GENERATION CHANGE
Job description: Network Coordinator

Generation Change is seeking outstanding candidates to join the organisation as our Network Coordinator.

Place of work: London, with remote working considered.

Salary: £18,500 (London Living Wage)

Accountable to: Director / Head of Development

Start date:Negotiable.

Hours of work: 35 hours per week; part time may be considered

Contract: 3-year fixed term contract – flexible working.

Background

Generation Change has united a diverse coalition of the leading charities and social enterprises that support young people to take action in their communities on the issues that matter to them.Together we share a powerful vision: for social action to become a normal part of growing up in the UK, so that the next generation can put social purpose at the heart of our society and our economy.

To make that vision a reality will require deep-rooted, systemic change in the way young people are able to take part in social action. We need to see a vast improvement in the way that activities and programmes are delivered, recognised, and given funding to scale up across the country.

At the heart of this problem is a lack of currency for the activities that already take place. It is currently difficult to understand the outcomes that certain programmes are able to achieve, which makes it harder to learn and improve over time, or to build recognition around best practice.

Our Mission

To grow the market for high quality youth social action provision, by making it easy for anyone in any setting to adopt, access and recognise best practice.

How we do it

Starting this year, we are launching a pathway for new organisations to join our partnership – by taking part in a rigorous evaluation and improvement pathway we call the Impact Accelerator.

This 12-month scheme helps practitioners to adopt a shared impact framework, which they then use to drive learning about impact. Organisations that successfully adopt this model join our movement as “Impact Partners” – gaining recognition as pioneers of best practice in youth social action.

Generation Change will support our community of Impact Partners to drive a wider movement for best practice – setting benchmarks, and sharing insights that can improve the way that youth programmes get funded, delivered and replicated across the country.

Context of the vacancy

Founded in 2013, Generation Change worked over a period of 4 years to facilitate collaborative innovation amongst a founding partnership of 18 organisations. During this time we piloted what later became our Impact Accelerator and other products and services that had the potential to achieve widespread buy-in from key stakeholders and drive systemic change.

We have now secured a 3-year funding contract to deliver the Impact Accelerator to at least 35 organisations between now and 2020. We are therefore in the process of hiring up a team that can deliver this model, looking for people who have the smarts to work at a rapid pace to grow a valued membership offer for a diverse community of delivery organisations.

The Network Coordinator will be crucial to making all of this happen. You will be involved in a diverse range of activities to deliver key parts of our activities – working closely with our partnership of sector leaders and practitioners. This role offers rapid career development for someone who is able to quickly get invested in the entrepreneurial nature of the organisation.

About the role

The Network Coordinator will work closely with other team members and our partners to deliver a programme of events, training and consultancy, that seeks to build a dynamic membership network of professionals in youth social action.

You will primarily be responsible for administering and delivering our new services, and will need to rapidly put in place new project management processes, working efficiently with freely available technology to hone a very efficient operation.

Key responsibilities

  • Build and maintain relationships of trust with clients, partners and programme participants, as well as youth social action practitioners at Generation Change Member and Impact Partner organisations
  • Coordinate and manage the recruitment and on-boarding process for Impact Accelerator organisations.
  • Support the delivery of the Impact Accelerator by coordinating and managing a schedule of training, consultancy and independent validation events and meetings
  • Take notes, capture key insights and contribute to a consistent log of progress for each participating organisation, helping to inform wider analysis and content creation between Generation Change staff and our research partners.
  • Produce and coordinate external facing events, workshops and roundtables, and contribute by performing a range of tasks to help facilitate and capture outputs – such as take minutes, set up venues, ensure materials are prepared, help to convene, take notes, etc.
  • Manage internal and external timelines for our clients, partners and funders, helping to maintain our CRM system by updating progress against a series of pipelines that help to understand performance.
  • Schedule meetings and events, perform diary management.
  • Contribute to client acquisition by attending meetings with prospective partners, and acting as a well-informed advocate for our services.
  • Produce, update and develop new dissemination materials, collateral and marketing including updating the website and managing storytelling.
  • Help to sustain and manage a community of practitioners in youth social action, using a range of appropriate digital tools and communication channels.
  • Manage our social media, website content and external facing newsletters, contributing and sourcing high quality content on a regular schedule.
  • Produce regular e-mail communications across our network, helping to capture valuable content, answer queries, and identify new ways of adding value to our community
  • Support and advance the organisation’s impact evaluation strategy.
  • Log problems, research findings, and contribute to design processes

Other responsibilities

  • Model Generation Change’s values and articulate our vision, mission and strategy to a range of stakeholders
  • Maintain high levels of productivity and manage your own time effectively across a flexible working environment that affords high levels of freedom in how you carry out your work.
  • Represent Generation Change in a range of contexts to external audiences;
  • Build effective relationships with team members, our network community and external partners, helping to sustain a positive environment for collaboration.
  • The Director may assign other business tasks from time to time.

Person specification

We’re looking for someone with relevant experience, a passion for social action, and lots of potential for personal growth. The successful candidate will be an enterprising self-starter with the energy and passion to work hard for a second-tier organisation that is looking to drive behaviour change across a range of charities that deliver programmes to young people.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age. Appointment will be based on merit alone.

This role would be ideal for someone with volunteering experience and lots of potential. We are looking for enthusiasm and a proactive attitude, as well as strong communication and organisational skills. You will be eager to gain experience and hungry to learn from a fast-paced environment that is focused on creating value for our users and growing our operations over the next 12 months.

All of the below are considered essential requirements. We will look for clear examples of how you have demonstrated these skills and attributes in your CV, cover letter, and at interview stage.

  • Educated to a degree level – we will be considering recent and prospective graduates that demonstrate outstanding talent.
  • Highly enterprising – we are looking for some experience of having gone above and beyond in previous work, education or voluntary roles to add value to organisations or projects, and spotting opportunities where others might have been happy with the status quo.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to write compelling, concise and clear prose in different formats, do public speaking, win people over, tell stories, build an audience or produce effective material for communicating with customers.
  • Pro-active, self-motivated.You are proactive, never hesitate to roll up your sleeves, like tackling problems hands-on, and don’t need to wait to be told what to do before getting on with things.
  • Excellent time management skills. You are able to prioritise under pressure, have learned how tostay productive and can stick to deadlines.
  • Excellent personal skills. You have an ability to form relationships of sincere trust / integrity from people who are more experienced or senior to you, and you enjoy motivating others to meet their potential.
  • Analytical, able to digest large amounts of information or data, grasp complex ideas or conflicting worldviews, and still come to a clear interpretation.
  • Tech literate / an early adopter.You love discovering new web based tech, apps, social media or browser extensions that make your life easier.
  • Humble. Open to being wrong, a keen learner that absorbs and even relishes constructive criticism, bad news or negative data.
  • Deeply passionate about our mission. You want to live in a world that runs on social purpose rather than self-interest.
  • Ambitious. You see the potential of Generation Change and are looking for the fast personal growth opportunity that comes from working atan entrepreneurial organisation.

Job requirements

Contract:

/ 35 hours per week. Part-time will be considered. This role is a 3-year, flexible working contract, meaning you will be managing your own time, with a 6-month probationary period.

Location:

/ London based, but we will consider remote working. If remote working, can be based anywhere in the UK, but we will require some work in London on most weeks. There will be travel to other parts of the UK.

Hours of work:

/ Flexible. Our normal office hours are 9:30am – 5:30pm, Monday to Friday, but all staff work flexibly and will be able to manage their own time.

Start date:

/ As soon as possible, with flexibility for notice periods.

Salary:

/ £18,500 - £24,000 per annum

Pension:

/ 3% pension contribution, with 3% employer contributions.

Annual leave:

/ 25 days as a minimum leave requirement (pro-rata)

Benefits:

/ Unlimited holiday policy. Part-time considered.

To apply

To apply for this position please send your CV, plus a cover letter no longer than 2 pages, to: . We also ask candidates to complete an equal opportunities form:
Closing date: midnight, 16th March 2018

Remuneration