Two members for the Supervisory Board

“Active, empathic and constructive independent supervisors passionate and respectful for child rights and social justice”

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:

1. supervising management (i.e. the Statutory Director and the members of the Management Team that he/she selects and appoints) and general affairs and the activities connected with it. As part of this, the Board is responsible for ensuring that the organisation is properly run, maintaining professional standards, running, high quality programmes, ensuring proper safeguarding and is kept on a sound financial footing
2. being a sounding board and advisor to management
3. being the employer to the CEO / Statutory Director
4. ensuring that the governance structure of the War Child Alliance works well (in close collaboration with the other parts of the War Child Alliance).

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.