Information pack
Interim Senior Strategic Planning Manager – 12 month FTC
(Job Ref 1001-64)
ActionAid doesn’t just tackle the effects
of poverty. We also change what keeps
people poor.
ActionAid improves people’s lives every day.
But we know that’s not enough. So we work
relentlessly to change whatever is keeping
them trapped in poverty. This means we have
a better chance of ending poverty for good.
ActionAid is an international development
charity. Formed in 1972 we have been
growing and expanding to where we are today
- working with
over 13 million of the world's poorest and most
disadvantaged people in 42 countries
worldwide.
Photo by Gideon Mendel/Corbis/ActionAid
Performance & Accountability Department
The Performance & Accountability department is accountable to the Executive Director, ActionAid
UK and has been created to lead continued change in the organisation in an increasingly complex
and fast-moving world. The overall ethos of the department is to support the organisation to ‘up its
game’ to a higher level of performance. We are now entering a key point as ActionAid UK embarks
on developing a new five year strategy. The department operates on strong organisational
development principles and sees itself as supporting the people, culture and accountability
agendas.
We want to focus, in particular, on strategic ways to improve both organisational and individual
performance – tackling cross-organisational challenges, motivating employees and setting a
culture where good performance flourishes and any blocks to effective delivery are challenged and
resolved. Alongside ActionAid, and, indeed, the whole international aid sector, is facing demands
for increased accountability and the challenge of demonstrating the difference we make – we want
to be leaders in responding to this. We have to account to a variety of stakeholders – in the UK
and internationally. We also need to ensure appropriate accountability of ActionAid International to
ActionAid UK and vice-versa.
Performance & Accountability Department
Performance &
Accountability
Director
UK HR Partner
Head of Human
Resources &
Organisational
Development
Interim Senior
Strategic Planning
Manager
European HR Partner
HR Manager
Accountability Adviser
HR Adviser
HR Coordinator
The organisation is anticipating moving to central London, near Farringdon, by the summer.
JOB TITLE:
Senior Strategic Planning Manager (12 month contract)
GRADE:
6a
LOCATION:
London
DEPARTMENT:
Performance & Accountability
REPORTS TO:
Performance & Accountability Director
BACKGROUND
ActionAid UK was established at the start of 2004 following the ‘internationalisation’ of ActionAid and the
setting up of ActionAid International (AAI) with its Secretariat in Johannesburg. At the time ActionAid UK
was first established it had to articulate and develop a new role for itself, within the ActionAid International
federation, and a new strategy (2005 – 2010) was developed to guide the way forward. This strategy was
extended by one year and is due to be completed next year. In the meantime AAI also developed a
strategy for the period 2005 – 2010 called Rights to End Poverty, which is also due to be reviewed now
and a new strategy developed.
This is an exciting time for ActionAid UK as it embarks on the development of its second strategy. It is a
time to look back and assess our achievements, to consider where we have failed in our ambitions or
missed opportunities, to think about and spell out what we have learnt and, above all, to look to the future
and debate and map out the way forward.
At the same time ActionAid International will also be drawing up new strategy. ActionAid UK aims to both
play a critical role in this process and to align our new strategy to the global strategy. The AAI process will
start off with an extensive organisation wide review – formally called ‘Taking Stock 3’ - led by external
Consultants. The lessons from this will be considered, including at an organisation wide conference in
January 2011, and a new strategy will be developed in the first half of 2011. This will be approved at the
June 2011 AAI Assembly. Subsequent to this it is expected that the UK Board will approve the new UK
strategy in July 2011 and this will then be used to guide that year’s planning process for subsequent years.
WHAT IS THE MAIN REASON THE JOB EXISTS?
The next 12 months will be an intensive period for ActionAid UK of review, strategy development and
planning and it is proposed to appoint someone to oversee and project manage the various processes,
reporting to the performance and accountability director, who will have overall leadership. They will need
support the strategic and planning processes. This will include the UK’s participation in the Taking Stock 3
review (the UK will be one of six focus countries for this review) and a review of our own strategy.
The post holder will need to:
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Coordinate the UK’s planning process for 2011;
Coordinate our participation in ActionAid International’s (AAI) Taking Stock 3 process;
Project manage the review of the current UK strategy;
Project manage the development of a new 5 year ActionAid UK (AAUK)
strategy and AAUK’s engagement in the development of the AAI strategy;
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Support the Senior Management Team (SMT) to promote a culture of accountability and learning as
part of the review and strategy development process;
Enable the organisation to better measure its impact and value for money.
WHAT WILL THE ROLE HOLDER BE RESPONSIBLE FOR?
Strategy Development
 To help facilitate AAUK’s engagement in Taking Stock 3 and the development of the new AAI
strategy and manage the relationship with the project team driving the international strategy
development process;
 To support the review of AAUK’s 2005 – 10 strategy, including a ‘peer review’ of AAUK by an AAI
team;
 To project manage the process of developing AAUK’s new five year strategy, and support the
organisation to provide a clear line of sight between international, European and its own needs and
requirements;
 To drive processes and tools for successful strategic planning, including use of strategy maps and
balanced scorecards;
 To support the organisation to develop, implement and measure the effectiveness of strategic
planning tools and frameworks which are clear and concise, enable alignment to our vision, mission,
purpose and values and which enable our employees to have a clear line of sight between what
they do and what the organisation is trying to achieve.
Business Planning
 To manage the 2011 annual planning process and support the SMT and heads of teams with advice
and appropriate processes to do this effectively;
 To tighten approaches to key measures and indicators through the planning process;
 To support the SMT to ensure cohesion across departments, as well as clear consistency with the
financial and performance management processes.
Accountability and Learning
 To strengthen the capacity and capability of the SMT and departmental management teams to truly
embrace a commitment to engage in and support the accountability and learning agenda with
practical tools, support and facilitation;
 To support departments/teams to monitor their effectiveness through robust measurement
techniques and participatory learning and reflection processes;
 To work in collaboration with the accountability adviser and the head of human resources and
organisational development to strengthen capacity in this area.
Communications around strategic planning
 To contribute to key messages across the organisation, which are aimed at aligning people
effectively to contribute to an effective process;
 To set up a page on the hive and provide regular communication to the organisation;
 To support and design and manage a staff conference by designing the methodology, sourcing
speakers and achieving buy-in.
General
 To manage consultants, interns and volunteers, as required;
 To manage appropriate internal working groups, as required;
 To undertake any reasonable activity required by the Performance &
Accountability Director and/or the Executive Director.
WHAT ARE THE KEY SKILLS NEEDED?
Essential:
 Experience of strategic planning.
 Strategic thinking skills;
 Understanding of tools such as
strategy maps and balanced
scorecards;
 Excellent project management skills
with proven experience;
 A natural collaborator;
 Experience in managing participatory
processes well;
 Proven knowledge of accountability;
 Ability to live the organisational values.
Desirable:
 Monitoring and evaluation experience;
 Experience of an NGO;
 Knowledge management background;
 Organisational development
experience
Terms and conditions of employment at ActionAid UK
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Contract Status:
Place of work:
Salary:
Grade
Probation period:
Notice period:
Working hours:
Fixed Term 12 months
Hamlyn House, Macdonald Road, London N19 5PG
£41,277-£48,561 per annum
6a
6 Months
1 month during probationary period, 3 months thereafter
35 hours flexible working week
Benefits include:
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27 holidays per calendar year (3 days kept for Christmas period)
Group Personal Pension Plan - employer contributes 10%, employee 3%;
Flexible working hours and family friendly policies
Interest free season ticket loan
5 day holiday purchase scheme
Child care vouchers
Bike2Work Scheme
Interested in applying? Please submit your CV, Equal Opportunity Monitoring form and a covering
letter to [email protected] quoting job reference number 1001/64. Your covering letter should
state clearly your suitability for the role
ActionAid warmly welcomes applications from all sections of the community and we aim to
promote diversity.
Closing date:
Wednesday 26th May 2010
Registered charity number: 274467