liaise with Program Area Planing, MEAL Officer to ensure that appropriate controls, monitoring and evaluation tools are in place and being utilized in a timely manner and as required.
• Ensure program data is continuously captured, validated and updated on SOS Children Villages Program Database (PDB2) and or any other approved system.
• Conduct and/or attend regular weekly and monthly planning/progress meetings as needed internally
• Perform any other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Advocacy, Networking & Partnerships

• Identify, map, and engage potential partners including NGOs, government agencies, donors, private sector, and community-based organizations at Program Area level.
• Coordinate joint planning, implementation, and monitoring of partnership activities.
• Strengthen the organization’s visibility and reputation through strategic partnerships at Program Area level
• Participate in the Development and implementaion of partnership strategies aligned with the organization’s mission and program goals.
• Collaborate closely with key government local authorities, including mult-sectorial district officials, and other like-minded partners to ensure program quality during implementation as well as provide technical support and assistance and where needed for program sustainability purposes.
• Assist and participate (representation) in organized meetings, trainings, workshops and thematic assessments at program area level.
• Support program participants to engage in advocacy activities with duty bearers and strategic community structures at the sector level to address and inform national-level advocacy initiatives.
• Continuously provide content to the communications office by sharing impact stories and high-quality photos in line with SOS CV communications guidelines for external communication & visibility.

Program Development and People Management

• Provides strategic leadership by guiding the Alternative Care Program implementation in line with organizational and donor priorities, while translating strategy into actionable plans and measurable results at area level.
• Map resource mobilization opportunities at local level and participate in developing new concepts and proposals in collaboration with national program teams for program scale up & impact.
• Effectively manage staff performance ensuring competent and motivated staff, conduct bi-annual staff appraisals, encourage on-the-job coaching, identify and address learning/training needs opportunities for Alternative care program team.
• Identify, formally engage and build capacities of key implementing partners (FBOs, CBOs, NGOs) to enable them effectively intervene in direct service delivery work.

Quality Assurance – Monitoring, Reporting and Documentation

• Assign staff to ensure activities are carried out as per developed work plan and budget,
• Conduct field visits, monitor program activities progress and expenditures and report any deviations or challenges to the Head of Program Area.
• Prepare Program reports as per agreed frequencies (monthly, quarterly, bi-annual and annual progress reports), documenting achievements/success stories, challenges, and lessons learned for internal and external reporting
• Maintain accurate and organized project documentation, including budgets, activity plans, reports and program participant’s files.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation plans to measure program impact and effectiveness.
• Participate in regular program review meetings, team meetings and other monitoring mechanisms to assess program progress and resolve implementation bottlenecks.
• Proactively enforce controls and checks as well as ensure effective and timely response plans to all financial and audit findings on Alternative care initiatives and take the needed measures to prevent future recurrence.

Child Protection Policy.

• At all times, avoid actions or behavior that could be construed as poor or potentially abusive practice.
• Report any child safeguarding concerns immediately in accordance with the organizational’s Child Protection Policy.
• Promote and uphold the organisation’s values and child safeguarding principles in all interactions and decision – making.

Data Protection Policy.

• At all times ensure that personal data of SOS Children’s Villages beneficiaries and their families as well as SOS Children’s Villages in Rwanda co-workers is handled confidentially and in accordance with prevailing SOS Children’s Villages.
• Ensure that personal sponsor information and data used and administered for the benefit of SOS Children’s Villages in Rwanda, is stored and transferred securely, handled confidentially and in accordance with prevailing data protection laws. Donor data will remain under the control of SOS Children’s Villages in Rwanda and shall not be forwarded to or swapped with other organizations.

Required key skill set.

• Must understand the following:
• The SOS Organization, be familiar with the background, philosophy, principles, policies, guidelines and structure
• The different roles of the SOS staff team members, in working together for best interest of the children and donors.
• Excellent communications skills.

Preferred personal attributes

• Passionate about childcare and development
• Punctuality and assiduity
• Knowledge of child rights and child development issues
• Good standards of conduct and ethics as well as integrity, appropriate judgment, independence and confidentiality
• Personal organization and planning skills; ability to organize and prioritize
• Capable of a rigorous analytical approach and result oriented.
• Ability to place details in a wider context (understanding the broader context).
• Flexible, resilient and able to manage stress.
• Team spirit.

Formal qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in social work, Sociology, Psychology, Education or related field. A master’s degree an added advantage.
• Professional Qualification: Alternative Care certification and or Child safeguarding certification and related courses will be an added advantage.
• Experience: 5+ years child protection/alternative care; 3+ years management and Leadership.
• Skills & Competencies: Alternative Care Programming, Case Management, Foster Care Coordination, Reintegration, Partnership Management, Quality Assurance, Supervision, basic ICT literacy.
• Language Proficiency: English & Kinyarwanda, French (optional).

Experience requirements

• Ability to get tasks done efficiently while exercising good judgment
• Meets goals and maintains high standards in service delivery
• Skilled in implementing and maintaining office systems and procedures
• Provides exceptional support and guidance to staff
• Strong verbal and written communication for effective liaison with staff and functional units
• Excellent computer skills, including proficiency in working with various databases as well as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

• Lead the annual planning and budgeting process and ensure planned interventions are respond to the identified needs of children under various community- based care options.
• Lead and manage the admission process for children placed in short-term care, ensuring appropriate assessment, care planning, and successful rehabilitation prior to reintegration into their families of origin.
• Ensure that children and young people in Small Group Homes have consistent access to essential services including education, healthcare, and psychosocial support and are empowered to develop the skills needed for self-reliance and independent living.
• Ensure tailored program interventions are inclusive and implemented in a multisectoral approach together with key stakeholders focusing on child protection, education & youth empowerment, health, MHPSS, WASH and livelihood support to facilitate self-reliance for targeted families & communities.
• Liaise with Program Area Planing, MEAL Officer to ensure that appropriate controls, monitoring and evaluation tools are in place and being utilized in a timely manner and as required.
• Ensure program data is continuously captured, validated and updated on SOS Children Villages Program Database (PDB2) and or any other approved system.
• Conduct and/or attend regular weekly and monthly planning/progress meetings as needed internally
• Perform any other duties as assigned by supervisor.
• Identify, map, and engage potential partners including NGOs, government agencies, donors, private sector, and community-based organizations at Program Area level.
• Coordinate joint planning, implementation, and monitoring of partnership activities.
• Strengthen the organization’s visibility and reputation through strategic partnerships at Program Area level
• Participate in the Development and implementaion of partnership strategies aligned with the organization’s mission and program goals.
• Collaborate closely with key government local authorities, including mult-sectorial district officials, and other like-minded partners to ensure program quality during implementation as well as provide technical support and assistance and where needed for program sustainability purposes.
• Assist and participate (representation) in organized meetings, trainings, workshops and thematic assessments at program area level.
• Support program participants to engage in advocacy activities with duty bearers and strategic community structures at the sector level to address and inform national-level advocacy initiatives.
• Continuously provide content to the communications office by sharing impact stories and high-quality photos in line with SOS CV communications guidelines for external communication & visibility.
• Provides strategic leadership by guiding the Alternative Care Program implementation in line with organizational and donor priorities, while translating strategy into actionable plans and measurable results at area level.
• Map resource mobilization opportunities at local level and participate in developing new concepts and proposals in collaboration with national program teams for program scale up & impact.
• Effectively manage staff performance ensuring competent and motivated staff, conduct bi-annual staff appraisals, encourage on-the-job coaching, identify and address learning/training needs opportunities for Alternative care program team.
• Identify, formally engage and build capacities of key implementing partners (FBOs, CBOs, NGOs) to enable them effectively intervene in direct service delivery work.
• Assign staff to ensure activities are carried out as per developed work plan and budget,
• Conduct field visits, monitor program activities progress and expenditures and report any deviations or challenges to the Head of Program Area.
• Prepare Program reports as per agreed frequencies (monthly, quarterly, bi-annual and annual progress reports), documenting achievements/success stories, challenges, and lessons learned for internal and external reporting
• Maintain accurate and organized project documentation, including budgets, activity plans, reports and program participant’s files.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation plans to measure program impact and effectiveness.
• Participate in regular program review meetings, team meetings and other monitoring mechanisms to assess program progress and resolve implementation bottlenecks.
• Proactively enforce controls and checks as well as ensure effective and timely response plans to all financial and audit findings on Alternative care initiatives and take the needed measures to prevent future recurrence.
• At all times, avoid actions or behavior that could be construed as poor or potentially abusive practice.
• Report any child safeguarding concerns immediately in accordance with the organizational’s Child Protection Policy.
• Promote and uphold the organisation’s values and child safeguarding principles in all interactions and decision – making.
• At all times ensure that personal data of SOS Children’s Villages beneficiaries and their families as well as SOS Children’s Villages in Rwanda co-workers is handled confidentially and in accordance with prevailing SOS Children’s Villages.
• Ensure that personal sponsor information and data used and administered for the benefit of SOS Children’s Villages in Rwanda, is stored and transferred securely, handled confidentially and in accordance with prevailing data protection laws. Donor data will remain under the control of SOS Children’s Villages in Rwanda and shall not be forwarded to or swapped with other organizations.

• Excellent communications skills.
• Alternative Care Programming
• Case Management
• Foster Care Coordination
• Reintegration
• Partnership Management
• Quality Assurance
• Supervision
• basic ICT literacy
• Ability to get tasks done efficiently while exercising good judgment
• Meets goals and maintains high standards in service delivery
• Skilled in implementing and maintaining office systems and procedures
• Provides exceptional support and guidance to staff
• Strong verbal and written communication for effective liaison with staff and functional units
• Excellent computer skills, including proficiency in working with various databases as well as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, Sociology, Psychology, Education or related field. A master’s degree an added advantage.
• Alternative Care certification and or Child safeguarding certification and related courses will be an added advantage.
• 5+ years child protection/alternative care
• 3+ years management and Leadership.