WHAT IS START NETWORK? 

Start Network is made up of more than 80 local, national, and international NGOs with a working together in over 158 countries. Start Network is an independent charity. We also work with Save the Children, which acts a grant custodian for Start Network. 

Both locally positioned and globally connected, our vision is to mobilise a locally driven humanitarian system that is accountable to people affected by and at risk of crisis. 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. 

To devolve and decentralise power within the global humanitarian system, we are working to become a distributed and global network of civil society hubs and members supported by a global platform that fosters connections, alignment of members, and innovation. Hubs are locally led networks of local, national, and international humanitarian actors working together to develop contextualised ways of dealing with humanitarian crises. We currently have five hubs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Guatemala, India, the Pacific, and Pakistan. 

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

JOB PURPOSE 

The Network Support Officer will support the Network Development team in enabling locally-led humanitarian hubs around the world to develop and become independent entities creating change and impact in the humanitarian sector. It is at the heart of the transition we are making within Start Network to becoming a decentralised and locally-led Network of Networks.  

This person will be providing support to the Senior Network Development Advisor (Infrastructure and Design) in the design and development of mechanisms, tools, procedures and documents that are essential in establishing the hubs as independent entities. In addition to supporting the Senior Network Development Advisor, the post holder will help the wider Network Development team on its reporting, learning and proposal development needs. 

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES 

Hub Transition 

• Track hub transition milestone and support the Senior Network Development Advisor in developing mechanisms and tools in preparation for the hub’s transition to independence 

• Coordinate with Network Development Advisors and other Start Network team members to ensure that their inputs and contributions are integrated in relevant agreements or documents 

• Support the Learning Advisor in documenting the experiences of hubs preparing or progressing to independence 

Design and Strategic Pieces  

• Support implementation of Hub Check, a peer accountability mechanism for the hubs (defining composition and members, documentation, induction process) 

• Support the design of new funding mechanisms and models to better support hubs in their development journey 

• Work with the Systems Change and Innovation team in defining approaches to mainstream system change in the hub development process 

• Contribute to process of designing new approaches to hub development 

• Contribute to the conversations on organisational growth and quality and equitable partnerships 

Learning, Reporting and Fundraising 

• Support the Network Development team in developing proposals 

• Support the Learning Advisor in collating stories for change and building a repository for these 

• Support the Network Development team in planning and implementing learning events 

• Assist the team in the preparation of Committee and Board Reports  

Hub and Net Dev Team Support 

• Coordinate with Network Development Advisors and Network Engagement Officer to ensure that hub representatives are taking part in relevant conversations in aid of designing mechanisms and engagement and documenting the hub journey 

• Support the Network Development team on planning, tracking and reporting  

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 part of our culture 

PERSON PROFILE AND SKILLS 

Essential skills and experience 

• Experience in humanitarian programming, partnership management, organisational development 

• Knowledge and experience on systems design and thinking 

• Familiarity with learning approaches 

• Experience in fundraising and proposal development 

• Excellent communication skills 

• Adaptability, flexibility and patience, working as an empathetic team player, which may require working out of office hours to collaborate with people across different time zones. 

• Attention to detail and organisation 

• Creative thinking and openness 

• Cooperation and collaboration, particularly cross-organisational and cross-cultural engagement with a range of stakeholders    

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to deal tactfully and sensitively with a wide range of people in a large organisation, often at a distance 

• Excellent networking and relationship management skills 

• Administration experience 

• Strong IT skills, particularly in Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint 

• Experience in supporting local and national organisations 

• Working knowledge of one of the hub languages (desirable) 

KEY COMPETENCIES 

Communication 

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

Strategic Thinking 

• Actively seek to understand how your role fits into the work of the team and network by asking questions and working on cross-team initiatives 

• Able to plan and deliver flexibly to take account of changing internal and/or external factors by reprioritising and asking for help 

Collaboration 

• Clear on own role and responsibilities and can communicate this with others during day-to-day interactions, seeking clarity where needed 

• Embrace diverse perspectives by using collaborative language, recognising and taking account of power dynamics 

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 

• Able to reprioritise and shift focus in response to changing needs of the organisation or network by being aware of how your role sits in the system 

 Getting things done the Start Network way 

• Overcome obstacles by taking initiative to identify issues, seeking help to address them and escalating appropriately  

• Make best use of all of available resources, including people, technology and money to enable increased automation, digitisation and value for money 

APPLICATION  

We work with Be Applied, an online recruitment platform designed to allow teams to measure candidates on what actually matters. Rather than relying on CVs and cover letters, Be Applied allows you to demonstrate your skills and abilities through answering questions which are blind- reviewed by our team to reduce bias.  

If you have any questions or need support with your application, please email us using peopleandculture@startnetwork.org  

Closing date:  ​​31 January 2024

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, so please apply early where possible 

Any offer of employment is subject to relevant checks. Please refer to our privacy statement and candidate privacy notice regarding treatment of your data.  

Start Network is committed to protecting people, particularly children, at-risk adults and affected populations from any harm that may be caused due to their encountering the Start Network as well as responding effectively should any harm occur.  We are also committed to safeguarding staff from any forms of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse of power as outlined in the Dignity at Work policy.   

Start Network embraces diversity, promotes equality of opportunity and eliminates unlawful discrimination. We are an equal opportunities employer and treat every application on merit alone.  We particularly welcome applications from disabled, black, indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC), and LGBT+ and non-binary candidates.  We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet our essential selection criteria set out in the Skills section.