Chief Operations Officer

Role Overview & Responsibilities

Chief Operating Officer

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<b>Location:</b> Preference for London, possibility for elsewhere in UK if frequent travel to

<br>London feasible for at least 2 consecutive days a month, with more frequent time in London at

<br>the beginning of the role.

<br><br>

<b>Role:</b> Full-time / permanent (subject to funding)

<br><br>

<b>Salary:</b> £90,000 plus 10% employer-contributed pension

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<b>Starting date:</b> as soon as possible

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<b>About us:</b><br>

Established in 2021, Opportunity Green is a fast-growing not-for-profit organisation that helps

<br>to identify and unlock opportunities to tackle climate change. We build ambitious coalitions,

<br>support climate vulnerable countries in international negotiations and find innovative legal

<br>pathways to emissions reductions. We are now looking for a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to

<br>lead on our finances, Human Resources (HR) and strategic planning.

<br><br>

What’s the role?

<br><br>

As COO, you will have the opportunity to shape a new, growing and ambitious environmental NGO.

<br>You will be working closely with OG’s CEO, and be a key part of a newly created executive

<br>leadership team. This is a senior position with scope to design and grow the role over time.

<br><br>

<b>Key responsibilities:</b><br>

Designing, supporting and ensuring the delivery of key functions across the organisation

<br><br>

Providing inspiring leadership and strategic oversight by heading up the crucial services

<br>of finance, IT, HR, office management, and governance (e.g. trustee board management).

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Ensuring OG is financially sustainable, compliant with all relevant employment or other

<br>regulations, and has the office and organisational infrastructure it needs to support a great

<br>organisation fighting climate change.

<br><br>

Building HR systems to attract, support, develop and retain talented people, including

<br>leading our systems and culture (in conjunction with the existing Diversity, Equality and

<br>Inclusion team) around equality, diversity and inclusion, performance management, learning and

<br>development and internal communications.

<br><br>

Planning for and predicting the development of all required organisational resources,

<br>processes, and management structures.

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Providing oversight and support to the CEO and executive team on fundraising, especially on

<br>ensuring all funder reporting requirements and requests are met and exceeded.

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<b>Personal Attributes:</b><br>

We are looking for someone who can bring an inspirational, empathetic approach to

<br>supporting a growing organisation so that we keep ahead of the curve on operational needs and

<br>respond quickly to a changing business environment.

<br><br>

You will be vital to the organisation’s ability to deliver its mission of resolving the

<br>climate crisis but ensuring the smooth running of the organisation.

<br><br>

A commitment to social and environmental justice is essential and the successful candidate

<br>will have a key role in embedding our values of collaboration, good governance, and honesty

<br>across the organisation.

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<b>Essential Competencies:</b><br>

Demonstrable experience of being a proven strategic, creative and flexible leader, able to

<br>identify and implement new ways of working, seize unexpected opportunities and encourage and

<br>develop these skills in others.

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Experience in organisational management and planning at a strategic level. You must be able

<br>to demonstrate an understanding of the challenges of running a UK-based small charity.

<br><br>

Experience in financial oversight responsibility, with a strong understanding of non-profit

<br>organisational financial management and reporting.

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Comprehensive understanding of charity governance requirements, including risk management

<br>and mitigation, and an understanding of key areas of legal operational compliance, e.g.

<br>employment and data protection law.

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Demonstrable experience of overseeing the development and implementation of strategic plans

<br>and organisational change processes, especially supporting staff through such changes.

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Extensive experience in project management, and the ability to provide project support and

<br>oversight.

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Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

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Demonstrable ability to think independently, critically and creatively, and to take

<br>responsibility for decision making.

<br><br>

Experience in developing and managing key senior relationships with organisational partners

<br>and stakeholders - including funders.

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What we offer

<br><br>

We take our team’s well-being and professional development seriously. What we offer:

<br><br>

We are trialling the 4-day work week at 28 hours a week for 3 months from June. If

<br>successful, it will become OG’s default way of working.

<br><br>

OG has fixed salary scales, with the possibility of step increases with strong performance.

<br>When hiring we always hire at the bottom of a band and do not enter negotiations with new

<br>employees as negotiations have been historically shown to disadvantage women and minorities.

<br><br>

A market-leading pension of 10% employer contribution.

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A progressive parental leave policy, including 3 months of paid leave for all parents.

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Lots of flexibility within a hybrid working arrangement, with regular opportunities to come

<br>together as a team, or an office in London if you wish to work from there.

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Support for your professional development as part of OG, with a budget to support your

<br>learning & development plus opportunities to lead projects, publish content, learn from

<br>experts, work directly with policymakers and stakeholders, and take part in conferences and

<br>events.

<br><br>

A commitment to work/life balance, with generous holidays and the expectation that you

<br>fully disconnect while taking them. We offer 25 days’ holiday per year (this will be adjusted

<br>to 20 if we adopt a permanent 4-day week) plus bank holidays, and office closure that does not

<br>count towards your holiday entitlement between Christmas and New Year’s.

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<b>

Diversity and inclusion:</b><br>

Diversity and inclusion are important principles at OG. We believe that diversity and inclusion

<br>make teams stronger and more effective. We are committed to fair and equitable employment

<br>practices and we are striving to ensure that a variety of voices and experiences are included

<br>in our organisation. Our commitment to diversity and our parental leave policy are available to

<br>view on our website, here.

<br><br>

We will consider all applicants who meet most or all of the essential competencies regardless

<br>of their identity or background. That said, we know that diverse candidates may be reluctant to

<br>apply for jobs where they don’t meet 100% of the criteria outlined in the job description, yet

<br>we encourage anyone to apply who can demonstrate the variety of skills and experiences relevant

<br>to meeting the requirements of this role.

<br><br>

We recognise that many diverse experiences and perspectives are not represented in our current

<br>workforce, and are seriously underrepresented across the non-profit sector in general, and as

<br>such, we particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities, people of colour,

<br>people from marginalised backgrounds, and members of the LGBTQIA+ communities. We will use

<br>positive action under the Equality Act 2010 to appoint from these groups if two candidates are

<br>equally qualified. We also value flexible working and are open to those who would want to work

<br>part-time in this role.

<br><br>

If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to the application or hiring

<br>process that may better facilitate your participation, please send an email to

<br>recruitment@opportunitygreen.org and we will be happy to organise an informal chat with

<br>you.

<br><br>

<b>How to Apply:</b><br>

Please submit your CV and a maximum two-page cover letter describing how you

<br>meet the specific requirements of the role, with examples from your experience and why you

<br>would be a good fit for OG. To minimise the risk of unconscious bias, we ask that applicants

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<b>remove the following from their CVs and cover letter:</b><br>

Photos

<br><br>

Name – if needed, please use ‘applicant’, e.g., when signing off the cover letter

<br><br>

Age

<br><br>

Unfortunately, if you do not already hold the right to work in the UK and/or require

<br>sponsorship to continue working in the UK, OG will not be able to consider your application at

<br>this time.

<br><br>

The closing date for applications is Monday 3rd July 2023 at 9am UK time.

<br>Please submit your application to recruitment@opportunitygreen.org with ‘COO

<br>Application’ in the subject line. Unfortunately, due to the expected volume of

<br>applications, you will only receive a response if you are selected for an interview.

<br><br>

What Happens Next?

<br><br>

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an online interview to discuss their experience and

<br>suitability for the role. After this, candidates that are most suitable for the vacancy will be

<br>invited for an in-person interview in our London office, for which there may also be a short

<br>task. As this is a very senior role at OG, we will ask any final applicants to work in our

<br>London office with the CEO and other key team members for a day before a final offer will be

<br>made. Travel will be reimbursed for non-London-based applicants.