Senior Project Lead - Cost Optimization Initiative

Senior Project Lead – Cost Optimization Initiative

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Project Lead – Cost Optimization Initiative to join our global team.

Save the Children is launching the Cost Optimisation Initiative to improve organizational sustainability, strengthen value for money, and maximize resources available for children and programme delivery. The aim is to build a simpler, smarter, and more efficient Save the Children that delivers greater impact for children through better use of every resource entrusted to us.

The Senior Project Lead – Cost Optimisation will lead a high‑profile, enterprise‑wide transformation initiative aimed at designing cost optimisation and delivering 30–40% structural cost efficiency by 2030 while protecting program quality, organizational resilience, and beneficiary impact.

The role will provide strategic and operational leadership to a complex, multi‑year transformation program spanning Global teams and Country Offices across all support functions. The Senior Project Lead will be responsible for driving alignment across senior stakeholders, leading organisational redesign efforts, identifying sustainable efficiency opportunities, and ensuring successful implementation of transformation initiatives in a highly matrixed environment.

The Senior Project Lead will also champion innovation, digital enablement, and AI‑driven operational intelligence to modernize ways of working, simplify processes, improve decision‑making, and enable scalable operational efficiency across the organization.

• Job Title:
  
  Senior Project Lead – Cost Optimization Initiative
• Reports To:
  
  Director, SCI‑Led Funding & CO Efficiency
• Work Pattern:
  Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available
• Location:
  
  Any approved Save the Children International office location.
• Required Time Zone:
  Any
• Contract Length:
  Fixed Term Contract (18 Months, until 31 Dec 2027)
• 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: up to 10%
• People Management:
  Number of people managed in total: 4;
  Manager of a team:
  Yes;
  Team Manager (manager of multiple teams):
  Yes
• Remit:
  Global

• Lead the Cost Optimisation Project and Organisational Adoption: lead the design, planning, and delivery of the Cost Optimisation Project, ensuring alignment with strategic, operational, and financial objectives and develop and maintain a phased, multi‑year transformation roadmap with prioritised initiatives, clear milestones, and alignment to organisational delivery capacity.
• Lead Change Management and Continuous Improvement:
  Drive organisational change, stakeholder adoption, and continuous improvement for the Cost Optimisation initiative to embed sustainable efficiencies and a culture of operational excellence.
• Identify and Deliver Efficiency Opportunities:
  Drive the identification, prioritisation, and implementation of enterprise‑wide efficiency opportunities across all support functions and organisational levels.
• Drive Cost Optimisation and Benefits Realisation:
  Establish cost baselines, analyse current and future state, and ensure delivery, tracking, validation, and sustainability of efficiency benefits and cost savings including structured reporting to senior stakeholders.
• Enhance efficiency in Service Delivery:
  Identify opportunities to simplify, standardise, and optimise service delivery models and levels of effort across functions and geographies.
• Lead Programme Governance and Delivery:
  Establish programme governance structures, oversee work streams, manage dependencies, and ensure timely delivery of agreed milestones and outcomes.
• Influence and Engage Senior Stakeholders:
  Facilitate alignment, decision‑making, and collaboration across senior stakeholders, functions, and geographies to support successful delivery.
• Leverage AI, Digital Solutions, and Analytics:
  Promote the use of AI, automation, analytics, and digital technologies to improve operational efficiency, decision‑making, and organisational…