![](https://beapplied.global.ssl.fastly.net/org/885/logo.png)
Director of Programmes and Partnerships
The Diana Award
- Closing: 1:00pm, 4th Jul 2024 BST
Job Description
About The Diana Award
Young people’s desire to tackle discrimination and injustice is demonstrated clearly in their strong involvement in movements like Black Lives Matter, the Youth Climate Strike and #MeToo. Young people are driving positive change. And yet their voice is still excluded from important conversations about how to build a just society.
We’re proud to be the only charity set up in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales and her belief that young people have the power to change the world. Our mission is to empower young people to lead that change through a range of initiatives which unlock their potential, inspire action and create opportunities, ensuring that no young person is left out or left behind.
Throughout all of our programmes ‘change’ for and by young people is central. Our Anti-Bullying work encourages change in attitudes and behaviours for young people by young people, our Mentoring schemes guide change for some of the UK’s most marginalised young people and our flagship Award and Development programme recognises the young people driving selfless change across the world, supporting them to go even further. Our newest initiative, ‘Changemakers’ in collaboration with UK Youth and Centre for Mental Health, aims to change the inequalities in mental health experienced by young people from racialised communities.
We have an ambitious strategy which requires innovation, talented people and robust practices. We want to build our brand as one of the UK’s leading and trusted youth movements and enhance our expertise and profile as a platform and catalyst for youth-led social action. We will Increase our voice and influence on policies that affect the young people we work with and their ability to effect social change.
Our goal is to be innovative and adaptive to the ever-changing cultural landscape, using digital technology to create the change we want to see across society. This will cut across all aspects of our work from our infrastructure to communications, fundraising and supporting our online communities.
We are building a long-term, financially sustainable organisation that remains unique, relevant and compelling in a competitive landscape. We want to continue to be outcome-focused and youth-led in everything we do.
Most importantly we will continue to ensure our staff, volunteers and young people will feel valued, rewarded, included and inspired. Learn more about where we are headed by reading our strategy.
COMMITMENTS TO INCLUSION, ANTI-RACISM, EQUITY, JUSTICE
As an organisation, The Diana Award is committed to anti-racism, social justice and building and developing a workforce which reflects the diversity of the young people we support. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer that values and respects the people who work for us. We seek to ensure all job applications are treated fairly, with respect and without bias.
We positively encourage applications from suitably experienced candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.
ROLE SUMMARY
This role offers an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact on the lives of young people and contribute to the ongoing success and development of The Diana Award's programmes and partnerships.
The Director of Programmes and Partnerships is responsible for ensuring The Diana Award delivers quality impactful programmes and develops strong strategic partnerships that harness young people's power and potential to change the world. This role is one of four Director-level positions within the organisation, forming the Senior Leadership Team alongside the CEO.
The Programmes Directorate currently comprises four teams: Anti-Bullying, Mentoring, Social Action, and Impact and Influence, with a staff count of 25 plus a pool of associate trainers. The Diana Award’s programme strategy (2021-2026) focuses on embedding evidence-driven, youth-led approaches across our programmes, enhancing our profile as a platform for youth-led social action, and increasing our influence on policies affecting young people.
The Director of Programmes and Partnerships will work collaboratively with other members of SLT and the CEO to drive forward the organisation’s strategy and plans as set out in The Diana Award’s five-year strategy, Future Forward, and play a vital role in shaping the new strategy.
As part of our Future Forward strategy, you will lead on the specific objective to develop and deliver programmes for young people that unlock their potential, create opportunities for growth and inspire action.
Impact and Effectiveness: Increase our effectiveness and impact by embedding evidence-driven, youth-led approaches across our programmes.
Expertise and Profile: Enhance our expertise and profile as a platform and catalyst for youth-led social action.
Voice and Influence: Increase our voice and influence on policies and practices that affect the young people we work with and their ability to effect social change.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Senior Leadership
Drive the organisation’s strategy and vision as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, taking key decisions in the best interest of the organisation.
Promote best practices across the organisation, including equal opportunities, risk management, data protection, safeguarding, health and safety, volunteer management, continuous improvement, and staff support and development.
Build and maintain effective relationships with external stakeholders across public, private, and third sectors to ensure high-quality delivery of all The Diana Award’s programmes.
Represent The Diana Award at external events and act as a media spokesperson as required.
Prepare reports for the board of trustees and participate in board meetings.
Programme Strategy
Provide leadership for programmes that deliver high impact, co-designed integrated approaches, which put young people at the centre of design and delivery in line with our theory of change.
Lead the design, delivery, and review of The Diana Award’s programme strategy, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and conducting quarterly reviews to monitor progress.
Work with the Impact and Influence team to embed evidence-based programming within the directorate, developing and rolling out appropriate systems and processes for monitoring, evaluation, and learning.
Oversee The Diana Award’s policy function, supporting the Policy team and heads of teams to develop and embed policy objectives within programme plans, contribute to policy development, and identify opportunities to engage policymakers with our work.
Identify and develop cross-cutting workstreams and initiatives to support the programme strategy and assist programme managers in their implementation.
Maximise opportunities for young people to engage meaningfully and inclusively in programme planning, delivery, and review, adhering to sector best practices.
Collaborate with the Communications and Impact and Evaluation teams to develop robust and compelling resources to communicate programme impact to core audiences.
Programme Partnerships and Funding
Build and maintain strategic programme and policy partnerships effectively through regular communication and quality report production.
Identify and cultivate new programme partnerships and funding opportunities to support the growth and sustainability of our work with and for young people.
In collaboration with the fundraising team and programme heads, develop pitches, products, and funding proposals.
Hold budgetary responsibility for the Programmes Directorate and work with heads of teams to develop annual budgets and monitor expenditure.
Team Leadership and Management
Build a cohesive and engaged Programmes Directorate that embraces The Diana Award’s core values, delivers work to the highest standards, and fosters a culture committed to reflective learning, accountability, and impact.
Provide strategic and operational oversight on safeguarding as a member of TDA’s safeguarding committee, ensuring that a safeguarding culture is embedded within the programmes directorate and that safeguarding policies and procedures are fully understood and applied across teams.
Directly line manage heads of teams, enabling them to connect, collaborate, and provide peer support through regular group meetings.
Manage and support the wider Programme Management Team to collectively plan and deliver against our strategy through regular check-ins and monthly meetings.
Ensure teams have clear shared and individual work plans, and that regular supervision, appraisals, and team meetings occur to monitor progress.
Foster effective business partnerships between programme teams and core functions such as safeguarding, Marcomms, Operations, Fundraising, etc.
Implement appropriate policies and practices for recruiting, onboarding, and managing volunteers in line with sector best practices.
Encourage and support continuous professional development within the directorate by signposting and seeking relevant opportunities.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Skills and Experience
Substantial experience in a similar leadership role, managing a fast-paced programme portfolio.
Experience leading and delivering successful large-scale services for young people.
Strong understanding of evidence-based programming, including using theories of change to guide programme practice.
Proven experience in fundraising and business development, ideally including commercial projects.
Proven experience of cultivating new programme partnerships to support service delivery and / or policy engagement.
Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and develop a cohesive, high-performing team.
Highly developed skills in influencing and bringing about change at a senior level.
Public speaking and proactive networking abilities.
Excellent organisational, planning, and management skills with a strong attention to detail.
Superior interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, capable of working with a wide range of stakeholders.
Experience in budgetary management, forecasting, and reporting.
Demonstrable experience of safeguarding, from both a strategic and operational perspective.
Personal Attributes
Commitment to and ability to inspire adherence to The Diana Award’s vision, values, and mission.
A self-starter with drive, determination, and commitment to achieving results.
Commitment to self-development and keeping up to date with sector trends and developments.
Good judgement and the ability to make sound decisions.
Driven to achieve great results.
OUR CULTURE
We know that change is a team effort, and work hard to make sure every member of staff is inspired, nurtured and supported.
Every staff member has their own personal training and development budget, ability to work flexibly around core hours, access to our employee assistance programme 24/7, wellbeing initiatives, equipment to support you both at home and in an office environment (if applicable), opportunities to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues both in person and online, and much more.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all. This is a responsibility that is shared by all members of staff the successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS or equivalent police check.
APPLICATION DETAILS
Application deadline: Thursday 04 July 2024 at 1pm. Shortlisted candidates will be invite to an interview during the week of Monday 15 July 2024 in our London Office.
Please reach out to people@diana-award.org.uk if you require any support with the application process or have questions about the role or the process.
Good luck with your application!
Removing bias from the hiring process
Applications closed Thu 4th Jul 2024
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 Thu 4th Jul 2024