Strategic Innovation Coordinator At Help a Child

Red een Kind (Help a Child) is a Christian, international non-profit organization, founded in The Netherlands in 1968. We provide a future for children in poverty, their families, and their entire communities. We collaborate with various Dutch, international and local organizations. Together with 40 colleagues in Zwolle and 150 in our country offices, we work in India, Kenya, Burundi, Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Somalia, and the DR Congo. We are thankful for the support and funding we receive from thousands of individuals, families, institutional donors, churches, businesses, and foundations.

In recent years we have transitioned from achieving ad hoc innovative successes to becoming an organization where innovation is increasingly becoming an integral part of our culture and way of working. Examples of successful innovation projects include Empowered to Protect, Build Your Own Buddy, and Integrated Farm Planning (PIP) We believe that our continued focus on innovation will greatly increase our impact and organizational sustainability.

Are you an experienced innovator and are you looking for the next step in your career? Do you believe that every child is a gift from God and are you eager to use your expertise to improve the lives of children in need? We are recruiting a

Strategic Innovation Coordinator
(Zwolle, 24-32 hours per week)

Your job

In this position you are responsible for growing the innovative mindset and culture of our organization. That means sharpening our innovation strategy, managing our portfolio of innovation projects and pilots, challenging and enlarging our way of thinking, fine-tuning our processes, and showing colleagues in Zwolle and in our country offices the impact and importance of innovation on our mission to improve the lives of children in need.

You report to Tiny, manager expertise & innovation (E&I) and are part of the E&I department that consists of 4 thematic experts and a business developer.

In this strategic position you are responsible for:

• Updating and fine-tuning our innovation strategy, and translating this strategy into annual plans, pilots, concepts, efficient processes, and practical applications.
• Managing existing and new innovation projects from inception to execution, including lessons learned.
• Exploring new opportunities that strengthen our partners, support localization, and increase our organizational efficiency and impact.
• Representing our organization in relevant networks and managing relationships with innovation partners.
• Positioning innovation as a core value in our organization; encouraging all colleagues in Zwolle and our country offices to participate in innovative thinking and working and challenging them to embrace the benefits and importance of innovation.
• Together with Willem, our business developer, translating concepts into viable and successful projects and solutions.
• Collaborating with your expert colleagues and fundraising team on funding proposals that showcase our innovative concepts.

Your profile

Are you ready to add your expertise to our team? We look forward to hearing from you when you:

• Are enthusiastic about our mission and impact, and as a Christian support our vision and core values.
• Are solutions-oriented, a co-creator with strong analytical skills, connecting innovative concepts with practical application.
• Are able to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
• Possess business acumen, are results oriented, and have intercultural communication skills.
• Have excellent command of English both in writing and speaking.
• Are up to date with relevant innovation developments and methodologies, including knowledge of IT and AI, and the possibilities they can offer the international NGO sector.
• Have a relevant university degree and multi-year relevant experience implementing strategic innovation.

Working with Red een Kind

Together with colleagues in Zwolle and abroad we all work together to provide a future for children, families and communities in India and Eastern Africa. Will you join our mission? We also offer:

• A strategic position in a growing international faith-based NGO.
• An ambitious team eager to collaborate with you.
• The opportunity to visit our local projects and connect with partners.
• An inspiring, dynamic, and international work environment; we offer regular team development training opportunities and focus on developing your level of expertise.
• A sustainable travel policy: public transport costs are fully covered, and travel time is work time.
• A gross salary of €3.552,- to €5,144,- (based on fulltime, 36 hours, cao Sociaal Werk) and excellent benefits such as a 13th month, a comprehensive pension scheme, home office allowance, flexible working hours, and hybrid working.