WHAT IS START NETWORK?

Start Network is a global membership of over 80 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.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

NETWORK MEMBERSHIP GROWTH

Overseeing the network’s membership growth and diversification, in support of our localisation ambitions and in line with the “network of networks” model. This includes:

● Setting and overseeing Start’s annual and longer-term member intake strategy, in consultation with the Start Network hubs, relevant teams and governance bodies

● Ensuring hubs have appropriate and accountable local infrastructure and governance in place to manage decentralised member intakes

● Overseeing the membership journey end-to-end; ensuring continuous improvements to the process to enable more efficient and decentralised membership growth while centering user (member) experience

● Ensuring that the standards of membership are upheld, while increasing the diversity of actors that can access the network

● Responsible for maintaining and updating the Start Network’s Membership Policy and Network Membership Agreement

MEMBER MANAGEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT

Responsible for overall member experience, to ensure members can capitalise on Start Network’s value offer and services, and maximise opportunities afforded to them through their membership.

This includes:

● Overseeing the development and implementation of the Member Engagement Strategy, using evidence-driven analysis, tools and reports to measure member satisfaction and retention and to optimise services

● Ensuring members have a strong voice in Start Network’s strategy setting and decision making, and receive consistent and appropriate information to enable them to fulfil their role in the governance of the network

● Overseeing and leading on the delivery of the annual Assembly meeting and associated events

● Ensuring member feedback is consistently collected, analysed and communicated to the rest of the team, and that member experience and needs are centred in the organisation’s services, initiatives and processes - supporting teams across the organisation to effectively engage with members

● Overseeing the annual membership fee framework and invoicing process, working together with the Finance team

● Collaborating with the Assurance and Operations teams on any investigations of incidents concerning members, ensuring appropriate and sensitive handling of cases from a relational perspective - linking with the Membership Committee where appropriate

NETWORK DESIGN AND TRANSITION

Lead on the design and implementation of a transition plan for the network’s membership infrastructure, in line with the Start Network’s longer-term decentralisation strategy. As Start Network is member-owned and member-led, this will also involve identifying and implementing required changes to the network’s governance model. Key responsibilities include:

● Designing the decentralisation of the network’s membership and governance model and infrastructure through the hubs, ensuring it is operationally and legally sound, and taking into account the interdependencies and implications on other teams and areas of work within the organisation

● In collaboration with the Network Development team, advising and supporting the hubs to put in place their own governance and membership frameworks, to allow them to make decisions and grow their networks; and ultimately to devolve all membership to the hub level

● Developing and implementing change management strategies and plans to maximise engagement and buy-in from key stakeholder groups in the transition, particularly Start Network members and hubs

● In collaboration with the Assurance team, ensure that relevant changes are reflected in the Start Network’s key legal documents and agreements, as well as within the Start Network Charity governance structures and processes

OTHER MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

● Form part of the Network & Funds Directorate Senior Management Team, playing an active role in decision making as per organisational decision making delegations.

● Represent the membership team at the quarterly Membership Committee meetings, and Board meetings as appropriate.

● Budget holder responsibilities

LINE MANAGEMENT

• Carry out effective line management of a team (Member Engagement Advisor and Membership Officer), including recruiting and training direct reports and having an active role in building an inclusive team culture in line with our values

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 of stakeholder management and engagement within a membership organisation or network

• Ability to strategically plan and deliver, whilst simultaneously exhibiting a meticulous attention to detail during the day to day. Strong creative and strategic skills with experience of writing actionable strategic documents and plans

• Demonstrable experience of collaboration, including forging and maintaining effective relationships and partnerships across organisational boundaries

• Good communication and people skills, with a creative approach to problem-solving and the ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines

• Experience in project management and people management

• Familiarity with change management approaches and methodologies to deliver complex organisational initiatives

DESIRABLE

• Knowledge of the humanitarian sector

• Experience in designing and delivering large international events or conferences

• Working knowledge of French or Spanish, in addition to English

KEY COMPETENCIES

Communication

● Influence stakeholders to address difficult or complex issues by listening to diverse perspectives, finding common ground and, where needed, addressing criticism or complaint

● Flex communication style to convey complex information concisely to different audiences, avoiding jargon and using simple language

Strategic Thinking

● Generate and support implementation of ideas that have impact at organisational, network and/or humanitarian systems-level by promoting these ideas to relevant internal and external stakeholders

● Manage ambiguity by weighing up risks and uncertainties with opportunities in pursuit of our vision based on the evidence available

Collaboration

● Enable the network to develop in a way that embraces diversity and creates space for local and national agencies to gain power by driving the vision, mission and purpose and defending it against those who do not support it

● Identify areas of hidden conflict and work with others to resolve them by showing empathy, avoiding defensiveness, listening to feedback and establishing credibility

Leadership of self and others

● Seek to understand and act upon own areas for growth, reflecting and learning from things that have not gone so well by showing vulnerability and openness to change

Ability to adapt and learn

● Bring in best practice from a range of external sources to drive innovation to advance our work, connecting with diverse stakeholders and perspectives outside the sector

● Balance the need to follow systems and processes with the courage, identifying when systems and processes do not align with the mission, suggesting alternatives

Getting things done the Start Network way

• Set strategic direction and provides clarity of vision, purpose and culture, enabling space for the team, members, Hubs and other stakeholders to shape the journey