Duration: Permanent   

Salary: Circa £65,000 

Job Level: Level 2  

Hours: 35 hours per week. Other flexible arrangements will be considered  

Disclosure Level: Basic.  This role involves no direct or indirect work with children   

Reports to: Director of Partnerships and Programmes Intelligence   

Location: Hybrid, working from home and at 1 Westfield Avenue, London E20 1HZ  

At the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK), we pull together to achieve the best possible results for children in danger around the world.  We believe in an inclusive workplace and in the power of fulfilled colleagues who share the same values and goals, enjoy their work and are motivated to do their utmost for children.    

Our work is guided by the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which recognise the universality of children’s rights.  

ABOUT THE TEAM   

The Partnerships Research & Assurance sits within the Programme Impact & Partnership Assurance (PIPA) Department. This department also includes the International Programme Impact Team and the Programme Funding Operations and is part of the wider Partnerships & Philanthropy Directorate.   

The Partnership Research & Assurance Team includes two core functions – Prospect Research and Due Diligence – which together provide sector leading insight, research and analysis - enabling high value fundraising teams to deliver ambitious growth in transformational partnerships with impact for children.  

ABOUT THE ROLE  

As Head of Partnership Research & Assurance, you will drive ambitious funding growth for UNICEF UK. Collaborating with leaders across Partnership, Philanthropy, Ambassador Relations, Media, Advocacy, and Soccer Aid teams, you will support high-value relationships and partnerships. You will also work with UNICEF global functions on research and due diligence to optimize efficiency. This role requires expertise in prospecting and due diligence, clear communication with stakeholders, and ensuring sector-leading operations. Your advanced skills will enable the creation of donor strategies and high-quality analysis.   

What we will expect you to achieve  

• Lead the development and delivery of strategic plans and priorities for the Partnerships Research & Assurance Team ensuring measurable connection to the ambitious growth in the UUK strategy.  

• Collaborate with leaders in Philanthropy and Partnerships teams to take shared responsibility for end-to-end delivery of fundraising results. Utilise technical competence and skilled judgement in achieving this.  

• Lead a high performing-team to deliver sector leading prospect research and due diligence and provide technical expertise and surge support to both functions as required. Provide creative challenge so PRA remain at the cutting-edge of established practice, as well as innovating.  

• Represent Partnerships Research & Assurance (and PIPA as appropriate) in projects relating to compliance and information governance, bringing knowledge and expertise from best-practice across the sector as well as strong technical knowledge of, for example, GDPR.  

• Build collaborative, integrated and strong relationships with teams across UNICEF UK, with a particular emphasis on high value fundraising. Understand and anticipate the strategic priorities and business critical activities of the P&P Directorate, ensuring that the requirements of these teams for prospect research and due diligence are met.   

• Take an active role as part of the management team within Programme Impact & Partnership Assurance department, engaging with departmental and organisational initiatives on EDI, team building and learning and development.   

• Demonstrate and model a commitment to our shared values, behaviours and inclusive practices (known as Our Shared Commitment) in all aspects of your work.  

BEHAVIOURS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS  

Effective Behaviours  

• Leadership  

Promotes a results focused culture, engaging and guiding others to achieve ambitious goals. Translates strategic direction into medium- and long-term plans and objectives for own team and department, leading effective change management as required. Manages complex relationships with multiple stakeholders to deliver results.   

• Analytical  

Builds systems and collects data that enable interrogation and analysis of data to manage risk and maximise opportunity for fundraising. Takes a problem-solving approach to priorities and sustains focus on work that will have the greatest impact on agreed aims.   

• Efficiency and effectiveness  

Develop systems and ways of working that enable teams to anticipate and manage high volumes of workflow with competing deadlines while ensuring risks are mitigated and quality is maintained. Seek process innovations where possible.  

• Creating and innovating  

Draws on current and actively-maintained sector knowledge and innovative approaches to create processes and operations solutions that can support ambitious growth in philanthropy and partnership income.   

• Supporter driven and mission aligned.   

Is committed to children and their rights and motivated to work towards achieving a world that is fit for every child  

Relevant experience  

• Demonstrable experience of successfully leading a prospect research and due diligence or fundraising operations function at a large UK charity, Higher Educational institution or fundraising organisation. Track-record of cross-departmental working at leadership level in large organisations to achieve successful outcomes.  

• Extensive experience of translating data and insight into actionable outputs, to develop and implement a prospect research strategy to enhance prospect pipelines supporting ambitious fundraising growth.  

• Proven experience of leadership and management of business operations in a complex organisation, with a successful track record of translating strategy into achievable and measurable operational outcomes.  

• Experience of navigating changing marketplace and legislative landscape to identify new operational paths for enabling functions for fundraising.   

• Experience working in a networked/federated structure of organisations, especially those operating in an international context.  

Specific knowledge and skills  

• Excellent understanding of complex fundraising organisations, in particular a deep knowledge of the processes and sensitivities of managing a philanthropy programme aimed at high-net-worth individuals. Ability and confidence in using judgement, and leading teams, in these contexts.  

• Comprehensive understanding of prospect research principles and ethics. Ability to source, manipulate, interpret and communicate data relating to donor propensity, affinity and ability to give, and to use these data to support the creation of meaningful donor strategies.  

• Strong, up-to-date knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation, including GDPR, FoI and other legal and regulatory features of fundraising compliance and prospect and due diligence operations. Knowledge of emerging trends and new precedents, and experience in working across teams with expert colleagues to manage processes, in the application of these.  

• Strategic planning, project management and problem-solving skills. Knowledge of innovation processes, and of agile working methods, is desirable.  

• Leadership, collaboration and communication skills. Commitment to continuing learning and development and/or coaching.