H2H Executive Director

The H2H Network seeks an entrepreneurial leader to become its new director" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">Executive Director and help the network achieve its full potential. H2H stands for ‘humanitarian to humanitarian’ and is used to describe humanitarian actors that provide services to other humanitarian actors rather than directly to crisis-affected populations, from mapping to community engagement, accountability, data assessment or logistics assessments. H2H is loosely based on the B2B concept from the private sector. H2H members provide services to improve the way the world responds to crises, from mapping to independent needs assessments, from translation to surveys with crisis-affected people about the quality of the aid they receive. We think of ourselves as positive deviants, bringing a new approach to change the system within humanitarian response. Together, we are a swarm of change agents that make humanitarian action more effective and accountable. But we are often invisible in a humanitarian aid industry dominated by big UN agencies and NGOs – seen as “too important to fail, too small to fund”. The H2H model has been a powerful strategy for driving humanitarian change over the past decades. Creating a platform for H2H organisations to network and collaborate provides a unique opportunity to accelerate the transformation of the humanitarian system. H2H agencies have proven to be nimble, innovative, and well-suited to develop new solutions to the problems it has been difficult to address through the Grand Bargain. The H2H Network was created in 2016 in the margins of the World Humanitarian Summit. Since then, it has grown to comprise more than 60 independent humanitarian organizations that serve the dual purpose of being humanitarian service providers and change agents helping the humanitarian system evolve. The H2H Network is a project, currently hosted by DRC in Geneva. About the job In its pilot phase, H2H has proven its value. We now seek a CEO who can now take the concept to scale and help the network achieve its full potential at this nascent period in its evolution. The CEO will oversee the Secretariat (composed of 6 staffs which serves a membership of 60, including a 4 million GBP fund to members that it administers), build the visibility of the network, attract diverse funding and grow the network’s ability to provide value to its various stakeholders: members, donors, and the humanitarian response system more broadly. The position reports directly to a hosting agency as line manager. Functionally, this position reports to the network board. It is a full-time position and an open ending contract. The director will have to lead H2H through the following components in the coming years:

• growing the network and better engaging members,
• creating a sustainable funding model for the network,
• making the network’s services available and more relevant to a wider set of actors, including lobal organisations,
• raising the profile of H2H organisations and helping them play a bigger role in the humanitarian system has a whole,
• and generating evidence and learning through rigorous testing of new ideas and approaches.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be: Governance of the network

• Manage accountability and reporting to the Board for ongoing activities and progress against objectives.
• Meet regularly with the board and follow up on board priorities; ensure implementation of priorities within the core team and /or member committees.
• Support the board in securing additional independent board members, building out the fund committee, and assessing need for further governance structures.

Strategy and delivery

• Oversee development of the long-term strategy with the board; ensure consensus within the membership and core team.
• Develop with the core team annual workplan that execute on the long-term strategy, especially in areas of network services, communications and sustainability.
• Ensure execution of strategies through ongoing and regularly updated workplans in key areas.
• Oversee development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation framework to build an evidence base and show impact, supporting the long-term strategy.

Outreach and communication

• Represent H2H Network the network, especially with donors, hosting entities and external partners; build partnerships that are advantageous to the network and its members.
• Advocate for humanitarian services throughout the global system; participate in external events to raise visibility of the network and its members.
• Communicate strategy with key constituents, especially donors, potential donors, members and external influencers.
• Ensure the network is embedded in cross-cutting initiatives within the system.

Fundraising

• Manage the donor(s) relations including informal and formal reporting against funding objectives.
• Build relationships with new donors and convert this into flexible funding.

Membership and services to members

• Oversee the head of network manager
• Meet formally and informally with current and prospective members to understand their needs and concerns, and to suggest strategy adaptation if necessary.
• Oversee membership annual general meeting.

Management

• Manage the core team and foster a healthy environment within the team; ensure timely feedback, conduct performance appraisals, oversee team communications and modify as necessary.
• Oversee the partnership with hosting agency.

About you The ideal candidate will have experience in humanitarian operations on the ground; will know how to speak the language of the global policy/funding community; will be able to see success through the agency of others; will be entrepreneurial in mindset and approach; and will have the energy and vision to drive a young organisation forward, has experience taking initiatives to scale. We particularly welcome candidates with lived experience of crises and/or from the regions of the world in which humanitarian operations take place. H2H is a fairly young initiative, and this position requires an appetite for operations management. Experience & Background

• At least 10 years’ experience of working with humanitarian action
• Experience working with or within small humanitarian agencies
• Demonstrated knowledge of the global humanitarian structure and reform agenda. Strong knowledge of humanitarian architecture, institutions, dynamics, and thematic priorities in the international humanitarian sector
• Experience taking an organisation or initiative to scale and successfully managing change within teams

Core competencies

• Agile leadership, able to adapt style and bring different stakeholders together, promote collaboration and facilitate consensus around an ambitious purpose, adding value rather than seeking to disrupt
• Results-oriented - proven capacity to turn vision into pragmatic delivery
• Strong partnership builder, demonstrated by ability to successfully identify and convert relationships with institutional donors and other funders into flexible funding
• Proven track record in building strong partnerships donors including FCDO, BHA, SIDA, SDC,…

• Demonstrated experience in managing staff remotely and in-person

Desirable

• Knowledge of and interest in the H2H Network and the H2H concept
• Prior experience of network development and/or fund management

We have described the qualities we are seeking in this position, but we recognise that there will be strong candidates who do not meet all the requirements listed here but have other important qualities. Thus, we encourage all interested candidates to apply. In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies: Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process. Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback. Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation. Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly. Demonstrating integrity: Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. We offer Contract length: Open ended Band: Senior Management, E Designation of duty station: Geneva Desired start date: mid July Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Geneva Representation Terms of Employment. This position will be placed at Employment Band – E of the DRC Geneva salary scale. From this amount the candidate will contribute to social security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security, income tax and mandatory health insurance. DRC does not pay any additional allowances (schooling, housing etc.). DRC will issue an international contract with conditions in line with the ‘Deployment Agreement between Danish Refugee Council and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (signed on the 4th October 2016). Application Process Applicants must upload a cover letter (no longer than one page) and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. Incomplete applications and applications sent by email will not be considered. Closing date for applications: 15 June In the application outline your interest in working with H2H, few lines about what you think makes membership networks succeed, and the differences of leading a membership organization, why your past experience is relevant for this role in a small entrepreneurial non-profit; and the 1-3 things you think will make or break your ability to succeed in this role. A shortlist of qualified candidates will be invited to undertake a written assessment, based on which a final shortlist will be selected for a competency-based interview. Gender Equality: DRC is committed to achieving gender parity in staffing at all levels. Equal opportunities: DRC is an equal opportunities employer. We value diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability status, religion, ethnic origin, colour, race, marital status or other protected characteristics. For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website www.drc.ngo. If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please visit drc.ngo/jobsupport.