Chief Executive Officer

About Map Action

MapAction (www.mapaction.org) is a specialist information management (IM), mapping and data charity, based in the UK and operating globally. Our service users and partners are civil society organisations, regional entities and national authorities. We are a technical partner of United Nations agencies and many international and local NGOs.

We provide operational response and capability development in the context of disasters and complex crises, and we build communities of practice in IM. Working side by side with planners and responders we understand vulnerabilities, support anticipatory action mechanisms, build resilience and deliver event responses effectively, contributing to saving lives and minimising suffering. The organisation’s core is a team of around 75 skilled volunteer professionals and a paid staff of 20, enhanced by a rich set of partnerships.

We have built a strong reputation for operational excellence, technical expertise and understanding of decision-making in the humanitarian system at global, regional and local levels. We have attracted funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs, the German Federal Foreign Office, the Government of the Netherlands, EU and other major donors. We intend to deliver even more humanitarian benefit in collaboration with others, and to do this a key objective is now to grow and further diversify the funding base.

We are looking for a respected and experienced leader, with a background in humanitarian, development or peace-building to lead and manage MapAction effectively for humanitarian  benefit as our CEO, ensuring the organisation realises its strategic aims and operational potential.

You understand the power of information to identify the most vulnerable and drive humanitarian benefit. You are a strategic thinker and a network builder. You exemplify the ‘can-do’ attitude rooted in the core values of MapAction’s volunteer model.

Main Accountabilities

• Leadership of the charity to deliver its strategic objectives and operational effectiveness.
• Ensuring the charity satisfies its financial, legal and ethical obligations.
• Support to the Board of Trustees in fulfilling its duties and responsibilities for proper governance.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy Development and Delivery

• Work with the Chair of Trustees and senior leadership team to further develop MapAction’s strategy and realise the charity’s mission and full potential.
• Research and monitor strategic trends in the humanitarian and technology environments, adapting to these changes in a commensurate and flexible manner.
• Deliver the strategy through a rolling business planning process, including programmatic planning, partnerships, innovation/technology, and fundraising plans, with a supporting budget, workforce and monitoring plan.
• Ensure the charity has the funds to realise its strategic plans.

Governance and Reporting

• Maintain and continuously improve the charity’s risk management framework, ensuring the team develops and follows mitigating measures accordingly.
• Ensure robust financial, and operational monitoring to enable the Board to assess MapAction’s progress against the strategic plan, and to maintain an appropriate reserves position.
• Agree and maintain an appropriate Scheme of Delegation between the Board and Executive team.
• Leadership
• Lead and continuously evolve a strong, high performing and resilient organisation, through direct and indirect reports.
• Ensure quality missions, projects and operations are planned, resourced and delivered safely and effectively.
• Ensure thorough use of the MEAL process to capture, deploy and share new learning.
• Make effective use of available financial resources and people to deliver the strategy.
• Ensure MapAction’s leading position in innovation through a rigorous process for detecting, understanding and exploiting technological developments for humanitarian benefit.
• See to it that the charity fulfils its constitutional, regulatory and legal obligations and that it conforms to recognised humanitarian principles.
• Ensure the charity has the right management systems and structures in place to carry out its work effectively and safely and with appropriate accountability.
• Ensure MapAction presents a compelling outward face to the world through delivery of a marketing strategy, brand development and strong digital presence.

External Relationships

• Network and operate with global, regional and country level organisations to increase MapAction’s reach, building communities of practice in data and IM for humanitarian benefit.
• Ensure the charity’s unique capability is fully understood and used by humanitarian organisations.
• Further develop the charity’s advocacy role in the sector.
• Work with national and international donor organisations, foundations and corporates to maximise funding opportunities.

Person specification

Education: Educated to degree level or equivalent.

Personal characteristics

• High levels of emotional intelligence, empathy (particularly with our exceptional volunteers) and the highest levels of personal integrity and honesty.
• Enthusiasm and insight into the application of technology and data to humanitarian requirements.
• Ability to advocate and challenge technical proposals in equal measure.
• Resourcefulness and resilience, and capability in complex problem-solving.

Leadership and governance

• Expertise in strategic leadership and management of significant size, scale and complexity of operations.
• Experience of leading, inspiring and performance management.
• Understanding of good governance; experience in risk management and safeguarding, ensuring the organisation’s policies and principles are robust and effective.
• Experience of charity governance, charity fundraising and the operational management of a global charity.

Finance and business management

• Financially competent, with expertise in good financial stewardship. Able to monitor and analyse emerging income trends and identify potential opportunities.
• Record of effective management of resources and budgets through planning. Experience of delivering long term financial sustainability and stewardship of valuable resources.
• Evidence of organisational development including design, development and delivery of organisational strategy.

Relationship building and communications

• An instinct for external network building, resource investigation and long-term collaborations.
• Knowledge of the stakeholder landscape in humanitarian and development sectors.
• Excellent communicator, able to work with the Board of Trustees, staff and new partners to build trust and engagement.

Appointment details

Salary and benefits: Commensurate with seniority of the position.

Contract: full time, permanent, 37.5 hours/week. However, flexibility and willingness to work outside office hours including evening and weekends is essential. In particular, training events will be scheduled for a weekend every month and the post holder will want to attend these events from time to time. International travel will be required

Location: Preference for Chinnor, Oxfordshire where MapAction’s offices are located. Flexibility for remote/office working by agreement.

Responsible to: Chair of Trustees.

MapAction is unable to consider candidates who do not already hold appropriate permissions for employment in the UK.

How to apply

Closing date: 9^th April 2023

To apply please click ‘apply for job’

As part of the application process kindly submit your CV and a cover letter, preferably in MS Word. All application documents (cover letter and CV) should be submitted in English.

Need help submitting your application? Please email us at [email protected]

Should you require access to information in a different format to facilitate your application please contact us via [email protected]

Please name your submitted files with the following reference: MA_CEO

MapAction is an Equal Opportunities employer. All employees have a personal responsibility to promote and support measures designed to create a working environment which is free from harassment or discrimination on the grounds of gender, marital status, family status, age, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, membership of the Traveller community or HIV & AIDS status.

Red Sea takes our responsibility towards protecting your personal data very seriously. The data you provide is processed in line with relevant data protection legislation. For the purposes of this recruitment, and as defined under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Red Sea is defined as the Data Controller.

Red Sea is committed to meeting the standards set out in our Equality and Diversity statement, acting in line with the UK Equalities Act 2010 and building an accurate picture of the make-up of the workforce in encouraging equality and diversity.