We’re looking for a Director of Programmes to help develop and manage Ariadne’s offerings for European human rights and social change funders in areas such as racial and gender justice, climate justice, and digital power.
About Ariadne
Ariadne is a network of European funders who work together to strengthen philanthropy, help funders act strategically, and encourage new donors to enter the field with maximum impact. Our vision is of a Europe where a strong philanthropic sector helps protect and promote human rights and social change. Our current membership extends across 22 countries.
Ariadne hosts regular learning and networking events, coordinates a mentoring scheme, and operates an online portal where members can share ideas and information. Over the past two years the network has been operating primarily virtually, but typically Ariadne holds in-person gatherings several times per year in different parts of Europe. The language of the central network is English, with sub-networks working in French, Dutch, German, and Italian.
Ariadne is housed at Global Dialogue, a UK-registered charity. Global Dialogue is an independent, international platform for philanthropic partnership, offering hosting, regranting, incubation and special initiatives capacity, enabling funders to work together to advance human rights and social change. Global Dialogue offers an inclusive work place where it is safe to challenge language and behaviour, as well as flexible working and other benefits dependent on the country of employment.
About this role
The Director of Programmes will report to the Ariadne Director.
The Director of Programmes will help develop and manage Ariadne’s offerings for European human rights and social change funders in areas such as racial and gender justice, climate justice, and digital power.
The Director of Programmes will work closely with the Ariadne Director to create and sustain networking and learning opportunities for European social change funders and to help shape the future direction of Ariadne programming.
Job Description
– Identifying issues and trends of importance to European donors and working with the Ariadne Director to design projects and events around those issues in partnership with funders.
– Keeping abreast of philanthropic developments and helping position Ariadne’s work appropriately.
– Acting as a thought partner to the Ariadne Director in developing future programming.
– Managing special projects, including managing external consultants. Current special projects include projects on racial justice and the decolonization of philanthropy, digital rights, flexible funding practices, and the Human Rights Grantmaking Principles.
– Supporting Ariadne’s membership and facilitating their participation in projects and events.
– Supporting the Ariadne Director with identification and cultivation of funding sources for the network and projects.
– Identifying opportunities for membership growth in Europe.
– Representing Ariadne at meetings and events relevant to social change philanthropy, including speaking at conferences and on webinars.
– Writing blogs and articles as appropriate to share the work of Ariadne.
– Contributing to Ariadne’s communications platforms, including posting relevant content on the online members’ portal.
– Maintaining relationships and communication channels with other funder networks.
– Other duties as required.
Person specification
Ariadne comprises a small and dedicated remote team with shared responsibility for projects. The person who fills this post must feel able to work independently and to accept a high level of responsibility. We are looking for someone with the following skills and experience:
– Strong educational background, such as a university degree.
– Long-term experience working within social change or human rights fields.
– Able to demonstrate a commitment to improving the practice of philanthropy in line with social justice values, with specific work around human rights.
– Familiarity with the European donor landscape.
– Excellent communication skills, with experience writing for wide audiences and presenting information in person.
– Ability to build and sustain partnerships and networks.
– Ability to thrive in a collaborative team.
– Confidence and motivation to work from home.
– Excellent spoken and written English along with facility in another European language (French, German, Italian, or Dutch are particularly helpful).
– Ability to travel within Europe as needed.
– Previous experience working as a grant-maker or detailed understanding of grant-making.
– Permission to live and work in the UK or other EU country
Terms and Conditions
– Location: UK or Europe (Remote working with some travel)
– Terms: Permanent, Full time
– Salary: £60,000
– Timeline: Interviews are scheduled to take place virtually on 14th-15th March 2023
– Start date: ASAP
Application Instructions
The closing date for applications is Sunday 5th March.
To apply: please submit a maximum two-page CV and a one-page cover letter to jobs@ariadne-network.eu. Please use the following subject line: “Director of Programmes: Last name, first name”. The filename of your CV should be “LastnameFirstname_CV” and that of your cover letter should be “LastnameFirstname_Cover”.
Please note that due to the large number of applications we receive, we will only be able to contact short-listed candidates.
Need assistance?
We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require anything if you are invited to interview.
We also offer reasonable adjustments on the job; you can ask us about this at any time during recruitment or employment.
