Job Opportunity: Chief Executive - Interim

27 August 2019

SUMMARY

Job title	Chief Executive - Interim
Reporting to	Board of Trustees
Salary	£50,000 per annum ORG operates a contributory pension scheme with an employer’s contribution of 6%.
Contract type	Full-time Fixed term – 6 months
Hours	5 days (37.5 hours per 5-day week)
Location	The Green House 244-254 Cambridge Heath Road E2 9DA
How to apply	Please send a covering letter (1-page max.) and CV (2 pages max) to [email protected] by noon (GMT) on Friday 20th September 2019.
Eligibility	Please note that you must be eligible to work in the UK in order to apply.
Interviews	We expect to hold interviews in London at the end of September.

ABOUT THE ROLE

This is an exciting and critical time of growth and organisational development for Oxford Research Group. As we have recently developed our new 3-year strategy into action, we are looking to put it into action and scale-up our organisation to ensure we can deliver on our planned impact.

We are looking for an inspirational Chief Executive to build on our current successes, drive our strategy and accelerate progress towards our vision.

The role requires a focus to income generation to support the strategy and credibility to be a compelling spokesperson and advocate for the organisation to build its reputation.

ABOUT YOU

You will be an experienced people leader with the strategic vision and drive to ensure a forward looking and ambitious agenda, bringing significant experience of leading a team and an ability to deliver organisational change.

You will be entrepreneurial, authentic, adaptable and action orientated. You will have excellent communication and ambassadorial skills as well as the ability to build strong relationships across a complex range of stakeholders. Most importantly, you will demonstrate a passion for the cause, personal integrity, a commitment to diversity and positive leadership.

ABOUT US

We are influential in developing new approaches to sustaining peace and security. We use our research and peacebuilding projects to connect, educate and inspire others to work together to break the cycle of violence.

Our work is more important than ever with 33 countries currently experiencing armed conflict, 70.8 million people being forcibly displaced globally and almost half of all post-civil war countries relapsing into conflict within 5 years.

We work with those affected by conflict and engage with policymakers around the world because we believe that together we can make a change.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

FUNDRAISING

Has a major focus on income generation by driving delivery of existing income channels and spearheading the development of new, sustainable income streams.
Develop and build relationships with partners, supporters, funders and potential funders to maximise opportunities for income generation.
Develop the organisation’s capabilities and readiness for future grant funding from high profile donors.
Ensure that the organisation can communicate demonstrable impact and is able to clearly articulate this to a range of stakeholders, including key donors.
Provide direction and support to staff and volunteers involved in income generation activities and ensure team efforts are coordinated.

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Maintain and further develop networks including political decision makers, major donors, existing and potential partner organisations.
Represent the organisation in the press and at public speaking engagements to raise the profile and awareness of its work.

STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION & LEADERSHIP

Lead in the implementation of strategic and operational plans, ensuring effective systems and procedures are in place for projects, communications, fundraising and monitoring & evaluation.
Ensure current work is in line with objectives and identify strategic opportunities in potential new areas of work.
Take overall responsibility for achieving, monitoring and reporting on performance.
Work with the team to ensure that the organisation has the most effective and robust systems in place to monitor and capture evidence of impact.
Develop a culture of continuous improvement throughout the organisation.

LINE MANAGEMENT

Responsibility for a staff team of ten including five direct reports.
Lead a culture which actively encourages and values the contributions of all team members and creates a collaborative and integrated environment.
Ensure that staff are recognised and rewarded, and that sufficient support is provided to develop
Develop and maintain robust communication with all staff.

GOVERNANCE

Provide leadership to the charity to deliver its objectives consistent with its mission and aims.
Provide appropriate, regular information and advice to the Board to enable them to execute their duties responsibly in the best interests of the charity.
Agree any major changes to policy, procedures or plans with the Board.
Be responsible for the overall financial health of the organisation ensuring diverse streams of income.
Ensure a disciplined approach to budgeting and expenditure so that resources are managed effectively and efficiently, with the aim of achieving value for money in all that the organisation does.
Regularly review and manage potential organisational, external and reputational risks.

	Description	Requirement
Criteria
Education & Qualifications	A degree or equivalent professional qualification.	Desirable
Experience	Proven fundraising skills that have resulted in major income streams.	Essential
	Experience in leading and managing organisational change.	Essential
	Proven track record in scaling up organisations.	Essential
	Experience in implementing and operationalising strategies.	Essential
	Experience in synthesising and communicating complex information for different audiences.	Essential
	Demonstrated experience in acting as the public face for an organisation with a desire to grow its profile.	Essential
Skills & Abilities	Ability to build and manage successful relationships with policymakers, funders and partners.	Essential
	Demonstrated ability to think creatively and strategically and to understand political sensitivities.	Essential
	Outstanding time management and prioritisation skills and works well under pressure.	Essential
	Fluency in spoken and written English with excellent communication and presentation skills.	Essential
	Excellent people management skills and knowledge of HR practice.	Essential
Knowledge & Understanding	An interest in peace and security issues, foreign policy or international relations.	Desirable
Other	Strong commitment to ORG’s vision, mission and values.	Essential

WORKING AT ORG

Oxford Research Group aims to recruit and retain passionate people who have the skills and commitment to meet our vision, and we have a pay and benefits system which is competitive in our sector and reflects our values.

Our reward system aims to:

Encourage and enable accountability;
Enable on-going learning and career development;
Recognise achievement, skills, competence and development;
Support and enables recruitment and retention of the best candidates;
Be equitable, fair, transparent and flexible.

Location

Our London office is currently based at The Green House near Bethnal Green, London E2. The building is a bright and friendly shared space for social businesses, charities and not-for-profit organisations.

Flexible working

We embrace flexible working practices and endeavour to accommodate requests for flexible working where possible.

Probation period

All appointments are subject to a 3 months’ probationary period. During probation, you are required to give one weeks’ notice.

Employee Benefits and Assistance

ORG appreciates the invaluable contribution made by all employees and offers a range of benefits and policies.

Benefits/Policies
Financial
Living Wage Employer	Oxford Research is an accredited Living Wage employer and has a commitment to pay a Living Wage, as set by the Living Wage Foundation for all UK employees.
Benchmarked salaries	In 2018, ORG conducted a salary benchmarking using an independent advisor to ensure that our salaries remain competitive. The expectation is that such a review be conducted every 3-5 years.
Pension	ORG is committed to assisting staff to make adequate provision for retirement and offers membership of a group personal pension plan operated by Aegon. ORG will make a 6% contribution and employees are asked to contribute 3%. If eligible, ORG will auto-enrol you into a pension scheme, in accordance with its pensions auto-enrolment obligations. Full details of the scheme will be given to you when you are enrolled including your right to opt out if you do not want to be a member of the scheme.

Work life balance
Annual Leave	All staff are entitled to 25 days annual leave per year plus UK bank holidays (pro rata for part-time staff). In addition, our office is closed on Christmas Eve. Staff are entitled to carry over 5 days (pro rata for part-time staff) to the next annual leave year. The annual leave year runs from 1st January – 31st December. Staff starting during the annual leave year will receive a pro– rated entitlement for the remainder of that year.
Flexible working	ORG is open to a range of flexible working arrangements. The right to request flexible working arrangements is open to all staff.
Compassionate leave	ORG will provide employees full pay for time off on compassionate leave up to a maximum of 5 days (pro rata for part-time staff) in a rolling year. Further time off will be unpaid.
Emergency leave	ORG will provide employees full pay for time off on emergency leave up to a maximum of 2 days (pro rata for part-time staff) in a rolling year. Further time off under this policy will be unpaid.
Health and well being
Sick leave and pay	ORG offers 4 weeks occupational sick pay scheme in place to all staff in any rolling year.
Cycle to Work Scheme	This scheme provides a tax efficient way to obtain a bicycle and accessories up to the value of £1,000. Repayments are made over 12 months by means of salary sacrifice in order to obtain full relief from both income tax and National Insurance. To be eligible, employees need to have completed their probationary period and have an employment contract which lasts for at least 12 months from the date the bicycle is collected.
Employee Assistance Programme	ORG is committed to health and well-being of its employees and has put in place an employee assistance programme that offers access to a variety of confidential services including telephone and online counselling and legal and financial information services.
Personal and Professional Development
Performance Management Process	Each year the Chief Executive and Directors participate in performance appraisals, as part of the same feedback and appraisal scheme operated for all ORG staff.
Learning and knowledge sharing	Working alongside our passionate and dedicated staff is one of the main attractions of working at ORG. Staff here are experts in their field, which contributes to informal learning and knowledge sharing opportunities across the organisation.
Training and career development	ORG is committed to ensuring staff receive appropriate professional development and therefore aims to offer formal and informal training and development to all its employees

Latest

Annual Report 2018

Oxford Research Group is delighted to share its Annual Report for 2018. 2018 was a tremendous year for ORG’s work and impact. We began by incorporating the Remote Warfare Programme, expanded our long-term work on the Middle East Peace Process and climate security, and took on our biggest project yet, working on Yemen’s stalled peace process.
Cycles of Violence: To Afghanistan and Back

As the United States seeks to end its 18-year war in Afghanistan through negotiations with the Taliban, this briefing revisits how Washington and the Western coalition have responded to the 9/11 attacks and stoked the cycle of violence that has empowered al-Qaida, Islamic State and other extreme, anti-Western groups.
Job Opportunity: Chief Executive - Interim

We are looking for an inspirational Chief Executive to build on our current successes, drive our strategy and accelerate progress towards our vision.
Job Opportunity: Head of Fundraising

We are seeking an experienced fundraiser to join our close-knit team to provide the pivotal leadership and talent to help the organisation generate the income needed to achieve its goals. Apply by Wednesday 11th September 2019.

Job Opportunity: Head of Fundraising

We are seeking an experienced fundraiser to join our close-knit team to provide the pivotal leadership and talent to help the organisation generate the income needed to achieve its goals. Apply by Wednesday 11th September 2019.
Job Opportunity: Programme Support Intern, Strategic Peacebuilding Programme

ORG is looking to recruit an enthusiastic and well organised intern who is keen gain experience in international peacebuilding projects in the Middle East as well as charitable fundraising. Apply by Friday 6th September 2019.

The Role of Youth in Peacebuilding: Challenges and Opportunities

Young people are frequently ‘othered’ in discussions about conflict. This is a dangerous practice as youths can play a very positive role aiding peacebuilding in societies recovering from conflict.
Making Bad Economies: The Poverty of Mexican Drug Cartels

Some stories say that local economies benefit from cartels in Mexico. But research suggests that the areas most plagued by drug-related violence have seriously suffered economically.
ORG's Vision

Oxford Research Group (ORG) is an independent organisation that has been influential for over 35 years in pioneering new, more strategic approaches to security and peacebuilding. Based in London since 2006, ORG continues to pursue cutting edge research and advocacy in the United Kingdom and abroad while managing innovative peacebuilding projects in several Middle Eastern countries.
Remote Warfare: Lessons Learned from Contemporary Theatres

This report is a first attempt to identify some of the factors that have helped or hindered the UK’s current approach to remote warfare.
Weavers of Peace: The Higaonon Tribe in the Philippines

The Higaonon, an indigenous tribe in Northern Mindanao in the southern Philippines, have preserved an ancient system of conflict resolution which has enabled them to be a truly peaceful community. However, there is a need to ensure that this knowledge is not lost in the future.
The Cyprus Problem: Why Solve a Comfortable Conflict?

Several diplomatic efforts have been made both domestically and internationally to enhance peaceful unity since the start of the Cyprus Problem. Despite the shortcomings of past efforts, it is still desirable not only to resolve the issue, but also to do so in a timely manner.
Why Does UN Humanitarian Intervention Remain Selective?

Over the past two decades, the United Nations Security Council has responded more strongly to some humanitarian crises than to others. This variation in Security Council action raises the important question of what factors motivate United Nations intervention.
The UK and UN Peace Operations: A Case for Greater Engagement

This report supports an enhanced role for Britain in UN peace operations and sets out a case for greater engagement.
The Politics of Coltan: An Interview with Michael Nest

In this interview, Dr. Michael Nest discusses the political, environmental, ethical and social issues surrounding the mining of columbite–tantalite (coltan).
The Expanding Role of Chinese Peacekeeping in Africa

China's increased involvement in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping in Africa reflects a broader trend of the country taking a more proactive approach to foreign policy.