Chief Operating Officer

Job Title: Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Location: London (Hybrid – 1 or 2 days per week in the office)

Reporting to: Executive Director

Responsible for: Global Support functions of Governance, Legal, Finance, HR, IT and Keeping People Safe

Reports: 6 direct reports (plus 9 staff indirectly)

Duration: Permanent

Salary: £87,125 FTE plus 9% employer pension contribution

Deadline: 23 Sep 2024, 09:00 UK time

Note: Applications to be considered on a rolling basis so the deadline for applying for this position may end earlier than the advertised date.

No Contact from Agencies Please!

Conciliation Resources

Conflict is difficult, complex and political. The world urgently needs to find different ways to respond. Conciliation Resources is an international organisation committed to stopping violent conflict and creating more peaceful societies. We work with people impacted by war and violence, bringing diverse voices together to make change that lasts. For over 25 years, we have been making peace possible. We currently have over 70 full and part-time staff members. We work with over 70 locally-based and international partners worldwide.

Job purpose

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) is responsible for ensuring that Conciliation Resources’ finances, governance and operational support services across its 6 offices are compliant and meet the needs of the organisation.

The COO contributes to the organisational leadership of Conciliation Resources as a member of the Executive Management Team and other senior management groupings, representing its core values, and continuing to develop the organisational structure and operating model to support the peacebuilding vision of Conciliation Resources. The COO helps devise and implement strategies, including change management, to ensure Conciliation Resources is a dynamic, innovative and reflective organisation. As such, the COO plays a leading role in moving forward strategic processes on anti-racism, decolonisation, localisation, and inclusion and gender sensitivity into organisational practice.

In addition to ensuring legal, safe and robust operational management across the global organisation, the individual leads the organisational support teams and functions, currently comprising Finance, Governance, Human Resources and Facilities, Safety and Compliance, and IT. The level of direct management is variable as some of these teams have Managers who provide day to day management and strategic direction which the COO oversees and assists. During periods of emergency that threaten the health of staff or the organisation, the COO leads the organisation’s immediate emergency response as well as the longer-term strategic response.

As well as leading the Finance function, and overseeing legal and risk management, the COO reports to the Board and related committees on these areas as well as governance. The COO works closely with the four Department Directors based in London, Nairobi and Melbourne across all aspects of finance, governance, legal, HR, safety and compliance. This includes responsibility for the development, review and compliance of organisational policies. The COO consults with staff bodies and provides opportunities for staff to provide input and feedback as part of overall change management processes.

This role represents an unparalleled opportunity to use your strategic and operational expertise within an impactful and driven organisation committed to stopping violent conflict and creating more peaceful societies.

Person Specification

Knowledge
● Advanced practical knowledge of how to approach global organisational management, operations, finance and governance.
● Knowledge and practice of UK, Australian, Kenyan, Belgian and other relevant company and charity governance and broader legal environments is highly desirable
● A thorough understanding of, and commitment to, Conciliation Resources’ general aims and principles including a positive attitude towards equal opportunities principles and practice.
● A comprehensive understanding of the external environment and the key issues faced by international non-governmental organisations and the practical application of these in relation to the organisational support teams and their work.

Experience
● Experience overseeing support teams across multiple countries, including in high risk locations
● Management and leadership experience, including delivering strategies and support across multiple global offices and working with multiple Boards of Directors and Trustees.
● Experience overseeing finance, legal, risk and compliance matters across a global NGO or company, leading analysis and decision making in these areas.
● Experience of preparing annual organisational budgets and forecasts, statutory and management accounts, as well as meeting SORP requirements.
● Experience of working across the organisational support team portfolio, including safety and security, IT and Human Resources, and supporting and developing colleagues that lead their respective areas of work.
● Experience of leading people and culture functions.
● Experience of Keeping People Safe and crisis management.
● Experience of change management within complex and fast paced organisations, as well as
leading organisational development processes related to areas such as anti-racism,
decolonisation and localisation.
● Experience of financial reporting to institutional donors such as the FCDO and EU, as well as
the preparation of donor budgets and optimisation of cost recovery.

● Experience in both facilitating and leading meetings and / or events.
● Experience in finding practical responses to operational challenges and supporting others to
do the same.

Skills/Attributes
● Proven ability to think and operate strategically, with excellent organisational leadership and management skills including strategic planning.
● Excellent line management skills with the ability to work across a multi-disciplinary team of senior staff in multiple locations
● Strong financial, numeracy and Excel skills including accuracy, attention to detail and the ability to operate complex financial systems, preferably with a professional accounting qualification.
● Demonstrate a commitment to CR’s Keeping People Safe policy and zero tolerance on bullying and harassment.
● Ability to support and encourage direct reports (and their respective teams) in their fields of expertise. Proven ability to provide mentoring and advice to colleagues.
● Excellent verbal and written skills in English and proven ability to communicate effectively and sensitively and tailor communications to specific audiences.
● Appreciation of the importance of inclusivity and diversity within the internal organisational structures and the role this plays in maintaining the same in our programmatic work and how it relates to our mission, and demonstrate a commitment to gender diversity, diversity and inclusion.
● Proven political judgement including an appreciation of how to handle sensitive and confidential issues.