The New Humanitarian is looking for a charismatic, senior people leader who is passionate about journalism and humanitarianism to bring this award-winning nonprofit newsroom into its next chapter.
Location: TNH is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, but open to a CEO based in a time zone that is compatible with Africa, Europe and the Middle East, with frequent travel to Geneva.
Start Date: January 2024
About The New Humanitarian: The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN News) was founded by the United Nations in 1995, in the wake of the Rwandan genocide, out of the conviction that objective on-the-ground reporting of humanitarian crises could help mitigate or even prevent future disasters of that magnitude. Today, The New Humanitarian is an independent, non-profit newsroom that believes in journalism as a force for good. We produce fact-based journalism from the heart of conflicts and disasters to build understanding of how to improve the lives of the millions of people affected by humanitarian crises around the world. Our on-the ground reporting and informed analysis inform policymakers and practitioners, amplify the voices of those at the heart of crises, and act as a watchdog to hold the aid sector accountable.
The Role: You will be responsible for the overall leadership and management of The New Humanitarian. You will be accountable for the implementation of TNH’s strategic vision and responsible for developing its next strategy in a few years’ time
Key Objectives:
- Rally our remote, decentralised global team, using strong emotional intelligence, poise, tact, and diplomacy to inspire excellence, delivery and accountability. Set and nurture an organisational culture that centres positive staff morale and motivation, as well as long-term sustainability – for the organisation, for staff and for the environment. Navigate an era of heightened employee expectations and new norms around the role of work in employees’ lives.
- Continue the organisation’s growth trajectory by attracting the right staff and funding to grow the organisation’s visibility and audience. Build new revenue streams to grow our budget from $4 million USD as necessary to achieve our vision and desired impact, while ensuring we remain true to our mission and values.
Reporting to the President of TNH’s Board of Directors, you will directly manage the leadership team, composed of the Executive Editor and the Chief Operating Officer. You will also oversee the Global Fundraising Lead, responsible for grants management; the US Representative, responsible for outreach and fundraising in the US; and an Executive Assistant.
Overall, you will keep the organisation on track towards its vision of providing the world’s best journalism about the world’s toughest crises; and setting the agenda in the interest of those most affected. You will do so while furthering our strategy of becoming a transformative newsroom that models progressive forms of decolonised journalism and enlightened organisational management.
Responsibilities:
Inspirational leadership
- Together with the management team and Head of People and Culture, nurture a culture of joy, pride, and excitement across the organisation
- Ensure our team delivers while having fun at work; measure ambitions against the risk of burnout and overload, striking a balance that allows staff to find pleasure and sustainability in their work
- Promote the organisation’s values of courage, humility, accountability and solidarity, such that they become part of daily work life
- Motivate and unite colleagues to feel and work as one team, to mobilise collective intelligence, and overcome the isolation of working remotely
- Establish collaborative, productive, and trusting relationships with colleagues and the board
Strategy & Management
- Implement and iterate TNH’s strategy for the coming years, in line with a broad direction set by the Board of Directors after a recent strategy development process
- In support of that strategy, guide the development of an annual work plan and set organisational objectives and targets
- Align staff with the vision and strategy and ensure delivery against those objectives
- Determine the optimal staffing requirements and operational model required for successful delivery
- Together with the COO, ensure the efficient management and compliance of the organisation
- Report to the Board’s Executive Committee on performance against strategy
Fundraising and Outreach
- Determine the organisation’s ideal size and secure adequate funding for TNH
- Act as chief fundraiser for TNH – by marketing its work to donors and other key stakeholders
- Ensure TNH’s financial sustainability by pursuing secondary business models and revenue streams, and by building reserves
- Raise the organisation’s visibility by representing TNH at relevant events and meetings, online and offline Identify new markets and growth opportunities for TNH Identify and strike partnerships that help TNH achieve its objectives
- Establish and maintain good working relationships with existing and prospective donors, sponsors, partners, and other stakeholders
Talent
- Spot and attract diverse talent to help TNH achieve its objectives
- Build a talent pipeline, taking succession planning into account from the beginning
- Ensure opportunities for staff to continually grow within the organisation
Required Experience & Qualities:
We are open to leaders from a range of different backgrounds, including (but not limited) to those in the media, humanitarian, or philanthropic sectors.
We seek someone with:
- At least 10 years of experience operating in a senior leadership role, running an organisation, company, newsroom orlarge department
- A track record of achievement in supportive people management, including managing remote and multicountry and multi-cultural teams
- Passion about – and some degree of exposure to – the humanitarian and journalism sectors
- Experience effectively managing relationships with donors (governments, foundations and high-net worth individuals) and board members
- Demonstrated history of elevating an organisation to new levels of growth and scalability and leading organisation-level change management
- Lived experience from the communities TNH reports from (preferred)
- Experience monetising digital products and building new revenue streams (preferred)
We have described the qualities we are seeking in this position, but we recognise that there will be strong candidates who do not meet all the requirements listed here but have other important qualities. So, if you’re interested but not sure you fit the profile, please apply.
How to Apply: Shortlist (www.shortlist.net) is our exclusive recruitment partner for this role. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is closed, though early applications are strongly encouraged. If you have any questions concerning the role you can write to Michael Pierson (Associate Partner) at [email protected] or Simon Desjardins (Partner & Co-Founder) at [email protected]. If interested please click on the link to apply.