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New Role at Collaborate, to support our expanding team.

Are you: Curious, Perceptive, Adaptable, Collaborative?

Collaborate is searching for a person with these qualities to join our growing team. Below we set out some information about the role, and the experience that will help you in this job — but more than anything we are looking for someone with these values, because we know they are key to what we do.

We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to diversifying our team. We know that people with these qualities can learn on the job, and we will support them to do so through our collaborative and learning-orientated team culture. So, if you believe that these words describe you, but are worried about whether you have all the right experience, then we strongly welcome your application.

About us

Collaborate is an innovative and growing social consultancy and think tank that supports services, systems and places that want to collaborate to deliver better outcomes for the public. Recent work has included designing and leading a systems leadership development programme in Essex, developing an approach to place-based service integration in Oldham, and leading a system-wide learning and evaluation programme for Save the Children UK.

We believe that complex social challenges need a collaborative, cross-sector response. Our team blends leading-edge thought leadership and policy development with the ability to build the infrastructure and relationships for real collaborative delivery. To find out more about us please go to our homepage and look at the Our People and Our Services sections.

Job scope

The role of Consultant is an important one in Collaborate, through which the individual will have a high level of responsibility for project work and teams, but also be supported and guided by Senior Heads of Practice and Directors.

The Consultant will lead exciting, creative and innovative projects for Collaborate partners, winning and delivering project work and helping us to build our relationships and networks, with support from senior members of the team. This role offers a chance to learn, grow and develop your own practice, as well as to contribute to the organisation’s development, drawing on a wide range of skills. Senior members of the team will also encourage the Consultant in the development of their expertise and capabilities as an emerging leader within the organisation.

As a vital team member, the Consultant will be expected to be part of a positive and collaborative working culture, contributing to the strategic direction, intellectual capital and the written outputs of the organisation. As they develop, they will be supported to share new skills, capabilities and innovative practice amongst the team.

Job accountabilities

1. Lead client work with support from senior team members:

• deliver high-quality and innovative client-facing projects on time and on budget, with a positive, problem-solving approach
• utilise the range of Collaborate’s methodologies and products when delivering client work (for example qualitative research and diagnostics, collaborative workshop design and facilitation, project co-design and creative engagement of a range of stakeholders)
• the Consultant will be encouraged to develop and refine Collaborate’s approach through their engagements, contributing to the continuous iteration of Collaborate’s products, and to their own development as a social change practitioner
• identify synergies between projects and link Collaborate’s practice to developments in policy and practice, in the UK and internationally

2. Manage relationships:

• work closely with Collaborate colleagues, associates and partners
• effectively manage the project team for work in which the Consultant has the lead role, seeking input from senior leadership where appropriate
• develop and widen the Collaborate network, impact and reputation, through attending events and managing meaningful relationships in the wider sector
• help to bring in new revenue for Collaborate from new or existing clients and through building lasting client partnerships

3. Produce thought leadership and associated products:

• contribute to the intellectual output of Collaborate, for example through writing blogs and reports
• use existing knowledge gathered from Collaborate’s practice work to write publications (e.g. blogs, articles, reports) that push the boundaries of traditional thinking and practice with regards to social change and showcase our work, supported by senior members of the team
• contribute to organisational learning

We are looking for someone who has a combination of some or all of these skills and experiences:

• An experienced communicator - comfortable working with people at a range of levels and able to find ways to engage others with new ideas, preferably having worked within multi-stakeholders environments
• Experience in leading project work, as supported by senior oversight - can understand a brief or problem and the key stakeholders involved, develop proposals or project plans to seek effective solutions, contribute intellectual capital to a project, present complex information in compelling ways, conduct research and manage effective relationships to achieve a project’s desired outcomes
• Excellent understanding of some of the drivers and factors of social change, which may include experience in some or all of the following - place-based change, collaboration and partnership working, service integration, system leadership, culture change and/or systems change thinking
• Desirable - experience in a public service setting or in an organisation that works with public services; and/or experience of working in or with local government, funders, the voluntary sector, and/or health; and experience of building cross-sector relationships is highly desirable

Our commitment to our team

Collaborate supports flexible working and there will also be the potential for growth within this role and within this growing organisation as a whole.

We seek to be a genuinely collaborative organisation, sharing ideas and decisions across the team through weekly team meetings and regular learning sessions at Team Half Days. We collectively consider our broader strategy, examine and share learning across our projects, and explore how we might develop our work and our existing offer to clients.

As a Living Wage employer, we believe in paying our team fairly, are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We aim to create an inclusive working environment in which all individuals are able to make the best use of their skills and to thrive.

Working hours and salary expectations

Salary: £40,000 to 50,000, dependent upon experience

Benefits: Season ticket loan available, pension scheme, 25 days’ holiday plus Christmas break plus bank holidays

Hours: Ideally 5 days a week, but we will consider part-time working or flexible working hours on a case-by-case basis

Location: London-based. Collaborate works across the UK and the Consultant will be expected to travel. If the individual is based outside of London, they would need to be based in London for a minimum of 2 days per week, (at such point that office-working resumes more fully), with additional days required dependent on project work. N.B. travel costs to the London office will be borne by the Consultant.

Please note that while government guidance remains to work from home where possible, the team will be supported to do so. In addition to our usual team meetings and learning sessions, we also currently have daily team check-ins. We will continue to explore what we do going forward to ensure that the team feels well-connected and to ensure that newcomers become comfortable as part of the team, both through their induction and beyond.

Process for application and intended timeline

Please complete the online application form to apply for this role. You will also need to email your CV, but this will only be used in the second phase of the screening process

• Deadline — 5pm on Friday 13th November
• ‘Blind’ assessment process, team will evaluate the application answers without viewing candidates’ personal information. CVs will then be used in the final stage to narrow down the long-list of candidates to short-list for interview
• Interview — meet two members of the team to discuss your experience and skills — 23rd — 26th November
• Final interview — to enable you to demonstrate your skills and what you would bring to the role — 7th or 9th December
• Offer made — by the Christmas break

We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and are happy to discuss how to accommodate interviews with those who have childcare, access or geographical requirements. Prevailing government guidelines around meeting in person shall be followed and virtual interviews are options at all stages of the interview process if required.

To find out more, contact Hannah Tomlinson.

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