Open Positions – Paul Hamlyn Foundation

Closing date 19 March 2023  and 30th March 2023

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation is an independent grant-making foundation set up by Paul Hamlyn, the publisher and philanthropist.

Our vision is for a just society in which everyone, especially young people, can realise their full potential and enjoy fulfilling and creative lives.

Our mission is to be an effective and independent funder, using all our resources to create opportunities and support social change. We partner with inspiring organisations and individuals to make sure that people facing disadvantage are at the heart of leading change and designing solutions to overcome inequality.

Our values and our approach

We have four values which guide us all in our work and relationships at PHF.

Collaboration and connection: We believe in the power of working together to achieve a greater impact.

Our aspiration is to capitalise on the connections between the different areas of our grant-making and to build communities that share a common interest. This is about how we work across our team internally and how we connect partners and allies externally. To achieve this, we cultivate awareness and develop deep knowledge of the fields in which we operate.

Trust: Trust is at the heart of strong relationships.

It is hard won and can be easily lost. With trust comes the possibility of collaboration. Without it, the power dynamic between funder and funded can undermine progress towards social change. To build trust we focus on delivering our commitments, and on being resilient and consistent over the long term.

Openness: Openness is key to building trust and enabling collaboration.

We want our processes to be as straightforward and transparent as possible, and we are committed to sharing our data clearly. We welcome feedback and will change the way we work if it is undermining the quality of the relationships we want to create. And we communicate honestly, learning from mistakes and celebrating what works.

Thoughtfulness: Every decision we take has an impact on someone, so we strive to think about others with kindness.

We want to be attentive and careful in exercising judgement and to create the time and space for deep conversations and learning. Being flexible and responsive to the needs of those we fund is critical if we are to demonstrate a thoughtful approach.

We want to innovate in our grant-making and to work with our peers to create a contemporary philanthropy that is responsive and flexible. This means doing things differently and using all our resources to improve our practice.

We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are determined to challenge racism and address the root causes of inequality in everything we do. This means acknowledging the power imbalance inherent in our work and holding ourselves to account. We are responsible for our working culture, the transparency of the decisions we take, how and to whom we distribute funding, and the way in which we develop relationships.

Our funding priorities

Trustees agreed a refresh of our strategy in October in 2020, focusing on our commitment to social justice and identifying six funding priorities where we wish to see change.

• Investing in young people
• Migration and integration
• Arts access and participation
• Education and learning through the arts
• Nurturing ideas and people
• Creating opportunities for people and communities in India

We also noted that we would need to remain flexible and to respond to the world as it changes.

You can find out more at our website. https://www.phf.org.uk/publications/strategy-2020/

Governance

Our Board is chaired by Jane Hamlyn and is made up of 10 unpaid trustees. There are various sub-Committees with delegated oversight of our work – this post works most closely with the Finance Committee, the Investment Committee and the HR Committee.

Our staff of about 48 is based in our light and comfortable offices near Kings Cross in London in the UK, and in India. At the moment, we are hybrid-working, asking colleagues to spend at least two days in the office to facilitate learning and knowledge sharing.

Closing date 19 March 2023

1. Chief Operating Officer 

What will be my main contribution?

Working with trustees and the Chief Executive, this is a rare opportunity for an inspirational leader, adept at strategic thinking, structured, and with a passion for Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s vision and mission to join us and make a lasting difference.

The Chief Operating Officer is a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, reporting to the Chief Executive. This role is our second in command, responsible for the financial well-being of the charity, planning and administrative frameworks, and day-to-day operational excellence.

After a period of very significant growth, PHF is now one of the UK’s biggest charitable foundations, and we need to make sure we have the right systems, policies, and processes in place to achieve our vision of a just society and to deliver on our mission – to be effective and independent funder, using all our resources to create opportunities and support social change.

The right candidate will be an experienced financial professional as well as a strategic thinker with outstanding business and planning skills, who is also able to maintain a tight grasp on the day-to-day operations of the charity.

You will lead key support functions (finance, operations and IT), the design of policies and procedures, the allocation of resources and the co-ordination of activities and plans between teams to help us in that ambition. You will almost certainly have been part of an organisational change management team in a previous role and be excited by the chance to drive forward the Foundation’s mission and contribute to positive societal change through innovative funder practice. We anticipate that this post will have a co-ordination role for our work on diversity, equity and inclusion and on becoming anti-racist, though this vital works needs to be owned by us all. You will have the openness and aptitude to learn from the best of, influence and partner with others nationally and internationally to improve our practice and create a contemporary philanthropy that is responsive and flexible.

As the line manager, you will support an atmosphere of distributed leadership and collaborative working through shared objectives and learning, working hard to ensure we achieve more than the sum of the parts. You will have a responsibility to help set the ‘cultural tone’ – one where people feel supported and challenged in equal measure and thrive to deliver their personal and team objectives, achieve personal satisfaction in their work and can see and value the impact that it is having.

 Who will I report to?

You will report to the Chief Executive

 Who will I line manage?

You will line manage the Head of Finance, the Information and Facilities Manager, the Business Analyst and an Executive Assistant. You will be expected to work in a small and fully interconnected structure that relies on collaboration, flexibility, and the ability to operate within both formal and informal reporting relationships.

What other key internal relationships will I have?

You will work closely with the Investment Director on the management of the endowment. And you will develop strong relationships with colleagues in the Senior Leadership Team, including the new part-time role of Director of People and HR, to understand the business, its people and its operational needs.

The Chief Operating Officer also works closely with the Foundation’s Chair and Trustees.

What level of budget responsibility will I have?

The endowment is currently worth c£950m. Our total expenditure in 2021/2022 was £52.46m.

 Main Responsibilities

Financial

• Provide leadership for the Foundation’s finances, working with the Head of Finance to ensure that appropriate systems and controls are in place and that trustees and the senior leadership team have the information they need to inform decision making and the management of the organisation.
• Develop and make recommendations to the Trustees and Finance Committee on financial policy and strategy to support the Foundation’s agreed strategic direction.
• Ensure that the Foundation meets all statutory accounting, tax and financial compliance requirements.
• Oversee the preparation of budgets and forecasts and ensure the Foundation has appropriate financial models and systems, including key performance indicators, in place to support effective financial management and analysis.
• Ensure the Foundation has effective accounting arrangements for its investment portfolio and regulatory requirements are met.  Work with the finance team in the development of new models as required.
• Lead on the development of key financial competencies across the organisation to support understanding of both PHF’s position and that of those we fund. Provide advice and support to others on financial issues as needed.

Investment

• Working with the Investment Director, lead the day-to-day management and administration of the investment portfolio.

Planning and Risk

• Lead the Foundation’s planning process, working with the Senior Leadership Team and trustees, to prepare the strategic and annual plans.
• Coordinate the Foundation’s diversity, equity and inclusion framework, working with staff engagement teams and ensuring the work is aligned to the strategy and annual plans.
• Develop systems to assist performance management, provide recommendations for improvement and evaluate progress against agreed goals.
• Oversee the Foundation’s risk management framework and report to the trustees on risk issues.

Governance, compliance and legal

• Act as PHF’s Company Secretary and ensure compliance with Companies House and Charities Commission requirements
• Ensure the Foundation has the right structures and processes in place to meet legal requirements and offer support and guidance to colleagues as required on legal issues such as contractual issues and implementation of Charity Commission guidance.

Information Technology and Business Infrastructure

• Lead on the development and management of the Foundation’s IT function and systems, including assisting with the development and maintenance of systems for the performance reporting and evaluation of the Foundation’s programme and grants.
• Oversee the management of the Foundation’s property, ensuring health and safety requirements are met, the property remains fit for purpose and systems are in place to ensure its effective operation.
• Lead on the development of any new property projects for the Foundation ensuring their successful implementation.
• Lead on the development of our organisational sustainability and environmental impact framework.

 People and Culture

• Support and provide appropriate challenge and line management, contributing to a culture of critical inquiry and developing the team to be more than the sum of its parts
• Help develop and actively contribute to cross-departmental and multidisciplinary learning and working for enriched outputs and activities and to deliver continual improvement and professional development.
• Lead on the Foundation’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion within the teams you have oversight of, and as a member of the Senior Leadership Team

 As a member of the Senior Leadership Team

• Contribute to Paul Hamlyn’s strategic development and day to day operations, working with colleagues in a collaborative and adaptive way to lead the Foundation
• Ensure the Foundation is participating in appropriate networks to develop its operations and keep up to date with sector developments and represent the Foundation at relevant specialist groups such as the Charity Finance Group
• Keep up to date on philanthropy approaches and financial developments across relevant sectors.

Closing date 8am on 30 March 2023

2. Director of People and Culture

About this role
This is a newly created, part-time role, designed to provide strategic leadership for Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF)’s people and culture work. We are committed to providing an inclusive working environment where everyone feels able to contribute their best and to building a culture of collaborative working through shared objectives and learning, working hard to ensure we achieve more than the sum of the parts. You will take responsibility for leading this work, with full staff engagement as a key principle. You will also be responsible for supporting leaders and managers to grow and develop, equipping them with the skills, confidence, and tools to build
diverse, high performing teams.

To achieve this, you will ensure we have the right HR policies, processes and systems in place and managing the HR function. You will report to the Chief Executive and be part of the Senior Leadership Team, working across the Foundation with staff and trustees. This is an exciting opportunity to join a committed team that cares about the Foundation’s vision, the quality of its work and each other, with the opportunity to shape the future direction of PHF’s people and culture work. PHF’s HR team is small, and the role will appeal to someone who is comfortable both with leading and delivering work themselves.

Our commitment to DEI
Our vision is at the heart of our purpose as a foundation. To achieve this, we need to tackle inequalities head-on and use all of our resources to drive positive change, so a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) sits at the centre of our strategy. It drives how we work, who we work with and how we make decisions, and it is as relevant and important for us as an employer and a business as it is for us as a grant maker and investor.

We have published a DEI statement on our website setting out our commitment and have in place an organisational DEI plan, overseen by a group of staff and trustees. We have a particular commitment to being an anti-racist organisation.
We recognise that we need support, expertise and challenge in making change and we expect to work with external individuals and agencies to achieve this throughout the life of the plan.

We will hold ourselves to some key principles as we develop this work:

• We will be open and share our learning as we go.
• We will involve all staff, trustees and advisors on the journey.
• We will resource the work effectively, giving it the time and space it needs to be done well.
• We will recognise that we do not have all the answers and work with experts of all kinds to get this right.
• We will collaborate with others to encourage change at a sector as well as organisational level.
• We will be brave – inviting conversations that will lead to meaningful change

Role Overview
What will be my main contribution?

Leading the development of PHF’s culture and people approach, with a particular emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion. As a strategic and innovative thinker with an in-depth knowledge or HR and people management approaches, you will put in place the mechanisms to enable our staff to thrive and advise managers and trustees on good practice and legal and compliance issues. Your interest and experience in developing an inclusive culture means you will act as champion to ensure our aspirations are translated into good practice.

Who will I report to?
You will report to the Chief Executive and be a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Who will I line manage?
You will line manage the HR Advisor, and also have responsibility for managing contracts with external consultants who may be contracted to deliver some aspects of our ‘people’ work. You will be expected to work in a small and fully interconnected structure that relies on collaboration, flexibility and the ability to operate within both formal and informal reporting relationships.

What other key internal relationships will I have?
Whilst you will work across the organisation, you will have a key relationship with SLT and the Management Team. You will also work with trustees, advising and reporting to them and will service the HR Committee (a sub-group of the main trustee board)

What level of budget responsibility will I have?
You will manage the budget for people and culture work which is c £50K per annum.