Global Partnerships and Communities Lead

Location: London, UK preferred (however, potential to be based outside the UK in a country with an SCI or SC Member office)

£43,700 – £48,300 pa Fixed term contract for 18 months

The Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA) is on a mission is to enable people around the world to prepare for and respond to crises in their own countries, by providing quality learning opportunities. As the leading training platform in the humanitarian sector, the HLA is at the forefront of how high-quality humanitarian learning can be scaled through networks and digital technologies.

The HLA aims to build a network of partners who can work with us on this mission and a global community who can share learning and agitate for change. To achieve this we are looking for a dynamic, energetic and creative Global Partnerships and Communities Lead who can make connections, create opportunities and establish strong relationships across a broad spectrum.

• Are you a seasoned strategic partnerships professional with extensive experience securing and managing global partnerships for NGO’s and/or social enterprises?
• Do you have demonstrable success and expertise in building and managing complex relationships with a variety of stakeholders?
• Do you have proven experience of establishing new projects initiatives and of developing strong relationships and productive partnerships?
• Are you motivated by our vision of creating a world where every child doesn’t just survive, but thrives, and can go on to change the world?

If the answers to these questions are yes, we would love to hear from you!

Job Purpose

The HLA has set out an ambitious 2022-24 strategy focused on localisation, impact and sustainability. To make its strategic ambitions a reality, the HLA will harness the power of partnerships and communities to multiply its impact.

In practical terms, this means the HLA will build an active, engaged and thriving global community of strategic partners. It will maximise its existing partnerships with external partners, networks of local organisations and, internal partnerships with the Save The Children Movement. The HLA will also develop its community of learners to promote mutual learning, knowledge sharing and influencing the wider system.

The Global Partnerships and Communities Lead will focus on driving the strategic direction of global partnerships and our learner communities, while providing guidance on how HLA manages partnerships across different functions. To do this it will work across the HLA’s team develop, manage and support strategic partnerships and communities across the humanitarian sector and beyond.

Specifically, it will work closely with colleagues across HLA, its regional centres and the Save the Children Movement, on programmatic partnerships (multi-lateral institutions, trusts and foundations, and the private sector in-line) in-line with our strategic pillars (Leadership, Civil Society Strengthening, Technical Expertise).

With ambitions to build a unique partner community on Kaya (HLA’s global e-learning platform with over 500,000 learners and 50 partners) this position will play a key role in maximising the potential of Kaya as a learning platform and marketplace for learning content. Showcasing to the humanitarian and development sector, that organisations can come together to address problems and create solutions for those they are aiming to support whilst generating commercial income alongside impact.

This is an exciting role at the forefront of strategic partnerships and would fit a strategic, ambitious, and passionate professional. Someone with the ability to secure new and maximise existing strategic partnerships, with a keen eye for spotting value across partnerships, and working in a highly collaborative manner, to develop a thriving global community.

Main Accountabilities

As Global Partnerships and Communities Lead:

• Co-create and lead the HLA partnership strategy. Create a comprehensive partnerships strategy that supports the organisations to unlock the value of partnerships across the HLA
• Oversee and develop strategic partnerships portfolio. Identify and secure new global strategic partners, maximise existing partnerships and ensure cross-pollination of opportunities across partnerships from both the commercial and charitable side of the HLA
• Develop and manage partnerships to deliver mutual value and pursue the HLA’s mission. Working closely with the HLA team to develop for a range of goals including shifting power to local actors, sustaining impact and systemic change in the sector. Examples may include networks of local organisations to develop ownership of learning and development; academic institutions to develop training content or private sector to introduce innovative learning technologies.
• Internal/Save Partnership Management. Manage the relationship with the Save the Children Movement and its members, unlocking the multitude of opportunities across the globe alongside the HLA regional centres, learning/programme, income generation and impact teams.
• Support the development of a thriving global community of learners who collaborate to develop their skills, share knowledge and influence the humanitarian sector.
• Develop a Partnership Management Framework. Create and get buy-in for a partnership management framework which standardises partnership management across HLA partnerships
• Integrate partnerships into a CRM system. Working closely with the Head of Operations, integrate partnership operations and account management into a CRM system
• Develop and build strong relationships with a cross section of stakeholders, including decision makers’ influencers and partners, within the Save the Children movement and internal and external to the wider humanitarian sector.

As a senior member of the HLA team

• Represent the Academy in public forums and contribute through wider thought leadership on strategic areas of this body of work
• Lead and manage a team of people, ensuring the development of an inclusive and supportive environment, strong and effective ways of working which motivates and encourages innovation and creativity across the team
• Develop and build strong relationships with a cross section of stakeholders, including decision makers’ influencers and partners, within the Save the Children movement and internal and external to the wider humanitarian sector.
• As a member of the Senior Management Team within the HLA, and alongside the other Heads of Teams, ensure that there is a sense of collective responsibility to draw upon the resources and expertise across all teams to drive forward sustainable, yet ambitious growth across the unit and that supports the localisation agenda

Person Profile

We are looking for a seasoned strategic partnerships professional with extensive experience securing and managing global partnerships for NGO’s and social enterprises. You will be a natural networker with an eye for organisation and detail, you will have the persistence and positivity to instil a change in how the HLA views and manages strategic partnerships. You’ll ideally have the ability to work across different languages (English, French, Spanish and Arabic) and comfortable in working across diverse sectors (NGO’s, Academia, Social Enterprise, Private Sector).

Experience

• Significant partnerships experience in a charitable organisation and/or social enterprise
• Extensive experience of leading on the production of partnership strategies
• Strong evidenced complex project management experience including cross organisational or multi-stakeholder projects ensuring that targets are met within the timeframe and budget set.
• Demonstrable success and expertise in building and managing complex relationships, often through others, with a variety of stakeholders.
• Demonstrable experience of collaboration and stakeholder management. Includes forging and maintaining effective new relationships and partnerships, between diverse actors at all levels.
• Entrepreneurship skills – proven experience of establishing new projects initiatives and of developing strong relationships and productive partnerships
• Strong representational and communication skills, able to articulate a vision, strategy, or ideas clearly and concisely

Abilities

• Ability to build and work as part of a high performing team and work effectively across the different functions to ensure maximum effectiveness and impact
• Instinctively collaborative with the ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with partners and stakeholders

Aptitude

• An instinctively analytical and strategic thinker
• Familiarity with the development and humanitarian sector and working across partnerships
• Highly effective in influencing, negotiating, and lobbying with senior stakeholders
• A demonstrable commitment to the principles of diversity and inclusion and their practical application and integration in the work environment
• A commitment to Save the Children UK’s aims and core values of accountability, ambition, collaboration, creativity, and integrity

Please note we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and interviews will be scheduled as applications are received. Please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Remote Working:

The majority of SCUK employees are currently working remotely within the UK in line with UK Government guidance. Commencing July 2021 we will transition to flexible and hybrid ways of working (i.e. a mixture of remote/home and office-based working) as social distancing restrictions ease.

We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview**.**

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:

Save the Children UK is committed to diversity and equality of opportunity in all aspects of our work both external and internal. We strive to be an inclusive employer and particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups such as returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people who are LGBT+, from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, with a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, with caring responsibilities, from different nations and regions, and from less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.

To see our full statement please visit this link: https://jobs.savethechildren.org.uk/our-policies/diversity/