Title: Senior Director, Programs and Innovation
Location: New Delhi – India
Reporting: Executive Director
Coordinates with: Other Program Directors and the Organizational Management Team
Status: Full-time
Role
Are you someone passionate about leading programs at an innovative feminist organization? Are you looking for a role that is a rare and unique opportunity for someone with a deep understanding and commitment to feminist movements?
CREA is looking for a strategic thinker and visionary leader who can help the organization in shaping, growing, and overseeing programs across its four Strategic Objectives. This role calls for an innovative leader who will ensure that CREA’s programs remain cutting-edge and responsive to the needs of structurally excluded people and to the challenging times in which we live. As a member of the Organizational Management Team, the Senior Director will nurture and communicate CREA’s culture, strengthen systems and processes, and enhance a dynamic learning environment.
The Senior Director, Programs and Innovation, will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for executing CREA’s vision, and must possess the zeal to represent CREA externally, mobilize resources, and ensure strategic growth in line with CREA’s Strategic Plan.
Key Responsibilities
The Senior Director, Programs and Innovation, will play a key leadership role in implementing CREA’s Strategic Plan.
- Ensure alignment of programs, at all times, with CREA’s Strategic Plan, and offer innovative strategic and visionary leadership as the plan evolves;
- Provide thought leadership consistent with CREA’s values;
- Maintain knowledge about the current state of the world and policy developments, especially those that relate to our constituencies and movements;
- Identify strategic opportunities for feminist movement building that align with CREA’s roles; and
- Identify and monitor internal and external risks to staff members and organization finances, goodwill, relationships (with grantee-partners and donors), and reputation, and implement mitigation strategies if, and where necessary.
The position will lead on overall program strategies, ensure excellence in programming, identify opportunities for strategic partnerships and collaborations, and provide oversight on program operations.
- Provide thought leadership on new and/or emerging programs and projects;
- Provide strategic oversight and support in the design and implementation of programs, in coordination with other Program Directors;
- Identify strategic opportunities for cross-movement collaborations, partnerships and alliances, and nurture existing relationships;
- Ensure overall program budget utilization is as per scope, time and agreements; and
- Provide oversight to the preparation of the program team’s annual work plans and budgets.
The Senior Director, Programs and Innovation, must be an astute manager of a diverse group of people with diverse cultures across different time zones. The Senior Director must have the ability to work with all units, and will actively lead in upholding CREA’s culture internally and in all external settings. The Senior Director will be expected to:
- Encourage team members to strive for excellence;
- Lead and mentor staff;
- Periodically analyze/assess program staffing needs and take action when necessary; and
- Identify and monitor internal and external risks and implement mitigation strategies if, as and when required.
The Senior Director, Programs and Innovation (in coordination with other Directors), will ensure that CREA sustains its position as a global South organization that is committed to feminist politics and the inclusion of structurally excluded people. In addition, the Senior Director will:
- Network with peer organizations to stay connected with emerging opportunities and latest trends that impact our movements and constituencies;
- Represent CREA and build networks with external stakeholders, including donors, consortium members, and at high level policy-making forums; and
- Communicate and maintain the political positioning of CREA.
Working closely with the Resource Development team, the Senior Director will be responsible for establishing good relationships with donors and supporting efforts to diversify funding, so that CREA remains a sustainable organization.
- Actively engage in donor stewardship;
- Take a lead in ideating for new program proposals;
- Participate in identifying and pursuing new funding resources;
- Oversee the development of fundraising plans and participate in identifying and pursuing new funding resources; and
- Maintain contact with key donors, ensure proper accountability and relationship building with all donors.
The Senior Director will actively support the implementation of new MEL systems and processes and ensure that CREA continues its commitment to being a learning organization.
- Contribute to strengthening CREA’s MEL systems and processes;
- Ensure that outcomes across all four program strategic objectives are achieved;
- Work closely with Program Directors for cross-program conversations and learning; and
- Communicate CREA’s impact at national, regional, and global levels.
The position will be a key contributor to CREA’s organizational development, ensuring that infrastructure, systems, processes, and staffing are fit for purpose.
- Ensure that infrastructure, systems, processes and staffing are fit for purpose in managing the growth of the organization;
- Play a key enabling role in upholding CREA’s culture and values;
- Ensure structural alignment and build a shared-leadership model that is consistent with our identity as a feminist organization; and
- Ensure that the infrastructure, systems and operations of the organization are fit for purpose and meet the highest expectations of stakeholders, including grantee-partners, staff, donors, and peer organizations.
Life at CREA
Founded in 2000, CREA is an international feminist human rights organization based in New Delhi, India. It is one of the few feminist human rights organizations based in the global South, led by Southern feminists, working at community, national, regional, and international levels. Together with partners from a diverse range of human rights movements and networks, CREA’s work focuses on building feminist leadership, strengthening movements, expanding sexual and reproductive freedoms, promoting rights- based approaches to reducing gender-based violence (GBV), and advancing the human rights of structurally excluded people.
- We like to think of ourselves as a fearless, interrogative, colorful, edgy, sexy flock of birds flying freely to explore, to imagine and to build freedoms together.
- If you are one who is ready to challenge the system when it is needed, you could be one of us.
- If you believe you wish to build a world where an individual must have the agency and right to make choices about sexuality, reproduction and human rights, then you will find the room to explore here.
- Constant learning and sharing of knowledge is an expectation that team members have from CREA, and CREA from team members.
Qualifications, Experience, and Competencies
- Demonstrated capacity in strategic visioning and leadership.
- Results-oriented, with the capacity to determine the best possible means to achieve a solution or outcome.
- Ability to demonstrate a high degree of flexibility in managing change across a broad group of stakeholders in an inclusive manner.
- Demonstrated ability to manage complexity and risk on multiple levels and building a resilient organization.
- Proven ability to lead, manage, mentor and develop others within the organization.
- Outstanding people management skills with demonstrated experience of successfully leading multicultural teams, working globally and across time zones.
- Recognized in feminist movements as a thoughtful leader and widely networked with different organizations, including within the funding community and with a range of experts and activists.
- A degree, ideally in the field of women’s rights, international human rights and/or philanthropy.
- Fifteen years of experience in social change organizations with at least ten years in leadership positions.
- Have a sense of humor.
- An astute communicator, responsive to diverse contexts and settings.
- Strong proficiency in verbal and written English.
- Proficiency in spoken Hindi will be an asset.
- Willingness to travel extensively.
We Offer
We are committed to provide a working environment where there is constant learning and equal opportunity for all. We co-create an inclusive environment where diversity is valued. Salary for this role is in commensurate to the qualification, experience, internal parity and location. A generous benefits package is included.
Benefits package includes
- Hybrid workplace and flexible work arrangement policies
- Professional development initiatives for growth, including participation/representation at local/global feminist platforms.
- 20 days paid leave
- 12 days sick leave
- 12 days holiday as specified in the list of holidays
- One week of winter break at the end of the year (Christmas to New Year)
- A laptop as per CREA’s IT policy
CREA promotes pluralism and equal opportunity, is committed to diversity in its staffing, and maintains an environment free of discriminatory employment practices. No individual shall be discriminated against because of their actual or perceived age, caste, class, disability, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics.
Interested candidates who meet the required educational and experience requirements should send their CV along with a cover letter, current and expected salary to jobs@creaworld.org. This vacancy is live on a rolling basis and will be removed as soon as a suitable incumbent is identified. Please include in the subject line the name of the position you are applying for. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.