Head of Programmes and Partnerships At Indigo Volunteers

ROLE DESCRIPTION

Role Title: Head of Programmes and Partnerships

Suitability: UK or EU nationals only

Location: Remote working from Athens

Reporting to: CEO

Hours: 37.5 hours / 5 days a week

Remuneration: Based on experience and location and in line with other non-governmental agencies in our field.

Benefits: Being part of a wonderful team and helping amazing grassroots organisations find volunteers

Main objective of role: Develop and maintain excellent relationships with all partner organisations along the European refugee route, manage our recruitment team and oversee our psycho-social support (PSS) and capacity building programmes

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Head of Programmes and Partnerships oversees our daily work and serves as our main point of contact in the field. It is your job to ensure that we maintain excellent relationships with our grassroots partners, that our programmes match their needs and that our work is carried out in a responsible and effective way.

As part of the leadership team, you will work closely with the CEO and operations staff to drive our strategy and ensure that everyone in Indigo plays their part in producing the greatest possible impact. The Head of Programmes and Partnerships plays a central role within our team, acting as a bridge between our operational and executive staff and providing on the ground updates to those working on marketing, fundraising, administration, and governance. It will be your task to understand the work of our partners, be aware of their most current needs and provide contextual analysis with regards to the ongoing European refugee crisis as well as accurate on the ground information from the different countries we operate in.

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE

The Head of Programmes and Partnerships oversees Indigo’s programmes, manages our team of volunteer coordinators in their daily recruitment tasks and maintains relationships with our network of 50 partner organisations, working with people on the move across Europe.

Our programme consists of three main components, which are:

1. our volunteer-matching service;
2. a psycho-social support (PSS) programme for volunteers as well as partner organisations, and;
3. our capacity-building activities, which we aim to include a training programme.

It is your responsibility to ensure that these programmes run effectively, match our partner’s needs and are executed with a keen eye for quality and care with regards to partner organisations, volunteers, and the refugee and migrant community that they support.

The Head of Programmes and Partnerships works from Athens to serve as our primary point of contact for all operational partners, and to ensure that these partnerships are nurtured throughout our activities. You operate at the centre of our team, managing the volunteer coordinators in their daily work whilst liaising with the CEO, the operations team and our marketing and fundraising staff to ensure that our programmes run smoothly and all activities are aligned and synchronised.

Managing our team of remote volunteer coordinators means that you provide a supportive and inspiring online working space whilst ensuring that their work is on track and our envisioned results are attained. You lead our day-to-day mission, serving as our main troubleshooter in case of on-the-ground issues and liaising with our leadership team and grassroots partners to find diplomatic solutions if the situation so requires.

You are expected to be an ambassador for Indigo, promoting a meaningful, happy, healthy, and effective volunteer experience for all.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Partnership Management:

• Keep in regular and clear communication with our partner organisations; obtain regular updates about our partner needs for training and PSS
• Work with grassroots leadership to understand the context and challenges of their work in order to continue developing our collaboration with them
• Work closely with the content team to communicate Indigo’s mission and objectives throughout our messaging, and ensure that we provide regular updates on our daily work
• Identify new partner organisations to grow our network; carry out their onboarding process and help ensure that all necessary due diligence is in place
• Represent Indigo at events and meetings where needed

Volunteer-matching:

• Manage Indigo’s volunteer coordinators who are handling day-to-day recruitment for our partner network. This includes, but is not limited to:
• Overseeing their workload and ensuring that our objectives are met;
• Nurturing a high-functioning remote working environment – including regular team meetings, 1.1’s, training, ideas-sharing sessions etc
• Ensuring their wellbeing, health and safety
• Supporting them with various tasks they are executing
• Work with our operations team to implement new working strategies in order to meet our partners’ needs
• Work with our operations team to develop and improve the overall volunteer experience
• Identify opportunities to develop and expand our services
• Ensure that impact data is gathered and tracked appropriately

Psycho-Social Support (PSS):

• Oversee the development and implementation of our psycho-social support programme
• Ensure that our psycho-social support services are shared with volunteers and partner organisations to ensure a wide reach
• Maintain and expand our network of pro-bono therapists and counsellors; ensure that all relevant qualifications are in place
• Ensure that impact data is gathered and tracked appropriately

Capacity Building and Training:

• Work with our volunteer coordinators to identify and organise relevant training sessions for our partner network
• Share any resources or capacity building opportunities that are relevant for the development of our partner organisations
• Work with the operations team to create a straightforward process for organising these training and opportunity sharing activities
• Ensure that impact data is gathered and tracked appropriately

Team Work

• Welcome, induct and manage our volunteer coordinators in their daily work
• Foster effective team communication and ensure that everyone is clear on their roles and responsibilities
• Arrange training courses for core staff when opportunities arise
• Actively contribute to maintaining a healthy and nurturing working environment
• Ensure that Indigo’s human resources responsibilities are carried out promptly and effectively
• Collaborate with the CEO to recruit internal volunteers and staff members

Programme Management:

• Ensure that appropriate impact data is collected and analysed to improve Indigo’s programmes
• Liaise with marketing and fundraising staff to provide up to date content from the field; ensure that our partner’s perspectives are taken into account and our messaging is on brand
• Ensure that donor feedback and impact reports are written and delivered on time.
• Support our operations team in the maintenance of our CRM system, Salesforce, and other administrative tools

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• At least two years of experience working in the charity sector; experience with grassroots refugee work or humanitarian programming is highly desirable
• Strong management skills
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Strong relationship management skills and a diplomatic mindset
• Ability to work as part of a remote team and independently manage your working day
• Ability to work in a high pressure environment, with colleagues and partners from diverse cultural backgrounds and with different working/coping styles
• Strong organisation and planning skills
• Solid computer skills (e.g. Microsoft Office, Google Docs/Drive, social media, etc.)
• Confident to speak at meetings and events
• Able to exercise excellent self-care, avoid burnout and promote a healthy working environment
• Adaptable and flexible to travel
• Proactive and able to take initiative
• Enthusiastic about the value of (international) volunteering!

At Indigo Volunteers we see our differences as our strength. We are committed to cultivating an equal and fair working environment free from discrimination on the grounds of gender, marital status, race, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, mental health, religion or age. We believe in promoting a sense of belonging, where our people are heard and valued and diversity of experience and perspective is celebrated. **