Two members for the Supervisory Board - Volunteer position

Do you believe no child should be part of war? Do you want to contribute as a supervisor of War Child Alliance and to our ultimate goal of reaching as many children and youths as possible, who have been affected by conflict, through impactful Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Education, Youth Empowerment and Child Protection programming?

Are you able to oversee with courage and trust, and support & challenge management in a constructive way?

We are seeking a match with the following key elements:

1. Passionate and respectful for child rights and social justice and committed to the vision, mission, objectives and values of War Child
2. You are a citizen of, or have lived for a long time in, a conflict affected country/ies, with an international focus and relevant network, a match with War Child Alliance’s thematic areas (community-based health/MHPSS, child protection, education, empowerment, social justice) and global strategy with a proven track record in your respective field
3. Empathetic, open-minded, culturally sensitive and empowering leader who dismantles bias and shares oversight power within the Supervisory Board, creating ways for everyone to be equally heard, respected and successful, and calls out any form of discrimination and abuse of power. Someone who actively contributes to a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
4. Understanding of a rights-based approach and about the intersection between human rights, social justice, and mental health
5. Relevant knowledge and experience in building, empowering and equal partnerships with local and national actors
6. Civil society leader and/or change maker in national civil society organization and/or social justice initiatives, working in the sector at a local or regional level within an international context
7. Knowledge of how NGOs work and previous experience at senior levels of NGO management/governance
8. Available to contribute time and effort as an active, pragmatic and hands-on member.

Potentially with additional expertise and experience in the areas of:

• Advocate of localization/ shifting the power agenda. Relevant knowledge and experience in sector commitments towards localization, well informed on movements towards decolonization within the sector and experience / insights on this
• Experience in the area of monitoring, evaluation and learning processes
• Experience in building and promoting a culture of accountability and the responsible use of power as an organisational approach
• Operational expertise in humanitarian / development programmes in emergencies and/or developing, fragile states
• Expertise in the areas of gender, diversity and inclusion
• Academic background and network in War Child’s thematic areas (community-based health/MHPSS, child protection, education, empowerment, social justice)

In terms of composition, the SVB strives to be as diverse as possible with regard to age, socio-economic background, ethnicity, religion, gender, ability, experience and expertise. For both these roles there is a preference for female candidates residing in conflict affected countries.

The position

As a member of the Supervisory Board you independently supervise the CEO, international management team, and War Child Alliance’s general affairs and the activities connected with it. The Supervisory Board consists of a minimum of five members. The core responsibilities of the Supervisory Board are:

The Supervisory Board meets at least three times per year, either virtually, in person or a combination thereof. At least one meeting per year will be in person. For each meeting, you will receive documentation well in advance to prepare. We anticipate it will take you about 4 hours to prepare for a meeting. In between meetings, management may ask you to act as a sounding board or advisor on specific topics within your area of expertise or other matters related to your supervisory role (2-4 hours per month, also depending on commissions you participate in and your role).

Our offer

We offer you a meaningful position in the Supervisory Board of a leading organisation in the areas of mental health and psychosocial support, education, youth empowerment and child protection for children affected by conflict. Via this position you will have the opportunity to contribute to the well-being and resilience of children in War Child’s countries of operations.

In the event of in-person meetings, reasonable travel costs will be reimbursed to enable you to travel to the meeting location. Other than this reimbursement, the position is unpaid.

The Organisation

War Child Alliance is a dynamic organization. We try to keep an informal ambiance within our office, with a lot of room for creativity, inspiration and self-initiative from employees. We practice what we preach: dynamic, innovative, integrity focused, and a drive to reach the highest possible results against the lowest possible costs. War Child Alliance offers a challenging position in an inspiring global context.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to apply before 11 December 2023.

Kindly upload your English CV (maximum of two pages) and cover letter (one page) here:

Please explain why you are interested in the position and why you consider yourself as well suited for the position.

Please mention where you found this vacancy. Applications are considered on a rolling basis. Is this not your dream position? Support War Child by sharing this role with your network!

Safeguarding

War Child is committed to humanitarian values, standards and norms and we expect the same from job applicants. War Child is especially committed to safeguarding the children and youth we support and doesn’t tolerate any form of abuse. Because we want to prevent and deter any actions that place children and youth at risk, conduct references are an important part of our recruitment procedure. As part of the selection process, War Child will request standardized references in accordance with the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and a recent Criminal Records statement.

Equal opportunity

War Child has a dream that every child lives in peace - no matter who or where they are. That’s why we pride ourselves on being an equal opportunity employer. We promote diversity and belonging in everything we do and select our potential new colleagues without regard to gender, race, colour, religion, nationality, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Application process

To ensure that we spend as much of our resources on the support of children and youth, War Child needs to operate as efficiently as possible. This means we can only process job applications received through our websites.

If we appoint a suitable candidate before the given closing date, the vacancy will be removed from our websites. In this case, any responses received after removal will not be processed. Sometimes the closing date of a vacancy is extended. If so, and you have not yet heard from us, your application will remain active.