At a glance
We're excited to be bringing in a new member of our team - someone to support and continue with us on the next phase of our transition and governance journey.
We are underpinned by modelling and living systemically, where learning is change. We aspire to work with healthy power and where equity and diversity is woven through everything that we do. We continue to work with a relational and learning approach - putting people and relationships first and to evolve it at a pace and in a way that is right-sized and resilient.
Current job holder Vacant
Job title Network Operations Lead/ Director / Orchestrator*
*We are open to agreeing on an innovative title together
Name of organisation Forum for the Future (registered charity no 1040519) or open to freelance on a long-term consultancy contract.
Location London (UK) or open to virtual working with commitment to spending time with team; teams are based in London, Berlin, New York
Responsible to CEO, School of System Change
Responsible for To be confirmed - 1 to 2 positions might report to this role
Salary range £50,000 to £58,000 (pro rata), depending on experience
Start From late September 2023
Working hours We are initially looking for someone three days a week, with the possibility of increasing this in 2024, please do indicate on your application if you are interested but also would need to start at four days. 37.5 per week (pro rata) excluding lunch breaks. The pattern of hours are recommended during standard office hours, however can vary according to operational needs. The School and Forum operates flexible working policy which includes flexible start/end of working day and opportunities for home working.
Contract This is a one-year contract with the intention to extend depending on the financial health of the School over this period. For employment the notice period is three months in writing on each side.
Holiday 25 days per annum, plus statutory holidays pro rata.
Equal opportunities Forum strives to be an equal opportunities employer and commitment to this process will be expected.
Date written July 2023
Forum for the Future has a no smoking policy.
Full details of Conditions of Employment are set out in the Forum Employment Contract, the main features of which are standard to all staff.
Purpose
Lead the evolution and delivery of the School of System Change’s governance and operations, as it transitions its relationships with Forum for the Future and becomes a fully functioning systemic, collaborative network.
Organogram
Currently the enabling team is 8 people, with two new hires (including this one) coming in, based in London, Edinburgh, Berlin, New York, with a network of 14 active facilitators from across US, Canada, Europe to Singapore as well as six partner organisations (and growing, and depending how we articulate this - which is part of this role). We have over fifty contributors from multiple lineages, worldviews and geographies and over 600 alumni as part of our wider community
Context
The School of System Change has recently been through a period of development and is currently evolving its network model and ways of organising. It was nurtured and established as part of Forum for the Future until in 2022 when it was agreed that it would work towards independence to support better synergies and for the School to be able to live into its strategy more. This role is to support this transition.
We, at the School, are seeking to continue to evolve our network model that is underpinned by modelling and living systemically, where learning is change. We aspire to work with healthy power and where equity and diversity is woven through everything that we do. We continue to work with a relational and learning approach - putting people and relationships first and to evolve it at a pace and in a way that is right-sized and resilient.
We are evolving our governance through a roots and shoots approach, that is putting in the roots by consolidating our policies and creating clear partnerships agreements to work with our network. This role would also help us experiment with the new shoots that the organisation needs, learning and adapting as we develop.
We are excited to be able to recruit for this role, after refreshing our strategy, from a new brand and positioning to a refreshed enabling team, as well as creating more financial sustainability to take us into the next development phase of the School. We see this role as critical to realising our ambition, as we believe how we organise ourselves is just as much a contribution to the world as the programme work we do, supporting us to be systemic as well as ensuring financial resilience. We believe transformational governance is a key intervention point in systems change and want to live our values by sharing challenges and learning along the way.
We want to find the right person for this role that can continue with us on the next phase of our transition and governance journey. This person may be employed by Forum for the Future or contracted independently, whilst being committed to being a core part of our Enabling team and leadership. One of the questions this post will hold is how we evolve the School as a legal entity and so will be able to take us on the journey that we need to go on.
Key responsibilities
We expect a 50:50 split on operations and the more strategic, developmental side of the role, acknowledging how they are deeply intertwined, as every process, financial ledger for example is a possible redesign point.
→ Lead the delivery and evolution of the operations and governance of the School of System Change as a whole. Exploring and testing the ways we organise and govern ourselves - from the culture, behaviours and relationships to the instruments, tools, policies that shape this. From the big picture down to the day-to-day processes - finance, people, partnerships, governance, digital, legal, open commons, and otherwise.
→ To be able to work alongside Forum for the Future - both as a partner organisation as well as being currently the backbone governance and finances for the School, especially with the COO of Forum and their wider operations team as we seek to continue to transition our relationship towards independence.
→ Current areas/experiments to consolidate and develop:
- Robust financial modelling for the network, currently and as we develop.
- Establishing our partnership agreements, contractually, financially as well as ways of working and establishing these in deeply values aligned ways.
- Working with the enabling and wider network team of the School - to leading and enabling ways of working, including decision making practices, roles and accountabilities, communication and resourcing.
- To initiate and lead an inquiry into if and when we might become independent and what legal vehicle, governance structures or organising approaches might work best for the organisation.
- Support other functions in the network - including the operating model for open enrolment courses, the production process for programmes and our approach to learning and practice partnerships and working with ecosystems and networks. Bringing processes and approaches to support our operations and ways of organising.
- Lead on risk management and wider governance questions
→ Manage and work with the learning and development of the enabling and network team and support onboarding of new team members, as required.
→ Contribute to the effectiveness of the School of System Change as a whole, to shared activities and responsibilities and to one’s own personal development
→ Learn, communicate and document our approach - being transparent with the ups and the downs - contributing to being a bold contributor about systemic ways of working towards transformational governance.
Please note that this list is indicative of the key responsibilities of this role but is by no means exhaustive. This job description does not form part of the contract of employment.
Accountable for
→ Co-design and management of implementation and delivery of innovative governance and ways of organise to experiment and refine - continually finding viable, right-sized and workable models for the School
→ Determining the next model for the School, curating the information and holding spaces with the team and network to make directional decisions through participatory processes.
→ Refine our approach to partnership, ensuring that value is created for all parties and that challenges are addressed, for example sharing branding and IP and transparency of rates and pay scales
→ School operations run smoothly, with robust financial strategy, good and timely agreements with network partners, and attention given to relationships with key stakeholders including Forum trustees and their Executive Leadership Team.
Capabilities & experience
Operations management and leadership
→ Experience of leading, facilitating, developing and implementing transformational governance and operations - across areas such as financial, legal, policies and people
→ Experience of organisational design and people development across distributive, systemic ways of organising and learning
→ Preferable experience of setting up a new legal vehicle, and transferring assets and understanding what might be required.
→ Being able to lead and work in a complex and changing environment across different contexts and challenges.
→ Strong understanding and experience of leading financial management, legal compliance, contracting and HR, governance and risk, preferably across different geographies or can navigate this within a global network as well as understanding of where there is innovative practice and how to work between current practice and future practice in these areas.
→ Ability to work with network partners and establishing a functioning network model - from principles to the practical - working in a relational and with healthy power. Experience of bringing equity, diversity and healthy power to this working - for example decision making, conflict resolution and the softer side of governance.
→ To work in both an experimental way, in relationships and as well as strong skills in consolidation and completion of the governance requirements of running an organisation. Managing and leading projects in a multi-layered, interactive way.
Personal qualities
→ A commitment and integrity to the School of System Change culture, values and a just and regenerative world.
→ Strong relationship builder, facilitator and leadership as an enabler of others - across teams and partners; ability to communicate complex and complicated operational information in a relational way to suit different audiences and learning styles, bringing people along in the journey.
→ Process orientated, from information curator to completer finisher
→ Personal resilience and adaptability in the face of uncertainty and complexity,
→ Self-reflective, with a commitment to continual learning and development.
→ Tendency to open working, a team player – able to work effectively across a matrixed structure and across geographies.
→ Proactive – able to work independently and manifest and problem solve in complexity and to what is best suited to the situation.
Application
We use the Applied platform because it is designed to reduce bias in our recruitment process. Make sure you read all details about the application process.
Applications close at 11.59pm BST on 24 September 2023. Interviews will be held on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of October, with the possibility of a pre-call the week before and a meeting of the team alongside the process.
Please note we are unable to respond to all applications. If you have not heard from us within the three weeks of the closing date, please assume we are not taking your application further.
