Executive Director, Capacity Building

About The Role

This newly created leadership position will lead a major new capacity-building program to back young Australians driving initiatives, organisations and movements on issues they are passionate about. 

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer this will include significant grant-making, coaching, leadership development and training, deployment of FYA’s physical infrastructure, hosting of events and provision of shared services to support youth-led organisations. 

Core Responsibilities 

• Ensure effective integrated management of a department, including creating open channels for communication, synthesising information, identifying risks and opportunities, driving action and solving problems, as well as making decisions impacting multiple functions or involving trade-offs.
• Conduct deep relationship building with youth-led movements to understand their vision and needs, including:
• • Mapping, analysis and strategy support. 
  • Acting as a key internal and external thought-leader on the practice of youth engagement, and the organisational capacity needs of youth-led initiatives.
  • Oversee team members focused on building and maintaining cross-organisational projects and impact with priority youth cohorts.
• Direct the design, fundraising, marketing, delivery and evaluation of high-quality capacity-building programs such as:
• • Grant-making initiatives taking into account good practice in outreach, application process design, review and selection, due diligence, wraparound support, communications and impact evaluation.
  • Training and skills development providing a range of strategic and targeted training designed around the needs of young change-makers, delivered directly, or through partners (whose capacity we might also seek to build).
  • Physical infrastructure including creative and high-impact use of available spaces in FYA’s Melbourne buildings, as well as partner facilities across the country.
  • Events and convenings bringing together young people and youth organisations to share experiences, learn skills and build movements.
  • Identification, development and ongoing management of shared services that provide ongoing support to youth-led organisations.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director, Philanthropy to build a large, active community of donors engaged with our strategic analysis, and committed to investing across the youth-led space, both through FYA and directly. 

About You 

• At least 8 years of progressively responsible experience in the non-profit or for-purpose sectors driving projects to achieve systems change, with several years experience in a senior leadership role managing a team.
• 4-5 years in leadership roles directly in, or working alongside, youth-led grassroots initiatives, with a deep exposure to their challenges and strengths.
• Demonstrated experience leading facilitation and co-design processes with large and diverse teams, groups or coalitions to achieve shared purpose and strategy.  
• Demonstrated experience with grant-making (alternatively commercial VC-style) investment into a portfolio of organisations.
• Demonstrated commitment to elevating lived experience and ensuring accessibility in your work.
• Demonstrated success with fundraising, ideally including both major donations and grants as well as crowd-based, small dollar fundraising
• Strong proficiency with key workplace tools such as Google apps, Slack etc.