*Apply by February 19, 2023 (included)

This position is for you if:

You like to take up challenges, such as the creation of a new position of Executive Director in a structure implementing an innovative democratic governance;
You want to use your leadership skills to drive the development and strategy of a dynamic and unique NGO;
You know how to inspire your teams while leaving room for collegiality and the deployment of each person's initiatives;
You thrive on dialogue and diplomacy with a wide variety of stakeholders (NGO’s Board, staff team, partners and donors, etc.) and know how to manage complexity;
You know how to balance ambitions and operational constraints, long-term vision and attention to detail, transparency and fluidity of decision making;
You are interested in new technologies and social innovation, especially in international solidarity and humanitarian work.

I. Organization

Founded in 2006, CartONG is an association of the "H2H" type (Humanitarian to Humanitarian, i.e. an NGO working in support of other NGOs) specialized in mapping and information management support for humanitarian and development organizations. Our core expertise is geographic information, but we have extended it other the years to other technologies (mobile data collection, information management, remote sensing, responsible data, participatory mapping, Open Data, etc.).

Our activities consist of supporting NGOs and international humanitarian organizations by providing them with tools, services and training that enable them to better plan, implement and evaluate their programs; in other words, to improve the impact of humanitarian aid on vulnerable populations. We are particularly interested in training national teams in the field and working with local communities to implement projects that are sustainable and truly meet the needs and priorities of the individuals and communities we support.

We work with local, national and international organizations, in particular NGOs specialized in emergency response and international development as well as UN agencies: MSF, UNHCR, AFD, Terre des Hommes, etc.: complete list here.

Our headquarters are based in Chambéry, France - a short train ride away from Geneva and Lyon and their international airports. Chambéry is a vibrant student and family city with many great bars and restaurants, located in the heart of the French Alps and surrounded by the Bauges and Chartreuse mountains.

We are currently seeking an Executive Director to join our team.

II. Context

CartONG has gone through a period of rapid change in the last 10 years: budget multiplied by 8, team growing from 4 fixed-term contracts to about 40 collaborators, 4 changes of premises... We have therefore diversified the types of support and projects we carry out (type of partners, types of activities, donor funding, pro bono support, etc.) as well as the technical fields in which we work. These changes have been accompanied by a progressive strengthening of CartONG's organizational structure.

While we were preparing our strategy for the period 2022-2024, it became clear that our governance and management system was no longer fit to meet the challenges our organization is now facing. Their improvement was therefore the subject of a project and external support during the year 2023 (with the support of FRIO).

This participatory process is described in detail in a news available on our website. In addition to numerous structural changes aimed at formalizing and improving governance methods based on collective intelligence, the team decided to create for the first time a position of Executive Director.

The Executive Director will be the leader of CartONG and will be responsible for coordinating the work of the association, representing it, embodying and carrying out its strategy, and assuming responsibility for decision-making in a collegial framework. As this role is part of a shared governance framework based on collective intelligence and internal democracy, it is essential that interested parties consult the description of our new governance presented in this article (a more detailed presentation is also available upon request).

In this context, beyond mastering the functions usually associated with this role, the Executive Director will have to satisfy three strong expectations:

To successfully implement the new governance of the association, and in particular facilitate the CartONG Coordination Team (CCT), an elected structure set up at the same time as this recruitment, of which he is a member and which is responsible for either making or proposing to the Board (depending on the level of decision) the strategic choices of the association.
Lead the operational and financial development of CartONG in a complex, constrained and changing technological and partnership ecosystem.
To create his role as manager and leader of the association, with tact and diplomacy, in an organization concerned with internal democracy, where this function did not exist until then.

III. Position

Type of contract: Full time permanent contract.

Contract start date: as soon as possible, preferably May to July 2023 depending on availability.

Location: at the association's headquarters in Chambéry, up to 3 days of remote working possible per week.

Salary: between 40.000 and 50.000€ gross per year, depending on experience, for a 39 hours/week contract (35 hours + 4 hours paid overtime/week). Due to the creation of this Executive Director position, the salary is not based on the CartONG salary grid (https://cartong.org/cartong-salary-policy), which will be adjusted accordingly when it is revised in 2023.

Other advantages: complementary health insurance (61% covered by CartONG), professional providence (100% covered by CartONG) and public transportation monthly pass covered at 50% by employer according to the legal provisions in force.

IV. Responsibilities

In this context, without this list being exhaustive, the responsibilities of the Executive Director, in close collaboration with the competent entities and the persons in charge of the various activities concerned, will be as follows:

A. CartONG's strategy and associative project management

To be the bearer of the strategy and project of the association and the guarantor of the values and behaviours expected of the staff.
In general, to implement the decisions of the Board and the General Assembly, to which he/she is an invited member. The Director is under the authority of the Board, represented by its President, to which he/she reports.
To propose, with the CCT, to the Board the global strategic orientations in terms of economic model (by guaranteeing its sustainability), partnership choices, development of the association and technical and thematic priorities, and to pilot their implementation.
Lead the strategic direction of the organization by coordinating and facilitating the work of the elected CartONG Coordinating Committee (CCT) of which he/she is a member, using participatory, deliberative and collegial practices.
Participate in the implementation of the new governance model defined in 2022 within its area of responsibility, in conjunction with the other roles.

B. Steering of the organization

Together with the managers, particularly the support function managers that he/she supervises, prepares and decides with the CCT on the structuring and organization of the association (internal policies, strategic choices, priorities).
Prepare and decide with the CCT (or propose to the Board if necessary) the economic and development strategy of the association, including budgets and investment plans, and ensure their implementation.
Ensure compliance with management rules (accounting, tax, legal), paying particular attention to data protection issues.
Ensure compliance with the legal, regulatory and contractual provisions related to CartONG's function as an employer. In this respect, to guarantee the health and safety of employees. And in a general way, within the limits of the means available to the association, to ensure the implementation of proactive and ambitious policies in terms of Human Resources management.
Coordinate the association's external communication, its visibility and its positioning in its ecosystem (donors, network heads, operational partners, technical partners, etc.), in particular by playing a representative role.
To take care, while not multiplying meetings, of developing a fluid and effective internal communication, adapted to a multicultural association, which grants an important place to remote working, with a vigilance on the (whenever appropriate)transparency of information.
Maintain team spirit, unite employees, and contribute to CartONG's values.

C. Operational management

Oversee the implementation of the association's projects by supervising senior and major accounts managers, who in turn supervise the operational managers.
In conjunction with the CCT and the Management Team, ensure that operational choices are consistent with strategic orientations (financial, partnership, technical, etc.), in particular by ensuring that the necessary resources are allocated to achieve them.
Monitor and develop partnerships, in particular by maintaining close and fair relationships with our main partners, and to pursue the policy of diversifying our sources of revenue.
Ensure the alignment of the organization's skills and choices with its objectives, by contributing to the animation of technical choices in conjunction with the CCT and the cluster facilitators.
Define and monitor the association's monitoring and evaluation tools, and implement risk management procedures.

The position will be mainly based at the headquarters in Chambéry. The Director will be required to travel to meet partners or represent CartONG at events, mainly in France and Europe, but also occasionally in the rest of the world.

This position requires availability and flexibility, two characteristics inherent to the context of humanitarian organizations and to working with volunteer bodies (notably the Board).

V. Profile required

Degrees: Master's degree (Bac+5) in any relevant field or equivalent relevant work experience.

Professional experience: 10-15 years of proven experience and at least 5 years in project management and financial management of organizations or services of similar size to CartONG (40 employees, 2 million € budget, 40 partners).

A. Leadership & management

Required

Experience in strategic and collaborative leadership.
Equally at ease in strategic development as in daily agile operational management.
Ability to evaluate, prioritize and decide in a changing and complex environment.
Natural and flexible leader who inspires, empowers and is able to lead change.
Proven skills in leading and managing multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, both in person and remotely.
Great interpersonal skills, able to adapt to the person you are dealing with and very humanistic.
Proven negotiation and networking skills at a senior level.
Appetence for collective intelligence and collaborative work.
Excellent written and oral expression skills in French AND English.

B. Sector experience and knowledge

Required

Proven knowledge and experience working in the NGO and/or social environment.
Knowledge or at least interest in new technologies (ICT4D, data, GIS, etc.) and their challenges in the international solidarity sector.
In accordance with the values of CartONG (discover our Associative Project to learn more)

An asset

Experience with hybrid business models (service delivery and grants).
Experience in the humanitarian and international development sector, in the field in France and/or abroad.
Knowledge of the concept and issues of support associations/NGOs (H2H).

Application to be submitted via our online form by 19/02/2023 inclusive.

https://cartong.org/content/application-form

Please make sure to select the correct position title when submitting your application.

CartONG reserves the right to close the recruitment earlier if sufficient and satisfactory applications are received.

Instead of a traditional cover letter, please answer the following questions in a document (in French or English depending on the question):

1/ Quels aspects particuliers de l’association vous motivent à candidater chez CartONG ?

2/ Can you describe yourself as a Director/professional managing a team, which aspects are you proud of?

3/ What do you find most challenging and most interesting in our new governance model?

Please specify when you would be available to start, and mention three references of similar previous work experience.

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Executive Director (M/F)