Head of Projects

About AKOU:

AKOU is a social impact consultancy making social impact meaningful for individuals, teams, organisations and communities. Our work supports people to understand, measure and make sense of their social impact.

Since 2014 the AKOU team has been leading action-based research projects and developing tools that support citizen participation in evaluation and impact measurement. Our projects often require research, data analysis, design, tech development and therapeutic practices to produce tools that help people and organisations share better information, build better relationships and have a greater impact on those they aim to serve.

Our clients include organisations such as the GLA, the School for Social Entrepreneurs, Black Thrive, Socius, Lambeth Council, Glitch Charity and Soho Housing Association.

About you:

The Head of Projects is a pivotal senior role at AKOU, responsible for the strategic development of new projects, fostering client relationships, and ensuring the successful delivery of impact, evaluation and community engagement projects, covering the entire project lifecycle.

We’re looking for an inclusive and engaging leader with significant experience in owning the service delivery model for programme delivery. And with proven responsibility for ensuring services are aligned to our strategy and business needs.

Ideally, you have a background in social impact evaluation along with the ability to manage projects and teams. You will be leading AKOU’s delivery team, collaborating with and guiding team members across our projects. You will also collaborate closely with senior individuals from Sales, Operations and Product Development.

Key responsibilities:

• Managing AKOU’s portfolio across customers, ensuring project delivery meets community and client needs, and adheres to AKOU’s principles, values, and strategic plan
• Collaborating with Finance and Operations colleagues to track project budgets, plan finances, and manage costs efficiently and promptly
• Tracking delivery health of portfolio and overseeing timely implementation of projects (employing effective Monitoring and Evaluation systems that align with desired impacts internal product development)
• Providing feedback to the Sales team about key client and community interactions on projects
• Integrating co-design, capacity building and community-focussed approaches into all activities as appropriate, while continuously reviewing diversity, inclusivity and equitable access of AKOU’s services and tools
• Leading the design of community outreach strategies to effectively engage and connect with target audiences
• Using data science expertise to determine optimal methods for analysing and structuring data, ensuring alignment with desired outcomes and facilitating informed decision-making
• Leading client and stakeholder management to support seamless collaboration and lasting partnerships
• Overseeing data quality, indicator management, and compliance with industry standards to produce client reports and management reports
• Coordinating development of proposals with the Sales team so that proposed work is technically sound and in line with AKOU’s business strategy
• Managing, direct-report staff – this includes communicating expectations clearly, setting performance goals, fostering a supportive environment with an emphasis on accountability, offering timely and constructive feedback, and conducting structured performance reviews

Your skills and experience:

• BA/MA/MSc or equivalent in the field of social science, humanities or built environment, (i.e. Sociology, Anthropology, Urban Studies, etc.)
• 3+ years experience in a research management position or equivalent
• Demonstrated project management experience, with the ability to keep multiple projects running, while providing hands-on support and guidance to the research team
• Experienced in delivering social impact measurement and evaluation practices
• Trained and knowledgeable in research design, monitoring, and evaluation concepts and methodologies. Research skills should include qualitative and quantitative methods, incl. interviewing, focus groups and survey creation, as well as analysis of this data
• Experienced in leadership, with an ability to engage, motivate and manage a team effectively to achieve high-quality outcomes
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills able to present and interact with a range of stakeholders and audiences
• A proven self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit – able to build something from scratch and overcome barriers and setbacks
• Able to translate insights into ideas and ideas into action – collating and analysing data quickly and effectively
• Proven experience in representing an organisation at a senior level to various stakeholders, including giving presentations and leading group discussions
• Committed to the use of storytelling and creativity to engage communities, clients and stakeholders with social impact.