Join to apply for the Portfolio Manager role at Save the Children UK.

This range is provided by Save the Children UK. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

• Full time (flexible working options available)
• Fixed Term Contract - 12 months
• Hybrid - Farringdon, London/Home-based
• Ref 7161
• Closing Date: 24 September 2025

Role overview

Save the Children UK has an opportunity for a Portfolio Manager to manage our West and Central Africa (WCA) portfolio within the Global Impact group from January 2026 for 12 months. In this pivotal role, you'll oversee a diverse range of programmes and partnerships across the region, ensuring they are well-managed, strategically aligned, and delivering lasting impact for children and communities. Working closely with Country Offices, donors, and internal colleagues, you'll manage risk, drive performance, and capture learning that shapes future portfolio opportunities. Success in this role will require strong portfolio management expertise, excellent relationship-building skills, and fluency in both English and French to engage effectively across the region. Above all, you'll bring a commitment to ensuring children everywhere can survive, learn and thrive.

Please Note: Even if this fixed-term WCA role isn't quite the right fit, we welcome you to submit your CV to be considered for other upcoming Portfolio Manager opportunities across Save the Children UK, including positions overseeing Portfolios in regions such as the Middle East or East Africa that do not require French.

About us

Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work everyday to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children's needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.

Team and scope

The Portfolio & Risk Team manages the SCUK International Restricted Portfolio, supporting Country Offices and local partners in achieving strategic goals. They collaborate closely with Country Offices and other teams, offering expertise in programme management, donor compliance, and risk management. Their responsibilities include ensuring compliance, quality assurance, and addressing sensitive issues such as fraud, safeguarding, and safety/security concerns. The team also ensures that learning from the portfolio informs future partnership and portfolio opportunities.

Key Accountabilities

The Portfolio Manager for West and Central Africa (WCA) is responsible for overseeing the successful implementation of Save the Children UK's portfolio across multiple Country Offices in the region. This includes providing direct management support to Country Offices, ensuring compliance with donor requirements, and supporting the effective delivery of programmes and partnerships. Working with a high degree of autonomy, the postholder will lead on managing risks, issues and challenges specific to the WCA portfolio and escalate as necessary to senior colleagues. The role works closely with the Senior Portfolio Manager for WCA and the Regional Portfolio Lead to ensure regional priorities are supported and delivered, contribute to regional and strategic partnerships, identify and address systemic risks, capture lessons learned, and strengthen new partnership opportunities across Partnership Engagement and Portfolio Development.

In this role, you will:

• Manage the delivery of SCUK's portfolio by overseeing grant and contract management, ensuring donor compliance, and supporting Country Offices in achieving program deliverables and managing risks and issues.
• Provide oversight of risk management and portfolio performance, ensuring KPIs are met and escalating concerns when required.
• Support portfolio development efforts, identifying new funding opportunities with COs, and maintaining up-to-date award and information systems.
• Monitor portfolio performance across designated regions, evaluate progress, ensure adherence to SCUK policies, and ensure compliance with donor and partner requirements, making adjustments where necessary to ensure success.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key staff in Country Offices, offering operational support to ensure quality programming and donor compliance.
• Work to ensure Country Office priorities drive SCUK support for programming, while fostering collaboration across relevant SCUK teams.

See our website for full details.

Experience, competencies and skills

We are looking for someone with the following experience, competencies and skills:

• Project and Portfolio Management: Experience in managing portfolios across multiple Country Offices, with knowledge of donor compliance requirements and proven experience delivering a portfolio on time, within scope, and in alignment with donor requirements and outcomes.
• Risk Management and Mitigation: Proficiency in identifying, assessing, and addressing risks at portfolio and project levels with strategies to minimise or resolve issues.
• Stakeholder and Donor Relationship Management: Ability to develop and manage relationships with donors, strategic partners, and Country Offices, ensuring effective communication.
• Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting: Skilled in data collection and analysis for portfolio performance, financial management, and reporting to stakeholders.
• Knowledge Sharing: Ability to facilitate sharing of best practices and lessons learned.
• Management Skills: Ability to manage a diverse portfolio across regions and partnerships.
• Communication and Relationship Management: Excellent communication skills to engage with Country Offices, donors and internal teams.
• Problem-Solving and Analytical Skills: Attention to detail with the ability to identify risks and develop solutions.
• Technical Expertise: Understanding of program management, international development, and donor relations.
• Language Skills: Fluency in French (essential) and English.

Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to manage application levels while maintaining a positive candidate experience. Once closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

Location & ways of working

The majority of roles can be performed remotely in the UK, but you may be required to come to your contracted office (usually 2–4 days per month). This will be discussed and agreed with your manager, and we encourage you to discuss our ways of working at interview. Travel costs to your contracted office are at your own expense. Flexible working options are available and can be discussed at interview.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

Save the Children UK believes in a fair, inclusive and equitable world where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We are committed to a diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation where all employees belong and feel able to be themselves. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences to help us better the lives of children worldwide.