Team Leader

About the role

Background

Crown Agents (CA) has been appointed as the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) provider to deliver their programme entitled ‘Support to Civil Society Organisations (SCSO)’ in Ukraine. The project will be a flexible, adaptive, and scalable tool to enable the FCDO to scale up its funding to Ukrainian civil society and improve the capacity and capabilities of Ukrainian CSOs in the following thematic areas: Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), resilience, support to survivors of war crimes and reconstruction.

Main Role Responsibilities

Programme Leadership

Lead the SCSO programme team to achieve high quality and successful delivery of a national scale grants programme aimed at strengthening civil society actors in a range of technical, management and operational areas.
Responsible for strategic planning and project troubleshooting ensuring alignment with the approved programme strategy and Value for Money principles

Quality Technical Delivery

Working closely with Crown Agents Head Office team as well as the programme technical team and consortium partners, ensure technical quality and oversight of all programme activities and deliverables.
Together with the Project Director, set and meet high quality standards for technical and other project deliverables.
Oversee the commissioning and quality assurance of studies (from scope setting through to final analysis) to inform the strategic direction and targeting of the fund.

Programme Delivery

Ensure all project deliverables are submitted on schedule and are of a high quality prior to submission.
Keep project progress under continuous review, working closely with the Project Director and Project Manager and immediately escalate any major problems and opportunities as necessary.
Have oversight of project finances to ensure the programme is delivered on time and to budget.
Assume overall responsibility for operational issues.

Team Management

Ensure quality of programme delivery through managing and mentoring the team and through active and continuous performance management.
Lead, guide, mentor and manage the performance of direct reports; and develop and maintain a productive work environment and positive organisational culture for the SCSO team.
Oversee the MREL Team and the delivery of its Framework/Plan to track performance and impact; ensuring data and learnings are used for technical decision making and adaptive programming.

Fund Management and leadership

Responsible for the programme’s national and local outreach, ensuring that a wide range of CSOs (particularly grassroots CSOs) are aware of and have access to the fund.
In collaboration with the client, ensure the Fund is strategically well positioned, fit for purpose, and delivered in line with expectations.
Oversee the grant management process to ensure compliance with CA policies and procedures, Ukrainian Law, and International Standards.

Stakeholder Management

Maintain excellent, responsive and collaborative relations with the British Embassy in Kyiv and other areas of FCDO; ensuring the keys ways of working agreed between FCDO and CA are followed to meet programme strategy.
Develop and maintain close working relationships with senior government counterparts, playing a representational role where required
Act as the primary representative for Crown Agents and the consortium on the CSCO programme in Ukraine, participating in governance arrangements for the programme.

About you

Requirements

Substantial experience in leading the management of large and/or complex donor funded programmes, and managing a diverse team of professionals and consortium partners
Advanced degree or equivalent work experience in Social Development, Gender, Equity and Social Inclusion, CSO capacity building, or related field
Strong understanding of complex programmes in conflict-affected countries, experience working in Ukraine or Eastern Europe an advantage
Strong understanding and proven experience of working with different donors and familiarity with their policies and requirements, ideally through prior experience in managing FCDO and British Embassy programmes
Demonstrated success across the whole range of project management responsibilities including strategic programme planning; work planning and budgeting; financial, administrative, contractual management and oversight
Experience and ability to provide leadership and direction in harnessing the multi-disciplinary skills of the technical personnel and consortium partners
Experience and ability to work with, and build effective partnerships between, a broad range of stakeholder groups including government, civil society, private sector, multilateral, and other donors
Prior experience in operating effectively within complex and high-risk environments and managing the needs of multiple stakeholders
Excellent interpersonal and intercultural skills with demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in team situations, as well as mentor of national staff
Demonstrable commitment to gender equality and social inclusion and safeguarding
Ability to speak Ukrainian desirable

About us

You’ll be working with Crown Agents which is a high impact social enterprise passionate about transforming the future for millions of people. Since our creation in 1833 we have worked across the globe to improve public services and drive economic growth. Our expertise is finding new solutions to difficult problems for clients in the areas of health, governance, economic growth, humanitarian action and supply chain services. We work with and train leaders at local, national and international level to achieve lasting change drawing on our insight and experience.

Crown Agents is committed to diversity and will always promote diversity for all candidates as well as a business culture that reflects that belief. Crown Agents will treat everyone equally irrespective of race, religion, colour, sex, age, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation, and places an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy. Crown Agents shall not discriminate unlawfully when deciding which candidates are selected for interview, or in any terms of employment, and will ensure that each candidate is assessed only in accordance with their merits, qualifications, and abilities to perform the role. Crown Agents is committed to being an organisation enhanced by diversity and encourages applications from anyone who shares our values and commitment to improving the lives of communities affected by poverty or conflict.

About what's on offer

Crown Agents offers a competitive benefits package