Senior Consultant – Organisational Development

About the role

As Senior Consultant – Organisational Development you will play a central role in the design and delivery of INTRAC’s organisational development (OD) offer as a core member of INTRAC’s OD Team.

This includes contributing to a portfolio of OD consultancy, research, and training assignments, either in a lead role, or as part of small or multi-disciplinary team with INTRAC network members, staff and partners. You’ll be responsible for providing a mixture of content expertise, quality assurance and job management as well as designing and delivering training and facilitation sessions – often online, with participants from a range of contexts.

You will win and develop consultancies building on your OD expertise, working with network consultants, colleagues, partners, clients, and donors around the world. You will help build a global network of consultants, nurturing existing and new relationships, developing partnerships and securing resources to help us achieve our vision.

An interest in and a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and shifting power in the aid sector is essential. As a consultant focussing on organisational development and capacity strengthening, you will likely be building specific thematic or technical skills within the broader OD field and will have the opportunity to learn from INTRAC’s research, training and consultancy work and hone and apply your skills in this context. You will also be able to contribute to that learning, by exploring how the language and approach of OD can strengthen the practice of shifting power to ensure OD is supporting locally led development. In collaboration with members of our network and staff, you’ll continue to evolve INTRAC’s OD practice based on emerging trends and the needs of our clients.

In return we offer a competitive package and a chance to work in an established and well-regarded not-for-profit, focused on transforming and strengthening the ecosystem of civil society support, the way we do consultancy work, and wider systems change. You will also have the opportunity to learn from INTRAC’s wider research, training, and consultancy work, delivered by specialists in this field from around the world.

The Senior Consultant – OD will have a key role in supporting, contributing to, and building INTRAC’s long-term capability and strategy as part of INTRAC’s OD team. This relates to delivering and enabling consultancy as well as network building, learning, and influencing. As the strategy evolves and INTRAC becomes more network-led, the balance of responsibilities may shift. Initially we envisage more focus on delivering consultancy.

About us

INTRAC exists to promote positive social change. We do this by strengthening the wider ecosystems of civil society support and also by supporting civil society organisations themselves. Through our collaborations we intend that these organisations can develop, engage with others, and do what they want to do, better. We have a global network of consultants delivering ethical and values-driven consultancy in areas such as organisational strengthening and MEL. We also have a well-regarded training service offering open and in-house training.

Our new strategy is increasingly focused on developing the wider ecosystem of civil society support. We will build on over 30 years of experience of supporting and strengthening civil society organisations and take this to a new level – connecting to, working alongside and learning together with national consultants, rooted in local culture, methods, practices, and knowledges. We want to work together to continually innovate and develop OD practice that is shifting power and enabling and supporting locally led development. We intend that ethical and values-driven consultants are catalysed and connected across the globe: active in their own contexts and providing locally rooted, globally connected civil society support.

Our work is delivered by a small group of staff and a global network of practitioners with in-depth thematic, regional, and methodological expertise. We carry out diverse consultancies that may range from short-term assignments on partnership and capacity strengthening work, to long-term organisational change and accompaniment processes for individual civil society organisations (CSOs), intermediary organisations, or as part of complex multi-country programmes. Our consultants support INTRAC’s highly regarded training services, including our online open training courses, tailored training for organisations, and individual mentoring.

Location

This is a remote working position, but staff are expected to travel to INTRAC together days and occasionally to in-person team meetings within the UK. International travel may also be required.

Reporting to

Principal Consultant

Salary

£38,000 – £40,000 pro-rata

Hours/days per week

This is a permanent position, 37.5 hours per week (0.8 FTE will be considered). Currently we can only directly employ people based in the UK, with a right to work in the UK.

However, we are happy to explore secondment or hosting arrangements with likeminded organisations, in the UK or internationally.

Key responsibilities

Consultancy and training (55%)

• Deliver and/or oversee the delivery of specific OD consultancy contracts. This includes collaborating with network consultants, staff, and partners on a range of assignments. We expect to build team leadership skills, to increasingly provide team leadership over time.
• Provide job management, quality assurance and other support for network consultants carrying out work for INTRAC.
• Support the development and delivery of INTRAC’s open and in-house training courses, and contribute to open and in-house OD training initiatives.

Example assignments:

• Supporting donors/organisations with their capacity strengthening programmes.
• Facilitating organisational capacity assessments and plans.
• Facilitating partnership reviews, partner development programmes, strategies, guides.
• Carrying out specific capacity strengthening initiatives.
• Facilitating organisational change processes.
• Supporting INGOs / organisations to shift power / exit responsibly from country-based operations.
• Coaching /mentoring particular individuals or groups.
• Facilitating learning communities (e.g. communities of practice).
• Supporting professional development of other consultants (drawing on INTRAC’s C4C approach).
• Managing or contributing to capacity development processes for programmes involving many organisations (e.g. for civil society funds).
• Working with consortia, networks, and families of multiple civil society organisations.
• Carrying out reviews and evaluations of capacity development programmes or partnerships.
• Addressing management, structural, strategy and governance issues.

*We are interested in candidates who can demonstrate experiences in several of the above areas. We don’t expect experience across them all.

Network development, business development, partnerships, admin (25%)

• Identify possible Team Leads and team members and organise bid preparation.
• Expand our network of consultants and partners in different parts of the world, maintaining and building relationships with new and existing consultants and clients.
• Contribute to learning, professional development, networking, influencing aspects through the network.
• Identify and respond to tenders and other opportunities for consultancy work, particularly those that secure work for consultants in our network, that strengthen our profile, expand our portfolio, and help the practice of shifting power. This will involve working closely with the business development team, strategic partners, and network consultants, in order to meet individual financial targets.
• Maintain relationships with key stakeholders – clients, practitioners, CSOs etc.
• General admin and coordination related to the role.

Learning, influencing and strategy (20%)

• Be an active member of INTRAC’s OD Team and exchange OD-related learning with colleagues and network members.
• Monitor and engage in key OD related developments and debates in the sector and innovate with OD approaches. Preferably including specific areas of interest and expertise in the field, such as digital transformation and organisational strengthening.
• Contribute to the production of INTRAC’s internal and externally facing research and learning initiatives and publications, including blogs, newsletters, social media, and events.
• Contribute to INTRAC’s strategic development and ambition to strengthen the practice of shifting power.
• Contribute to internal working groups and other internal assignments.

Person specification

Essential

EXPERIENCE

• At least 7 years’ practical experience of working in international development with civil society organisations.
• A track record on assignments related to OD (as outlined in the above box) with practical experience in developing individual and organisational capacity.
• Experience designing and delivering training related to OD and capacity building.
• Experience of working with teams of consultants, coordinating and ensuring quality of work remotely.
• Experience of mentoring practitioners, providing technical advice, support, and quality assurance.
• Experience of budget preparation and monitoring.

SKILLS

• Understanding of and interest in current OD debates and literature within the sector, especially how the practice of OD can contribute to and align with shifting power.
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to multitask and work to deadlines.
• Excellent partner, client, and team management skills.
• Facilitation skills, including proven strengths in collaborative working both as part of an internal team and with external stakeholders/partners.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including report writing.
• Fluent English.

ATTITUDES

• Strong commitment to civil society and social justice (in line with INTRAC’s values including a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion).
• Cross-cultural sensitivity.
• Self-awareness, adaptability and flexibility, and comfortable navigating complexity.
• Open to feedback and learning.

Desirable

• A good working knowledge of another language such as Arabic, Russian, French, Spanishor Portuguese desired.
• Experience of bid development and writing.