In 2023, CIFF introduced the role of Chief Ecosystem Development Officer (CEDO), possibly a first in the philanthropic sector. This reflects CIFF’s commitment to not only support grantee organisations through our organisational development (OD) efforts but actively shape and enhance ecosystems. Therefore, this also marked the transition of Organisation and Ecosystem Development (OED) function to drive institutional and ecosystem strengthening in service of our CIFF’s Missions.

Main purpose of the role

The  Ecosystem & Organization Development (OED) Manager role is an exciting new opportunity to lead and support a range of initiatives and investments to drive adoption and embedding of ecosystem approach within CIFF.

This includes (but is not limited to):

·       Development and dissemination of tools/frameworks

o   Consolidate and share knowledge on common definitions, frameworks, and tools for ecosystem development.

o   Support CIFF program teams in applying these tools to assess ecosystem maturity and develop interventions.

o    Work with the L&D team to embed ecosystem mindsets and behaviours in the organisation.

·       Cross-sharing of learnings

o   Connect teams and consolidate learnings and best practices across different areas (e.g., establishing new infrastructure, guidance on convenings).

o   Provide a consolidated view of ecosystems and interdependencies.

o   Map ecosystems and missions to highlight overlaps and interdependencies for teams.

o   Report the effectiveness of ecosystem-related activities within the organisation.

o   Support program teams with ecosystem risk identification and mitigation interventions.

Role’s responsibilities

OED Strategy & Program management

·       Co-Lead EcoDev (Ecosystem Development) programmes and initiatives, directly aligned with CIFF’s mission and cross-cutting priorities in partnership with the program teams.

·       Ensure CIFF remains current with best practices and trends in EcoDev approaches by regularly participating in relevant industry forums, workshops, and conferences.

·       Actively subscribe to and review leading journals and publications in the field. Establish a network of thought leaders and experts to facilitate ongoing knowledge exchange and stay informed about cutting-edge practices and innovations that can be adapted and implemented within CIFF

·       Identify opportunities for EcoDev by conducting regular reviews, leveraging insights from ongoing efforts, and engaging in continuous feedback mechanisms from the field. Use these insights to improve processes, procedures, and EcoDev programme management approaches

·       Prepare progress updates and impact summary for the Board ensuring these are produced to a high-standard and in a timely fashion, often within tight timeframes

Ecosystem enablement

·       Lead the analysis and development of ecosystem reporting by the OED team. This includes creating impactful presentation materials and preparing to answer questions on data for internal and external forums. Support Program Directors by equipping them with the necessary information and data to make informed decisions and present progress updates on OD and ED work

·       Leverage systems change expertise to lead the creation and refinement of innovative tools and templates for program and cross-cutting teams, ensuring these are effectively integrated into existing processes to enhance the overall efficiency and impact of ecosystem work at CIFF

·       Coach the program and cross-program teams on applying the EcoDev tools as needed, ensuring they have expert knowledge. This will provide the program teams with a comprehensive view of ecosystem maturity and ensure targeted ED interventions are included in program design.

·       Build internal capacity and support CIFF in embedding an ecosystem approach in missions and investments by developing and facilitating trainings, coaching, etc.

Cross-functional collaboration

·       Partner with program and other cross-cutting teams to consolidate and share best practices and learnings on ecosystem mapping and impactful interventions

·       Strategically identify and maintain a comprehensive overview of overlaps and intersectionalities between various ecosystems, leveraging these insights to enhance synergies and drive strategic collaboration. This role involves actively mapping interdependencies to optimize resource allocation and maximize the impact of collaborative efforts across CIFF’s diverse programs As required, lead on the support provided to  the EME team in the delivery of their Sector Mission aligned ecosystem interventions on data, evidence, impact measurement across CIFF portfolios

·       Proactively seek to synthetise what we are learning as an organisation in the deployment of the OED strategy to the wider philanthropic sector by preparing thought leadership pieces, case studies, shareable tools etc.

·       As required, partner with the External Affairs team in develoing the OED website and material that are suitable to be disseminated through our various CIFF channels (website, social media etc)

·       Work closely with the Legal Team in managing the Ecosystem Risk Working Group, capturing, anticipating, assessing and designing risk management interventions and capturing them appropriate in the risk register prepared by the Legal team for CIFF Board

·       Work closely with the L&D team to design training programmes that embed an ecosystem mindset across CIFF (and the CIFF family). Leverage project management and change management expertise to seamlessly integrate the EcoDev approach into CIFF.

Organisational development

·       Provide strategic guidance and frameworks for organizational development, acting as a consultant to key partners within ecosystems and their grantees, as identified with relevant teams. Use your extensive knowledge and experience to tailor approaches that enhance their capabilities and align their operations with broader ecosystem goals.

·       Offer organizational strengthening and governance support as a trusted advisor to key organizations, enhancing their roles within ecosystems. Facilitate the implementation of best practices in governance and management to ensure robust and effective participation in CIFF’s ecosystem initiatives.

Partnerships & strategic convenings

·       Conduct rigorous research, evaluation, and mapping of potential ED partners, using agreed corporate protocols and techniques, to assess their suitability and credentials for collaborating on CIFF initiatives

·       Identify high-gain ecosystem convenings, events, opportunities for CIFF or its grantees to further their ecosystem work

·       Support CIFF teams in strategic convenings and ecosystem agenda-building by offering expert guidance on effective event planning and execution. Provide risk management strategies to safeguard CIFF’s reputation and ensure convenings maximize strategic outcomes and enhance sector-wide collaboration. Compile best practices around convenings and as needed, engage with grantees/partners that have experience with convenings

Requirements

Skills & Experience

·       Relevant experience in applying systems change approaches and organizational development within the development sector, with a focus on ecosystem development and field building. Demonstrated ability to drive impactful transformations that align with strategic objectives in complex, multi-stakeholder environment Strong co-ordination, project management and partnering skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders in a fast-paced environment

·       Familiarity with the geopolitical and economic landscape and how it relates to climate and children including multilateral processes, key regional dynamics

·       Strong research, analysis and knowledge management capabilities with an innovative, pragmatic and result-oriented mindset

·       Capacity to work in a range of cultural and socio-economic contexts, adapting style and approach appropriately and in a culturally sensitive manner to maximize effectiveness

·       Proven track record of designing and implementing successful interventions across multiple functions and organisations

·       English is CIFF’s business language –Outstanding verbal and written communication skills across all aspects of the role

·       IT proficiency (most specifically in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)

Key working relationships

·       Chief ecosystem development officer and organization and ecosystem development team

·       Other CIFF teams –Program and cross-cutting

·       Global OED partners and stakeholders

·       CIFF Board members,

·       CIFF Executive Team,

·       CIFF L&D Team

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. All these will be prorated to the fixed term.

• 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 16th July 2024. CIFF reserves the right to close the job advert early if we receive a high number of suitable applications.