Manager, Equity, Gender & Youth

Main purpose of the role

Reporting to the Global Director, Equity, Gender and Youth (EGY), the Manager will contribute to the development and implementation of CIFF’s Equity, Gender & Youth strategy and portfolio, ensuring they are aligned with the overarching Foundation Strategy and Missions.

This includes:

i. Leading grant-making for, and internal mainstreaming of, Meaningful Adolescent & Youth Engagement (MAYE) approaches, including girl- and young feminist-led organising models, in support of CIFF’s broader equity mainstreaming, evidence and thought leadership agenda:

• Day-to-day management and strategic planning of EGY’s MAYE and young feminist grants portfolio, including evidence-building investments to support CIFF’s broader thought leadership and influencing agenda on equity, gender and youth issues.
• Overseeing the mainstreaming of best-practice MAYE approaches and tools across CIFF’s Missions and ecosystem-strengthening approaches, including providing technical assistance to CIFF staff and grantee partners, in support of CIFF’s broader equity mainstreaming agenda.
• Strategic engagement with external funder and implementer networks to share learnings, disseminate evidence and influence sector-level funding and programmatic practices on MAYE and Young Feminist Organising.

ii. Partnering with the Global Director, Equity, Gender & Youth to drive high-quality execution of CIFF’s global gender advocacy, fundraising and partnerships portfolio, with a specific focus on managing initiatives to mobilise increased political commitments and funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including:

• Co-leading the design and delivery of a portfolio focused on global and multilateral advocacy to advance progressive policies and finance for gender equity, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
• Managing, in partnership with other foundations, the delivery of a novel initiative to galvanise net-new funding from High-Net Wealth Individuals (HNWIs) for SRHR.
• Assisting relevant sector teams in developing and managing partnerships with other funders, through which relevant work is co-strategized and co-funded. This includes mapping out philanthropic partnership and co-funding opportunities on gender, equity and youth issues as well as SRHR and designing bespoke engagement strategies, in collaboration with the Global Director, EGY and other CIFF partnerships focal points.
• Where relevant, provide strategic input on external communications, events and policy/advocacy opportunities, including execution of events and development of briefings, articles and speeches for CIFF senior management and Board, as well as CIFF strategic partners.

Role’s responsibilities

Strategy & planning

• Collaborate with the Global Director, EGY in the ongoing refinement and implementation of CIFF’s Equity, Gender & Youth strategy, focused on advancing global gender advocacy, fundraising and partnerships; and equity mainstreaming, evidence and thought leadership.
• Contribute to annual business planning, identifying investment opportunities for the EGY team, and advancing collaboration with CIFF sector teams and external partners, particularly for MAYE, global gender advocacy and SRHR fundraising investments.
• Contribute to the EGY team’s internal and external communications, focused on articulating a compelling, evidence-based and ambitious vision for CIFF’s contribution to equity, gender and youth issues, and their role in delivery of CIFF’s philanthropic mission.
• Manage implementation of co-funding convening and engagement plans
• Prepare and present high-quality analysis and research, as required, to support future strategic priorities and setting operational plans.
• Contribute to the production of programme strategy and the associated evidence base, alongside other team members, prior to a proposal’s submission for approval.

Co-funding & fundraising

• Guide and support teams to develop strategic partnerships to assist the adoption, replication, co-funding or scaling-up of CIFF programmes for gender and SRHR.
• Represent CIFF within key funder collaboratives and communities of practice, e.g. Elevate Children Funders Group, to disseminate programme learnings and mobilise peer funders for joint influencing and co-funding.
• Harness and distribute partner intelligence, to grasp opportunities, build trust and mitigate relationship risks for the team and wider organization.
• Prepare briefings and materials for effective funder engagement.
• Build relationships with grantee fundraising staff and provide input and advice on fundraising initiatives and strategies as required.
• Ensure strategic grantees are collaborating appropriately with fundraising grantees and partners (e.g. Leaders for Reproductive Health, Co-Impact, Climate Lead)

Programme development, delivery & performance

• Programme-manage a portfolio of live investment and an active pipeline of potential investments in accordance with EGY’s overarching strategy. Identify new opportunities (including coordination across all country and sector portfolios) to enhance CIFF’s wider portfolio.
• Lead the end-to-end administration of the grant management process (from concept formation through to final payment), suggesting improvements where appropriate, to enable the EGY team to deliver and monitor its philanthropic activity efficiently and effectively.
• Provide strategic and technical input on investments across CIFF to support the embedment of gender-transformative and MAYE approaches in CIFF’s programmatic work.
• Apply agreed due diligence and risk management protocols appropriately throughout the development and delivery of proposals and programmes, to ensure the interests and reputation of the Foundation are protected.
• Lead the preparation and dissemination of regular and ad hoc reporting on sector/portfolio/programme performance, to ensure colleagues and partners (as required) have access to accurate and relevant management information.
• With the advice and guidance of the EME team, identify and embed appropriate monitoring and evaluation processes to all proposals and programmes.
• Work closely with the Finance team to coordinate the forecasting of grant payments, to enable effective cash flow management and reporting within the organisation.
• Manage external consultancies and agencies to support the delivery of agreed projects.

Sector knowledge and profile-building

• Maintain extensive external networks with relevant partners, experts and opinion-leaders (across governments, civil society, multilateral institutions, philanthropy and the private sector), in order to ensure CIFF’s work is shaped by the most up-to-date insights and research.
• Engage in the development and promotion of high-quality thought leadership materials, raising awareness about CIFF’s work on equity, gender and youth issues, ensuring alignment with the Foundation’s communications and advocacy strategies.
• Undertake or commission relevant research and analysis to inform the effective development, delivery and evaluation of EGY programmes and initiatives.

Stakeholder and partner management

• With a variety of external audiences, develop and maintain strong partnerships and act as a knowledgeable resource about CIFF’s programmes and priority areas. Personally develop and maintain strong relationships with individuals and organisations working in the MAYE and SRHR sectors.
• Apply CIFF’s agreed account management disciplines and approaches in all dealings with programme partners and stakeholders, to ensure productive and professional relationships are maintained in a coordinated and strategic manner.
• Working alongside senior colleagues, help to develop strategic partnerships to support adoption, replication, co-funding or scaling-up of CIFF programmes
• Support with collection and synthesis of programme insights and data for presentation to CIFF senior leadership and Board, and external partners and stakeholders.
• Keep abreast of sector developments on gender equality, SRHR, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and MAYE, in order to inform CIFF’s work in these domains.

Communications & events

• Write and co-ordinate high-quality, strategic briefings for partnership meetings and events for the ED, CEO, and the Global Director, EGY, as required.
• Support in the preparation of talking points, presentations and event materials ahead of speaking engagements and events for the ED, CEO, and the Global Director, EGY, as required.
• Take and disseminate executive summaries of events and meetings to maintain team clarity on existing partnerships and new opportunities.
• Develop content about CIFF’s global EGY work and portfolio for internal and external use (e.g. quarterly CEO report, annual report and website).

Membership of the team

• This role does not hold line management responsibility, but we expect all employees to demonstrate good leadership behaviours; this includes adopting a coaching approach with colleagues to help build skills, confidence and capability in particular areas, processes or procedures.
• As required, support on the planning and coordination of inductions for new joiners to the team.
• We operate a matrix structure so reporting lines can vary between specific aspects of the role.
• Actively participate in cross organisational working groups related to philanthropy and partnerships.
• Contribute to corporate initiatives, as required by the ED and Global Director, EGY

Requirements

Skills & Experience  

• Self-starter and self-disciplined, driven by CIFF’s mission and a demonstrated passion for breaking new ground in the fight against gender inequity.
• Understanding of relevant programming in CIFF’s priority impact areas
• Knowledge of, and commitment to DEI and MAYE approaches.
• Previous analysis / research work experience in the private sector, public sector or an international development context
• Demonstrates professional, sound judgement; can think critically, objectively and strategically
• Partnership development and fundraising experience in the philanthropic and/or the NGO sector.
• Skilled in relationship building and strengthening; able to influence others and work collaboratively, uniting groups with a shared purpose
• Strong working knowledge of impact measurement, programme monitoring and evaluation; and belief in the importance of evidence-based decision making
• An innovative thinker with a pragmatic and solution-oriented mindset
• Ability to work efficiently, juggle tasks simultaneously, meet deadlines, and achieve goals and prioritize projects.
• English is CIFF’s business language – we expect all of our people to display outstanding verbal and written communication skills across all aspects of their role
• Capacity to work in a range of cultural and socio-economic contexts, adapting style and approach appropriately and in a culturally sensitive manner to maximise effectiveness
• IT proficiency (most specifically in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
• Ability to work well independently, with good initiative and problem-solving skills, and resilience

Benefits

The starting salary for this role is GBP 63,790 per annum.

CIFF operates a hybrid work policy across all locations, which means employees works some of the time from home. We are happy to provide more information on this as part of the recruitment process.

Alongside a competitive salary, we offer a generous benefits package here at CIFF that includes, but is not limited to the following.

• Annual leave - 25 days per annum. Increasing by 1 day after each year of service, to a maximum of 30 days.
• Bonus - CIFF currently operates a discretionary bonus scheme.
• Pension
• Private medical insurance
• Training allowance
• Wellbeing allowance
• Life insurance
  

Please submit your application on or before 6th October 2024. CIFF reserves the right to close the job advert early if we receive a high number of suitable applications.