Chief of Disability Movements -Programs, Advocacy and Peer Learning : Disability Rights Fund (DRF)

Apply by 23rd Feb 24

The Disability Rights Fund (DRF) supports the disability rights movement around the world by resourcing organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) to advocate for equal rights and full participation in society. The Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (DRAF), DRF’s sister organization, supports advocacy for legislative change. DRF/DRAF currently works across Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the Caribbean. The Funds are grounded in a participatory and gender transformative approaches and follow grant making, peer learning, and advocacy strategies to support OPDs to advance the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), including in implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global Disability Summit commitments, and other key international frameworks.

At DRF/DRAF, we believe our people are what make us great. Reflecting our values and participatory approach, persons with disabilities are leaders and decision makers at all levels of our organization – including our staff, Board, and Grant Making Committee. We value teamwork and a supportive work environment. Our goal is to find individuals who are good at what they do and passionate about our mission.

To learn more about the Disability Rights Fund, please visit https://disabilityrightsfund.org/

OPPORTUNITY
The Chief of Disability Movements (CDM) is newly created role responsible for directing and overseeing the organization’s grantmaking, peer learning, partnerships, and advocacy agendas that will advance disability movement building, based upon the recent growth of the organization. DRF/DRAF is seeking a strategic, thoughtful, collaborative, and creative leader, ideally with both philanthropic and program experience. The CDM is a collaborative role where flexibility and adaptability will be key. A successful candidate will be at ease in a senior leadership role, while also engaging at the program level. They must be willing to participate at strategic and operational levels and to develop and manage a diverse team. In addition, as the organization is implementing a new strategic plan, this is an exciting opportunity for someone interested in setting new directions in developing grantmaking strategies, partnering with disability organizations and growing DRF’s role in supporting disability movements worldwide.

Position overview

The CDM will play a leading role in developing and executing DRF’s grantmaking strategy, partnerships, peer learning and advocacy efforts. The CDM will be a strategic thought partner, part of the leadership team and report to the Executive Director. The successful candidate will be an active manager and will lead and develop an internal team. They will lead the Disability Movements team, which focuses on our core programs for grantmaking, partnerships, and advocacy and includes directors, managers, and grantee engagement officers. They will serve as the critical leader in operationalizing DRF’s approach to grantmaking through redesigning the grantmaking processes, growing partnerships, and recommending new approaches. They will work across the organization regularly with other chief officers and staff. For example, they will work in partnership with the Chief of Impact and Growth to grow the capacity of the organization and help grantee organizations better understand their individual and collective impact. They will work with the Finance and Grants management teams to develop effective grant processes and maintain adherence to financial regulations or engage with the Learning team on evaluation frameworks and program tracking to inform decision making and demonstrate impact.

Requirements

RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Areas of Responsibility of the CDM include:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive grantmaking strategy aligned with DRF’s strategic vision and goals.
• Provide strategic and fiduciary oversight of grantmaking portfolios in alignment with DRF’s strategic goals.
• Reinforce partnerships and learning to strengthen advocacy and peer learning efforts, in line with DRF’s strategy.
• Ensure the knowledge and best practices developed from DRF’s facilitation/support of local and national OPD peer learning efforts are disseminated and shared.
• Utilize knowledge and new practices gained from peer learning efforts to inform and develop our advocacy efforts and where possible, in partnership and collaboration with like-minded organizations.
• Partner with the Grants, Learning, and Development staff to develop and review grant processes and metrics.
• Continuously assess programmatic trends and opportunities to support operational excellence, program growth, innovation, and technical excellence.
• Develop and implement strategies to ensure effective integration, collaboration, and performance across the Disability Movements department and meet annual goals for quality program delivery, grantmaking, and operational excellence.
• Develop, execute, and monitor the Disability Movements Department budget, and effectively distribute to ensure the programs and projects are resourced appropriately.
• Grow, establish, and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including partner organizations, governments, donors, and communities, to ensure effective programmatic and operational excellence.
• Lead, inspire, and motivate a high-performing team promoting a culture of collaboration, learning, teamwork, professional growth, and mutual accountability.
• Engage in organizational leadership by participating in and contributing to cross-functional, organization-wide meetings, discussions, collaborative processes, decision-making, and actions.

QUALIFICATIONS

To fulfill these responsibilities, the ideal Chief of Disability Movements candidate will have/be:

• At least 12 years of work experience, 8 years or more in philanthropic/grantmaking roles of increasing leadership responsibility, 5 years of supervisory experience.
• Curious and committed to knowledge sharing with strong conceptual and critical thinking abilities.
• Experience leveraging and growing networks to develop partnerships and collaborate with organizations, governments, and other stakeholders.
• Demonstrated skill to take initiative, engage in collaborations and enact change.
• Able to communicate effectively and persuasively both verbally and in writing and to engage a diverse set of stakeholders, partners, and those with various levels of expertise.
• Skilled in working across cultures and geographies and comfortable collaborating within a diverse workplace, ideally with experience in cross cultural work teams.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity, cope with change, and comfortably manage risk and uncertainty.
• Excellent project development, budget, and management skills, including the ability to assess unmet needs, develop objectives, assess potential for sustainability, and create project budgets.
• Demonstrated sound and reasoned judgment. Ability to make decisions, justify recommendations, and be responsive and clear with colleagues and stakeholders.
• Open to seeking latest information and approaches to advance proposals for new or improved solutions.
• Ability to guide, manage and develop staff while also building authentic relationships.
• A commitment to the human rights of people with disabilities and knowledge of international disability rights and specifically, the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
• Experience working with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and/or building cross-movement collaborations.
• Fluent in spoken and written English.

Other preferred qualifications include:

• Experience working at a collaborative fund/pooled fund or organization that manages multiple donor funds.
• Professional proficiency in French, Spanish and/or languages other than English.
• Program director or management experience.
• Experience in advocacy and peer learning linked to CRPD implementation.
• Experience with scaling growth in programs and philanthropy.
• Experience with international donors, funders, and organizations.
• Knowledge of global fiscal regulations and compliance.
• Knowledge of grantmaking and working with organizations in Global South.

Benefits

LOCATION, COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Location: DRF operates globally, and all staff work remotely. This role may be performed anywhere in the world.

DRF offers a comprehensive compensation package aligned with experience (geographic differential also applied based on location), including allowances/benefits appropriate to the location of the role (i.e., health, disability, pension/retirement), annual leave, organizational-wide wellness weeks, comprehensive parental leave and commitment to professional development and growth. Salary range is between $110,000 – $125,000 USD/equivalent. More details can be provided upon request.

This is a full-time, 35 hours per week exempt position reporting to the Executive Director. This position is primarily remote but will require international travel (approximately 10% of the time), depending on safe travel conditions. Standard working hours within a candidate’s time zone location will be most common, however working hours may vary according to operational and personal needs. The position will be part of a global team spanning different time zones, so the candidate must be able to accommodate early/late meetings when needed to work effectively.

TO APPLY  
We will consider all applications regardless of whether every knowledge, skill or ability noted above can be demonstrated. Please note due to the volume of applications we may receive we may not respond personally to every application. For additional questions about this position please contact us at jobs@disabilityrightsfund.org. Please contact drfinclusion@disabilityrightsfund.org for reasonable accommodation requests. The application deadline is February 23rd. No decisions will be made prior to the application deadline date. Applications received after the deadline may be reviewed but not guaranteed.

The Disability Rights Fund is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. Recruiting staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds. Candidates are evaluated solely on their qualifications to perform the work required.