Research Director

£50 - £55 per annum pro rata

3-4 days per week

Job Description

Overall Job Purpose:

We are seeking to considerably increase our impact from an already strong base and to expand our reach beyond the UK. The purpose of this role is to provide clear, strategic leadership for our Programme Teams as a whole in order to help us achieve this.

  1. Managing a team
  • Providing clear leadership
  • Working closely with programme heads ensuring:
  • Co-development and implementation of strategy to establish/continue radical programmes of work in key areas within nef.
  • Provide cutting edge and innovative research and policy solutions in these areas
  • Achieve sustainable funding for the programmes through identifying and securing new sources of funding; building relationships with existing funders; implementing good financial management
  • Relationship management including developing effective partnerships with other organisations and associates
  • Empowerment of team members individually and as a whole
  • Clearly define and promote career progression and development paths for team members
  1. Strategy and Overall management of nef
  • Identify and respond to new opportunities
  • Strategic integration of the project diversity within nef
  • Work with the other directors and the Management team to set the overall vision and strategy of the organisation.
  1. Financial management & direction
  • Analysis of management accounts
  • Problem identification and solution
  • Management and strategic overview for the respective teams
  • Preparation of budget
  • Liaison with Operations Director and Executive Director
  • Tactical integration of the project diversity within nef
  1. Innovating
  • Ensuring a clear portfolio of new innovations in nef’s programmes
  • Contribute to a systematic approach to learning and knowledge management across nef
  1. Inspiring
  • Inspiring the team, its members and the rest of nef
  • Inspiring the external audience
  • Working closely with the External Affairs Director and team to use effective communications to achieve this
  1. Influencing
  • Devise and achieve policy objectives
  • Build relationships with decision makers
  • Working closely with the External Affairs Director and team to use effective communications to achieve this

Person Specification

We are looking to recruit someone who has:

Experience and Skills

  • Significant experience of senior strategic management
  • A relevant second degree
  • A first classstrategist,thinker and planner
  • Strong senior management skills and experience.
  • First class communication skills and the networking ability to build alliances and partnerships with like-minded organisations and networks, both in the UK and internationally

Qualities

  • Clarity of thought and coherence in debate
  • The intellectual ability to understand and contribute to the development of nef’s programmes
  • The ability to instil a sense of confidence in nef, especially with respect to developing a more reflective and knowledge sharing culture and to maximizing its potential as a change engine for society
  • Opportunistic and entrepreneurial, with an instinct for knowing when and what to communicate with external audiences, including, policy and decision makers, the media etc

Interpersonal Style

  • A balance of confidence, maturity and humility and the ability to create space for other leaders
  • Entrepreneurial and a natural networker
  • A sense of humour is a must!
  • A first class communicator with the ability to represent nef diverse audiences
  • Gravitas and the ability to inspire
  • The confidence to delegate but also maintain a sense of overall responsibility for the programmes under his/her care

Track Record

  • Proven ability to build strategic partnerships
  • Proven ability to operate at this level within an organisation
  • Proven ability to develop new areas of research
  • Proven ability to initiate, guide and manage high quality and robust research
  • Proven ability to manage people and finances effectively

Beliefs in Core Philosophy Underpinning Our Work

  • Commitment to a whole systems approach

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