At a glance
We're excited to be bringing in a new member of our team - someone to support the design, implementation and maintenance of our knowledge management system. Someone who is passionate about how we're creating, storing and sharing knowledge as we evolve into or network model - supporting our audiences across the amazing and diverse field of systems change.
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 Knowledge Manager
Name of organisation Consultancy contract with Forum for the Future (registered charity no 1040519) which is the backbone organisation for the School of System Change
Location Virtual working with commitment to spending time with team - teams are based in London, Berlin, New York
Responsible to Curator
Responsible for The process of organising, creating, using, and sharing collective knowledge within the School of System Change network model, as well as support in designing and codifying assets and learning materials
Renumeration range £250 - £275 per day depending on experience
Start Late September or Oct 2023
Working hours 8 days per calendar month for 6 months, with the possibility to increase days in early 2024. The pattern of hours may vary according to operational needs and generally work will be carried out during normal office hours.
Contract This will begin with a 3 month trial period and will move into a renewable one year contract. The notice period is two months on writing on each side - depending on contract type
Equal opportunities The School and 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
Support the design and organisation of knowledge within the School of System Change collaborative network. Through:
→ Collecting and creating - including designing assets and learning materials
→ Sorting, codifying and organising knowledge, assets and materials
→ Storing knowledge and management of digital platforms
→ Knowledge management process from collection to sharing
Organogram
Context
Our aim at the School of System Change is to support current and emerging changemakers who are working to shift the systems around them towards just and regenerative futures. We do this by offering flexible learning programmes to mid-career professionals from business, not-for-profits, public sector, philanthropy and consultants; through our multi-method approach to learning. We convene and partner with practitioners and other leaders to build the systems change field; hosting a vibrant community of system changers on our online platform; and curating, translating, and communicating system change stories, tools, and resources.
The School of System Change was launched in 2017 with a core enabling team and has recently been through a period of development, evolving into a network model. 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.
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.
Core to developing a healthy network model is our knowledge management system, for which we are recruiting support for. Our ambition for knowledge management is to have an efficient and continuously evolving system that supports our network model across our enabling team and partners; making information, assets and resources easy to access and update. This will be focussed on three areas of knowledge management:
→ how we collect and create knowledge - including branded asset design and production
→ how we store knowledge - through our digital learning commons - handbooks and platforms - that will be used by our network
→ and how we access and share knowledge,including asset management and the overall process of knowledge management
This means resources and assets easy to find for our enabling team, facilitators and network partners. Our ambition for asset management is to have support in designing branded, great looking materials that can be used amongst the network for high quality learning.
Key responsibilities
Knowledge management:
→ Support the curator in defining the knowledge management strategy for our knowledge base and maintain high quality, up-to-date, and searchable content for our audiences
→ Work with enabling and wider network teams of the School to document and codify ways of working practices and encourage participation in the creation of shared knowledge
→ Support the curator in managing the design, infrastructure and management of the learning commons, inspired by theory of the commons, across organising, creating, using, and sharing collective knowledge
→ Codify and document our knowledge management process
Asset creation:
→ Support programmes and projects in designing and managing assets - slides, illustrations, presentations, learning materials
→ Support curator in redesigning and evolving key learning materials (eg Navigation Guides)
Platform management:
→ Codify and systematise assets for learning programmes, eg Miro templates
→ 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
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
Accountable for:
→ Process of organising, creating, using, and sharing collective knowledge within learning commons
→ Design and production of School assets
→ Management of platforms - Airtable, Miro, Handbooks
Capabilities & experience
Information architecture and knowledge management
→ Experience in knowledge management systems and/or organising, creating, using, and sharing collective knowledge
→ Experience in supporting learning and learning journeys through the design and organisation of knowledge
→ Experience of information architecture and design across distributed networks
→ Experience using tools like Airtable, Miro
→ Being able to lead and work in a complex and changing environment across different contexts and challenges
Visual Design
→ Experience in using visual brand systems and implementing across a wide range of assets and materials
→ Experience in illustrating concepts and visual sensemaking
Project and relationship management
→ Able to manage project budgets and timelines in relation to knowledge and resource creation
→ Agility in dealing with uncertainty
→ Entrepreneurial approach to working
→ Collaborative approach to engagement and internal and external stakeholder relationship
Personal qualities
→ Highly organised
→ A commitment to the School of System Change culture, values and a just and regenerative world
→ Personal resilience and adaptability in the face of uncertainty and complexity
→ Self-reflective, with a commitment to continual learning and development
→ A team player – able to work effectively across a matrixed structure and across geographies
Application
Please send a motivation letter alongside your CV to [email protected] with the subject “Knowledge Manager Role”. Applications close on 9th Sept 2023 and interviews will be held on a rolling basis.
