WHAT IS START NETWORK?

Start Network is a global membership of nearly 100 organisations, working across six continents, to tackle what we see as the biggest systemic problems in the global humanitarian system. Start Network is an independent charity. We also work with Save the Children UK, which acts a grant custodian for Start Network.

Start Network’s vision is for a locally led humanitarian system that is accountable to people affected by and at risk of crises. We aim to achieve this vision by making system-level shifts in how humanitarian assistance is approached and delivered.

OUR SOLUTIONS

DECENTRAISLING & LOCALLY-LED ACTION: Shifting power and resources and decentralising decision-making to locally led networks and organisations.

EARLY & RAPID FINANCING: Building a global financing system that reduces risk, anticipates, and acts ahead of predictable crises.

COMMUNITY-LED INNOVATION: Incentivising innovative, locally led, and contextual solutions and learning from them together with people affected by crises.

For more information about Start Network and what we do, please visit our website.

OUR VALUES

WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST: Communities come first in our decision-making and programming.

WE ARE BRAVE: We have great ambition and are willing to explore new things and take risks to achieve it.

WE OPERATE COLLECTIVELY: We leverage the value of working as a network, sharing risk and resources, and learning together.

WE ARE INCLUSIVE: We see the value in diverse perspectives and work to remove the barriers that prevent voices from being heard.

WE ARE OPEN: We work transparently and with integrity, building mutual trust in all levels of our work, from governance to programming.

WE ARE ETHICAL: We behave and operate based on key principles of anti-racism, non-discrimination, and anti-colonialism. This is a work in progress.

JOB PURPOSE

Start Network has enabled the setup of Hubs in 10 countries across the last 3 years in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, India, Pacific, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, and South Sudan. Our hubs are collectives of local, national, and international humanitarian organisations operating in the same country or region with a vision of system change. They are working together to tackle the deep-rooted issues in humanitarian responses within their countries. Hubs control their own resources and define their own responses to crises affecting their communities. They are supported by the global Start Network.

The purpose of this role is to collaborate with Hub representatives to set up successful resource mobilisation functions in each Hub country and mobilise new funds directly for them. This is a critical role for our strategy and will require someone with experience in setting up ‘income streams’ from scratch (including setting resource mobilisation strategies and fund-raising protocols).

This role requires someone with ample experience in coordinating teams across countries and securing new income from donors. Most Hubs are new entities, therefore the support required will also include capacity-building, donor-mapping, direct engagement on behalf of the Hubs with the donors, and other activities, as defined and directed by consultations with the Hubs and the resource mobilisation team based in London. Provision of support to the Hubs will largely be done through remote coordination, facilitation, and engagement. This is a new role and will require flexibility and a proactive attitude. We expect the role will initially focus on 3-4 countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, India, and Pakistan but this is to be confirmed. Although the role may initially focus on these countries, the expectation is that over time we will be able to offer this support to other countries as capacity is available.

The Resource Mobilisation Manager (Hubs) will report to the Director of Business Development.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

RESOURCE MOBILISATION STRATEGY FOR HUBS

• Set up basic resource mobilisation strategies and protocols in collaboration with the hub representatives, for the initial hubs which this role will support.

COORDINATION BETWEEN START NETWORK AND HUBS

• Develop effective systems for coordination between Start Network’s global resource mobilisation strategies and approaches, the Hubs’ strategies and approaches, and other Start Network programmes and teams’ strategies and approaches.

• Plan and coordinate cross-Hub meetings to facilitate information and learning sharing specific to resource mobilisation.

• Participate in ‘All Hubs meetings’ providing resource mobilisation expertise when required.

• Support the Director of Business Development to plan a flexible approach to Hub Resource Mobilisation.

• Work closely with programme teams, the finance team, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that donor funding requirements are met, if funding for hubs is coming through the Start Network Secretariat based in London.

DAY TO DAY SUPPORT TO HUBS

• Work as a member of Start Network’s Resource Mobilisation team to support our Global Hubs in their fundraising and donor engagement strategies.

• Develop clear understanding of Hub initiatives and priorities and their business models.

• Establish relationships and coordination mechanisms between the Hubs, Network Development Team, and Resource Mobilisation Teams.

• Provide hands-on support around prospecting, direct proposal development and donor relationship management.

• Design and provide mentoring support around resource mobilisation issues.

• Support Hubs in setting their own donor and grant management functions where funding is secured.

• Prospect new donors for Hubs, including foundations, corporate, and institutional donors.

• Where necessary, support the recruitment of local fundraising consultants, support Hubs to engage with consultants, co-manage these contracts and relationships and ensure progress and value for money.

• Provide mentoring support to established Hub Resource Mobilisation staff, providing them with technical support and advice.

• Manage the Hubs fundraising budgets and ensure that the needs of each Hub are met in a fair and balanced way.

• Draw in support from other Start Network Teams (Network Development, Operations, Start Fund, Start Ready, CARF, Innovation, Communications, and Advocacy and Membership) to support Hubs in achieving their Resource Mobilisation ambitions.

ORGANISATIONAL LEADERSHIP

• Drive strategic thinking and understanding across the team around approaches to locally driven resource mobilisation practices to enable humanitarian action.

• Support Start Network to further develop its strategy around the sustainability of the Hubs. Capture learnings from the process of setting up these functions, propose changes to Start Management Team and Network Development and lead on changes.

• Lead on financial modelling and sustainability planning.

• Actively participate in cross-organisational outcome and solution groups.

• Other duties commensurate with the role as determined by the line manager, including provision of surge capacity into other areas of the organisation, particularly Resource Mobilisation, as needed.

START NETWORK CULTURE

• To carry out the responsibilities of the role in line with the Start Network Code of Conduct and with a commitment to safeguarding adults and children.

• A commitment to the Start Network vision, principles, values, and approach.

• The Start Network team is an agile group of individuals who use their experience and skills across the network, so flexibility to work in and with different teams and functions is a part of our culture.

PERSON PROFILE

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL

• Experience in setting fundraising strategies that can catalyse new income streams.

• Experience in developing new income streams from scratch.

• Good understanding of the fundraising landscape relevant to the humanitarian sector.

• Demonstrable experience of leading on significant income generation from a variety of donors for NGOs, including proactive cold approaches.

• Ability to brings others along with you through solid leadership skills.

• Experience of building and maintaining a pipeline of prospective donors.

• Experience of writing and/or reviewing project proposals or reports.

• Financial skills, particularly production of budgets for proposals.

• Experience in the financial management of grants in order to support hubs where required and mentor them.

• Experience of collaboration, including forging and maintaining effective and strong relationships across organisational boundaries, cultures, and often remotely.

• Experience in facilitating a variety of stakeholders to contribute to delivering strategies.

• Experience in partnership management and coordination.

• Empathy driven collaborator with an ability to work flexibly and adapt to changing demands, which sometimes requires working out of office hours to collaborate with people across different time zones.

• Excellent computer skills including word processing, presentation, and use of spreadsheets and ability to maintain office and management information systems.

• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to organise own work, and to manage time and resources effectively.

• Fluency in French or Spanish at the B2/C1 level or higher (at least one language is essential, and both is desirable).

• Must be able to travel to visit hubs 3-4 weeks per year and travel to the London 2-3 weeks per year (if not based in the UK).

DESIRABLE

• Graduate degree relevant to the role or demonstrable suitable professional experience

• Previous experience of working in a humanitarian programme environment

• Regional experience or knowledge in one or more Hub countries.

• Good knowledge of the humanitarian sector

KEY COMPETENCIES

Communication: Must be able to manage relationships with Hubs, the Resource Mobilisation Team, and establish a collaborative way of working together.

Strategic Thinking: Must be able to hold a strategic perspective and enough detail to work on global strategic priorities whilst understanding the impact on other parts of the organisation and network through listening and engaging with other teams. Must be able to

Collaboration: Must be able to collaborate across teams and across cultures to achieve common goals. Must address difficult or complex issues by listening to diverse perspectives, finding common ground, and avoiding criticism or complaint.

Leadership of self and others: Be proactive and reflective. Build this new role, taking into account the needs of both the Start Network team and the Hubs to help refine the scope of the role and the responsibilities that correspond to that scope.

Ability to adapt and learn: Create and promote a learning culture, authentically sharing own learning and supporting others to do the same at organisational, team, and network level. Seek to understand and act upon own areas for growth.

Getting things done the Start Network way: Enable the Network to develop and grow, particularly through the direct provision of funding to Hubs. Embrace diversity and create spaces for local and national agencies to gain power by driving the vision, mission, and purpose as relates to resource mobilisation.