Director of Impact and Change

What is Start Network?

Start Network is a global membership of close to 100 civil society organisations, working across six continents, to tackle what we see as the biggest systemic problems in the global humanitarian  system. Start Network is an independent charity. We also work with Save the Children UK, which acts a grant custodian for some Start Network initiatives.

Our Solutions

LOCALLY-LED ACTION: Shifting power and resources and decentralising decision-making to locally led networks and organisations.

EARLY & RAPID FINANCING: Building a global financing system that reduces risk, anticipates, and acts ahead of predictable crises.

COMMUNITY-LED INNOVATION: Incentivising innovative, locally led, and contextual solutions and learning from them together with people affected by crises.

For more information about Start Network and what we do, please visit our website.

Our Values

• WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST: Communities come first in our decision-making and programming.
• WE ARE BRAVE: We have great ambition and are willing to explore new things and take risks to achieve them.
• WE OPERATE COLLECTIVELY: We leverage the value of working as a network, sharing risk and resources, and learning together.
• WE ARE INCLUSIVE: We see the value in diverse perspectives and work to remove the barriers that prevent voices from being heard.
• WE ARE OPEN: We work transparently and with integrity, building mutual trust in all levels of our work, from governance to programming.
• WE ARE ETHICAL: We behave and operate based on key principles of anti-racism, non-discrimination, and anti-colonialism. This is a work in progress.

JOB PURPOSE

Start Network is seeking an experienced Director to join a highly skilled senior leadership team (SLT). This is a new role following a functional review of the organisation. Reporting directly to the CEO, the Director of Impact and Change will be instrumental in driving the organisation’s vision, mission and strategic objectives and leading the organisation through its evolution and growth.

The Director will lead, oversee and support the Impact and Change teams which include Systems Innovation and Change, Evidence and Learning, Advocacy, and Communications and Digital. As part of the Senior Leadership team, the Impact and Change Director will oversee strategy, business planning and budgeting and will be instrumental in developing and implementing long-term plans and processes that usher in new levels of productivity and success for the organisation.

The ideal candidate will have senior management experience in a dynamic setting. The role requires outstanding organisational, communication, and leadership skills and an ability to develop innovative solutions that push organisational boundaries. The role requires a leader who can embody and role model the values of Start Network and support a positive organisational culture.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP

• Positions Start Network as a driver of positive humanitarian outcomes and leading agent of change, by demonstrating impact through evidence and leveraging relationships to influence change across the global humanitarian sector;
• Inspire, lead and motivate excellent performance in the Innovation, Evidence and Learning, Communication and Advocacy functions;
• Working collaboratively with the Board, Executive Team, SLT and heads of teams, influence, set, review and implement the organisational strategy;
• Work as part of SLT and within own cluster to oversee and translate strategic priorities into actionable business plans and budgets;
• Autonomous and accountable for directorate decisions and facilitating a culture of organisational and team collaboration to achieve goals and objectives;
• Make decisions that deliver results and empower heads of teams to make decisions that deliver results for their teams;
• Build strong collaborative working relationships internally and act as internal champion of organisational decisions and values;
• Build strong working relationships with members and other external stakeholders, and serve as ambassador and advocate for organisational and network initiatives, impact and values, as appropriate networking and influencing on behalf of Start Network;
• Role model good behaviours including workload management and punctuality;
• Foster and nurture positive team environments through collaborative working;
• Support the Executive team with organisational decisions and change;
• Support organisational culture and team staff engagement strategies;
• Future proof teams including succession planning and identification of skill gaps within teams;
• Demonstrate a personal confidence that engages people to listen and seek to understand others needs and work to achieve win-win outcomes;
• Being privy to sensitive and confidential business information as appropriate which may have reputational and sector wide implications;
• Lead organisational meetings and internal/external events, as required; and
• Undertake other initiatives, as required by the Executive team

LINE MANAGEMENT

• Provide leadership to enhance ways of working as a cluster, providing high quality advice and levels of service to the organisation;
• Carry out effective line management of direct reports, including direct consultants; recruiting, training and having an active role in building an inclusive team culture in line with Start Network values;
• Support direct reports to line manage and lead their teams;
• Support the growth and development of Heads/Senior Leads within the Functional Cluster;
• Monitor performance and ensure KPI’s and targets are met or exceeded toward systems change ambitions;
• Commitment to fair and equitable talent management and development of teams and direct reports;
• Address poor performance effectively and recognise good performance in an appropriate and timely manner, including by leading and/or supporting/investigating performance management and disciplinary processes both within team and organisationally, as required.

START NETWORK CULTURE

• Carry out the responsibilities of the role in line with the Start Network vision, mission, values and Code of Conduct and with a commitment to safeguarding adults and children;
• A commitment to positive humanitarian outcomes and systems change through a programme of quality initiatives;
• Work in a dynamic, flexible and agile way across teams and functions;
• Support the innovative and risk aware culture of Start Network to support the strategy and deliver on its systems change objectives and goals; and
• Commit to continuous learning and professional development of self and teams

PERSON PROFILE

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Demonstrated experience in translating data and analysis into strategies, content and communications that demonstrate impact;
• Proven ability to positively influence and impact the policies and behaviours of a range of global and local stakeholders;
• Proven experience in external organisational positioning;
• Demonstrated experience leading and managing multidisciplinary teams across geographies;
• Experience of working with senior stakeholders;
• Demonstrable experience of working at a strategic level, influencing key internal and external stakeholders, and being responsive to change;
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written;
• Ability to add value as both an individual contributor and active team member;
• Masterful organisational, communication and leadership skills backed by previous professional success;
• Ability to represent the Impact and Change function as part of the bigger business picture;
• Ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse backgrounds and behaviours;
• Ability to analyse and review workforce data to inform decision making e.g. succession planning;
• Proven ability to manage budgets, time and resources effectively;
• Able to work under pressure and deliver results to tight deadlines;
• Experience of developing new systems and processes and making improvements to service provision;
• Proven project management capability;
• Experience in the humanitarian sector is desirable;
• Experience in strategy development and implementation for digital transformation is desirable

APPOINTMENT DETAILS

Location: UK, with regular travel to Head Office in London. Candidates must hold Right to Work in the UK documentation as START is unable to sponsor this position.

Salary and Benefits: £69,615-£73,096 per annum (inclusive of any 2024 uplift)

• Hybrid working with options to work from home and remotely to support your work/life balance
• Employee Assistance Programme through Smart Health (depends on the country based)
• Family-friendly policies, e.g., flexible working, maternity policy, parental leave and more!
• 25 days holiday (if UK based) plus 2 company days over the End of Year period for all staff

In addition, you will be part of a network involved in bringing change to the humanitarian sector

Contract: Permanent, full-time, six (06) month probation.

Line reports: Head of Evidence and Learning, Head of Systems Innovation and Change, Head of Communications and Digital, External Affairs and Advocacy Senior Lead.

HOW TO APPLY

Closing date: 21^st April 2024

To apply please click ‘Apply Now’ above

As part of the application process kindly submit your CV and a cover letter, preferably in MS Word. All application documents (cover letter and CV) should be submitted in English.

Should you require access to information in a different format to facilitate your application please contact us via [email protected]

Please name your submitted files with the following reference: START_DIAC

At START Network we see the value in diverse perspectives and work to work to remove the barriers that prevent voices from being heard. In support of this, we welcome applications from candidates from a variety of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.

Red Sea takes our responsibility towards protecting your personal data very seriously. The data you provide is processed in line with relevant data protection legislation. For the purposes of this recruitment, and as defined under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Red Sea is defined as the Data Controller.

Red Sea is committed to meeting the standards set out in our Equality and Diversity statement, acting in line with the UK Equalities Act 2010 and building an accurate picture of the make-up of the workforce in encouraging equality and diversity.