Federation Development Partner

Citizens Advice; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 49,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A charitable organization is looking for a Network Development Partner to provide strategic guidance and support to local Citizens Advice offices. The successful candidate will collaborate with leaders across the network and deliver targeted development interventions. Applicants should bring experience from membership organizations and a passion for community upliftment. Competitive salary offered, flexible working arrangements available.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Support for equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives

Competitive salary

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in a federated environment is essential.
• Experience in leading change management initiatives is needed.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing is crucial.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic guidance to local Citizens Advice offices.
• Build a network mindset among local offices.
• Deliver targeted development interventions to improve local services.

Skills

Experience of working within a membership or federated organisation

Leading organisational development or transformation initiatives

Understanding and application of quality standards

Building relationships with senior leaders

Excellent written communication

Job description

Salary : £49,479 full time equivalent base salary per annum (plus £3,520 full time equivalent London weighting if applicable)

Employment type : Permanent

Hours per week : Full time at 36 hours 15 minutes per week

Location : Postholders will cover specific geographical areas and will need to live within the regions they support. We are recruiting roles to cover the South East, London, North West, North East / Yorkshire and Teeside.

Citizens Advice offers confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. Through our national network of charities, we give people the knowledge and the confidence they need to find their way forward – whoever they are, and whatever their problem.

The role

As a Federation Development Partner (internally the role is known as a Network Development Partner) you will be in the new Network Development & Assurance capability to provide strategic guidance, assurance and support to local Citizens Advice offices across our network. You’ll collaborate with key leaders in local offices to build a network mindset and assure themselves against our recognised and accredited standards, and build sustainable capability, capacity and resilience. We currently have 3 vacancies available where post holders will support local offices in the South East, London, North West, North East / Yorkshire and Teeside. Therefore, successful postholders will need to live within reasonable travel distance to the areas they cover.

The team ensures our Local Citizens Advice organisations receive the support they need to thrive and deliver exceptional outcomes for clients and communities. You’ll deliver targeted development interventions, facilitate continuous improvement and ensure local offices are equipped to meet member standards. Whilst building trust with leaders across the network and strengthening the relationships with them, you’ll cultivate a purpose-driven, impactful and sustainable network.

To apply

The 'Apply' button will take you to our advert and you can submit your application from there. To apply to be a Network Development Partner please submit an anonymous CV and anonymous cover letter (limited to 2 pages) that demonstrates why you think you are suitable for the role and also how you meet the following criteria (please also read through the job pack from our original advert carefully for more information about the role and what we will assess throughout the recruitment process) :

• Experience of working within a membership or federated organisation, an understanding of network theory and working with a network mindset
• Experience of leading organisational development or transformation initiatives and driving innovation
• Understanding and application of quality standards, accreditation, or compliance frameworks
• Building relationships with senior leaders and governance bodies, establishing trust and influencing outcomes without direct authority
• Excellent written communication (which can be evidenced throughout the application)

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is of strategic importance within the organisation and recognised as integral to all we do as a service.

Central to pursuing our EDI mission is building diverse and inclusive teams in which everyone has a sense of belonging. We believe inclusion is a social justice issue - a principle that underpins our all EDI work. To that end, we particularly welcome applications from people we would like to see better represented in our organisation and sector - people of colour, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people. We follow the social model of disability. We will offer an interview to disabled candidates who indicate they wish their application to be considered under our Disability Confident Interview Commitment where they meet our selection criteria in their application. Some of our roles attract a high volume of applications and in some circumstances where it is not practicable or appropriate, we may limit the number of interviews offered to disabled and non-disabled candidates. We will provide reasonable adjustments as needed.

We’re a flexible employer, so this role may suit anyone who’d prefer a flexible arrangement to help their work / life balance, many of our colleagues spend most of their time working remotely. Whilst we prefer a blended approach between a local office, if one is near you, and home we’re open to being flexible on location, occasionally a role may require you to be based in a certain location if that's the case it will be detailed in the advert or job description. This can be discussed in more detail during your interview.

The National Citizens Advice operates from offices in England and Wales, with 4 regional offices based in Cardiff, London, Birmingham and Leeds, therefore all successful applicants must be based within England or Wales.

Please be aware that Citizens Advice is not a sponsoring organisation. Therefore the successful applicant must already possess the right to work in the UK or be able to secure the right to work in the UK independently.

We have been awarded the top charity in Third sectors' employer index, where it's recognised that Citizens Advice is an organization that not only prioritises the people we serve but also values the wellbeing of its employees.

Citizens Advice seeks to redeploy internal staff who are at risk or under notice of redundancy and will prioritise them in the recruitment process where necessary. If you have been confirmed as at risk or under notice of redundancy please ensure you indicate this in the at-risk box in your application.

Please note, in the event of a high number of applications, we reserve the right to close the application early.