Consultant (or Head of Practice)

Collaborate CIC

Location Nationwide company, with London office and flexible and remote working options
Salary £40-55,000 plus benefits
  • Closing: 12:00pm, 9th Jan 2023 GMT

Job Description

JOB DESCRIPTION - Head of Practice

N.B. we have used the job title Consultant in our adverts as it is more broadly recognised, but internally we use the title of Head of Practice.  This role leads delivery on projects and manages a project team. As you develop, you may choose to specialise in a particular area of practice.

About us

We help people collaborate to tackle complex social challenges through:

-   Acting as transformation partners to public and voluntary sector organisations that want to build more collaborative public services;

-   Designing and delivering bespoke programmes to develop collaborative and system leadership skills and behaviours;

-   Helping organisations to collaborate and engage with civil society, local people and service users through sharing power, co-production and supporting community action;

-   Development of learning cultures and capabilities, co-designing tools and frameworks;

-   Strengthening collaborative foundations in teams such as a shared vision, strong relationships, collaborative behaviours and understanding the means for collaborative action. 

Recent work has included designing and leading a systems leadership development programme in Essex, developing a place-based approach to citizen engagement in Birmingham, and acting as learning partner to Save the Children UK’s place-based systems change programmes.

Our team blends the ability to build the infrastructure and relationships for real collaborative delivery in practice with thought leadership to share our learning and influence for change more widely. 

To find out more about us please go to our website, at www.collaboratecic.com.

About the role

The role of Head of Practice is a critical one at Collaborate, through which you will have a high level of responsibility for project work and teams, but also be guided by Directors and other members of the team. They will support you in the development of your expertise and capabilities as an emerging leader within the organisation.

You will lead exciting, creative and innovative projects for Collaborate partners, delivering project work and helping us to build our relationships and networks. This role offers a chance to learn, grow and develop your own practice, as well as to contribute to the organisation’s development. 

Day-to-day, you will:

1.   Lead client work with support from senior team members:

-   design and deliver high-quality and innovative client-facing projects on time and on budget, with a positive, problem-solving approach

-   utilise the range of Collaborate’s methodologies and products when delivering client work and contribute to their continuous iteration

-   identify synergies between projects and developments in policy and practice, in the UK and internationally

2.   Manage relationships:

-   work closely with Collaborate colleagues, associates and partners, given support and direction from the senior team

-   effectively manage the project teams for work in which you have the project lead role, seeking input where appropriate

-   able to engage with a diverse range of people and organisations to understand different perspectives and facilitate conversations across traditional boundaries

-   develop and widen the Collaborate network, impact and reputation, through attending events and managing meaningful relationships in the wider sector

3.   Business Development:

-   use existing practice areas and relationships and develop new ones to identify and grow new opportunities and to win new business for Collaborate.

-   support and lead proposal writing and bid/tender writing to win new business, working with team members and partner organisations to ensure that quality bids are submitted to answer briefs by deadlines

4.   Produce thought leadership and associated products, as supported by the senior team:

-   draw on Collaborate’s practice to write publications (e.g. blogs, articles, reports) that push the boundaries of traditional thinking and practice with regards to social change and showcase our work

-   contribute to organisational learning, through the sharing and dissemination of new skills, capabilities and innovative practice

5.   Contribute to wider team development and a positive collaborative team culture

-   support other team members to build their skills, aiding their development and taking on management roles as they arise

-   play an active role in team meetings, development days, operational and strategic planning

-   you will be expected to be an enthusiastic learner, and to be proactive in seeking out the support and leadership needed from your manager and the senior team

Skills

We don't expect you to already have experience of doing all the tasks above. We believe in appointing based on potential rather than simply on past performance. You should have some demonstrable experience in the skills below, which could come from a combination of work, voluntary and/or personal experiences.

You could be the right person for this job if you’re:

-   an excellent communicator (verbally and in writing), with people at a range of levels. Able to find ways to engage others with new ideas, present complex information in compelling ways, preferably having worked within multi-stakeholder environments

-   able to take a leading role in a small project team, understanding a brief or problem and the key individuals involved, developing an approach to seek effective solutions and manage effective relationships to achieve a project’s desired outcomes

- comfortable working in complexity and ambiguity and able to develop context-specific approaches

-   highly organised, good at prioritising multiple (and sometimes complex) tasks

-   happy working in a strong team culture, building different relationships and being responsive to the dynamics of different teams

-   comfortable managing project budgets

Experience

You will have experience in one or more of the following organisations: a public service setting (or related organisation), a consultancy, the voluntary sector, a funder, local government, or the health sector.

Your experiences will have equipped you with some understanding of the drivers and factors of social change. You are likely to have experience in some of the following: place-based collaboration and partnership working, service integration, system leadership, culture change and/or systems change thinking

Important to know:

-   salary range: £40-55,000

-   location: you could be based anywhere in the UK, as long as you’re comfortable travelling to clients UK-wide (expense costs covered by clients/Collaborate) and to come to London as required, e.g. once a month (expense costs covered by you)

-   working hours: part-time or full-time, open to exploring flexible working requests that match organisational needs with personal needs/preferences-   additional holiday over Christmas, on top of 25 days' holiday and bank holidays

-   pension contribution

-   options for multi-purpose loans, bike-to-work scheme, eye tests and we're open to exploring more...

-   being part of an inclusive, team-led, learning environment!

Next steps

Please join an online Information and Question and Answer session on Thursday 8th December, 12.30-1.15, where you can hear more about the role and the organisation and (anonymously) ask any questions you might have - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85027630883?pwd=Vk5GQjIxeWI3L0ZhTU01QStnMDhOQT09, Meeting ID: 850 2763 0883, Passcode: 767367.

To start applying, just click in the right corner.

You’ll answer questions that are related to your interest in this role and your experiences and skills that would help you to do it. After the job closes, your answers will be anonymised, randomised and then reviewed by a panel of reviewers from our team to ensure that every application is treated fairly and without bias.

-   Shortlisting by 18th January

-   First interview online, 23-26th January, to meet 2 members of the team to discuss your experience and skills and to complete a short task. 

-   Second interview face-to-face 30th January-1st February with the opportunity to meet 2 more members of our team and to talk about you and the role with us further. 

-   We are keen to make an offer early February!

Also, we love giving and receiving feedback, so at the end of the application process you'll receive insights and we would invite you to share your anonymous feedback.

We are an equal opportunities employer

Collaborate supports flexible working and there will also be the potential for growth within this role and within this growing organisation. 

We seek to be a genuinely collaborative organisation, sharing ideas and decisions across the team through weekly team meetings and regular learning sessions.  We collectively consider our broader strategy, examine and share learning across our projects, and explore how we might develop our work and our thinking.  

As a Living Wage employer, we believe in paying our team fairly and are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff. We aim to create an inclusive working environment in which all individuals are able to make the best use of their skills and are enabled to thrive.

We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and circumstances and are happy to discuss individual working requirements. 

Removing bias from the hiring process

Applications closed Mon 9th Jan 2023

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Removing bias from the hiring process

  • Your application will be anonymously reviewed by our hiring team to ensure fairness
  • You’ll need a CV/résumé, but it’ll only be considered if you score well on the anonymous review

Applications closed Mon 9th Jan 2023