Associate Vice President European Operations June 2022
About EDF Established in 2016, Environmental Defense Fund Europe (EDFE) is an affiliate of Environmental Defense Fund, a leading international non-profit organisation that creates transformative solutions to the most serious environmental problems. The Environmental Defense Fund has tripled in size over the past decade by focusing on strong science, economics, market-based approaches, and innovative private-sector partnerships. EDF envisions a world in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected to the environmental challenges we face and are engaged in creating durable, equitable solutions. We seek talented candidates who share our Core Values of Respect, Results, Innovation, Optimism, and Integrity, and support our Commitment to Diversity that allow us to experiment courageously in our work while staying true to who we’ve been as an organization for 50 years.
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The Role TITLE:
AVP European Operations
CONTRACT:
Permanent
LOCATION:
Central Brussels, Belgium
HOURS:
Full Time (38h/week)
Overall Function The AVP European Operations requires a confident and experienced leader who can foresee risks and issues and take early action to avert them. They will ensure that the highest standards are operated and maintained in EDFE’s European entities, and they will act as chief operations architect and problem solver working with colleagues in the US and Europe to allow EDFE to fulfil its role as an agent for change through its science, economics and policy advocacy. The post holder will ensure EDFE has the appropriate policies and systems in place to comply with all relevant laws and regulations, including those of the Charity Commission for England & Wales and The Netherlands Fundraising Regulator (CBF) in the Netherlands.
Combining experience of overseeing compliance and operational issues, the AVP European Operations will be systematic in approach and delivery, able to build trust and credibility quickly with a range of stakeholders, and an active collaborative member of the Executive Directors’ team as well as with other operations staff across the larger EDF organisation. With strong communication skills, they will be able to engage and inspire at all levels of the organisation and have a commitment to continuous improvement in all aspects of work, demonstrating a laser focus on achieving results.
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Person Specification We’re looking for a highly experienced individual, with common sense at the core. You will be comfortable interacting with the Trustees and Executive Director, knowing instinctively when to escalate and share information. You might not necessarily know all the answers, but you’ll know the questions to ask and how to seek advice in the search for solutions. You will take the long view to mitigate risk and resolve issues. The role requires outstanding attention to detail. A nuanced and resilient diplomat, you’ll be comfortable representing the interests of EDF Europe effectively within the EDF group globally to achieve results that recognize the different approaches required in different time zones and regions. The successful candidate may come from a legal or financial background,– you’ll provide a source of advice and stability for our growing team.
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Key Responsibilities The role will deliver the ongoing strategic development of the UK & EU operations and processes, including risk management and compliance activities.
Operating Structure: We have two entities in Europe, both registered charities: • Our UK entity is a company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales. • Our NL entity is a Foundation under Rechtspersonen en Samenwerkingsverbanden. • We are then registered as a foreign employer via the NL Stichting in Belgium and Germany.
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Strategic & Commercial • Working with colleagues in the group, help to develop, embed and maintain appropriate and effective systems, policies and procedures across the European organisations and ensure these are effectively communicated. This will require attention to building understanding around situations in which the systems, policies and procedures for the European organisations need to diverge from those employed by the US entities or other EDF entities around the world. • Position the Europe Region for long-term success by helping the programme leaders and stakeholder programme leads create and implement professional development opportunities in line with our mission • Ensure excellent understanding exists of the EDFE’s financial and operational position – both current and future – to inform future planning • Lead on advising non-executive board members on UK statutory and NL board obligations, raising concerns and monitoring risk
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Lead and represent EDFE with relevant UK & NL regulatory bodies, stakeholders and professional advisers Where needed, support the preparation of annual accounts by finance colleagues for the charities in the UK and Netherlands Keep abreast of any governance and legislative changes the charity needs to be aware of and respond to, including Charity Commission and CBF guidance and data protection requirements Collaborate, analyse and problem solve to evaluate and challenge
Governance & Board Relations • Act as Company Secretary and ensure that charity and regulatory requirements of reporting and public accountability are complied with to ensure the timely submission of statutory filings • Ensure that all meetings comply with the requirements of the governing documents • Arranging and administrating Board meetings and any Committees in line with legal, and other regulatory requirements • Advise and guide the Board of any legal and regulatory implications of EDFE’s strategic plan • Act as the custodian of the Governing Documents, in liaison with the trustees • Act as the holder of statutory registers and books, and other legal and important documents such as insurance policies
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Manage EDFE Board and subsidiary Committee meeting processes – working with the ED to set agenda, lead times for the delivery of Board and Committee papers and ensuring the timely publication of high-quality materials Develop a close working relationship with EDF Executives, Boards, Chairs and Committee members and act as first point of contact
Business Management and Operations • Work closely with the Executive Director for EDF Europe; EDF Deputy CFO, EDF Senior Director of Global Operations; and Senior Director of Finance for EDF Europe to assist and advise on mission operational priorities and harmonize EU processes with enterprise approaches. • Act as organisational lead on statutory and other compliance in conjunction with the legal team • Partner with Europe Mission leaders to track progress of ongoing initiatives, troubleshoot challenges, identify and implement mitigation steps • Support the Global Operations function as we grow in Europe to ensure set-up and embedding on operations including local governance, payroll and reporting Risk • Lead on Risk Management within EDFE, including overseeing organisational risk, compiling and maintaining the Risk Register and reporting to EDFE Trustees and Finance & Audit Committee on risk related matters
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Skills & Experience You will have extensive experience of overseeing operations and compliance gained in a range of complex organisational settings. You combine commercial acumen of managing critical support functions with strong financial literacy skills. You will be an experienced leader with strong interpersonal skills as well as the ability to lead, inspire and motivate directly managed, cross organisational teams and external audiences. •
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An established career of 15 plus years with a proven track record of executive and strategic management in a complex organisational environment Experience of leading a senior Operations function or similar, moving forward a large number of issues at once, at a strategic level Verbal and written fluency in English is essential, and Dutch and French language skills highly desirable. Experience in engaging with regulatory bodies, stakeholders, and professional advisers A commitment to providing exceptional standards and proven ability to innovate in improving processes and changing culture Demonstrate a strong spirit of collaboration Experience of working with different stakeholder groups to ensure that products and services meet customer needs Experience in overseeing overseas operations via third party service providers (Belgium, Netherlands, Germany & Spain) is preferred Experience of successfully leading and managing the inter-relationships between different teams to achieve overall vision and objectives Experience of advising non-executive board members Experience in engaging with regulatory bodies, stakeholders and professional advisers Personal presence, energy, confidence and resilience in order to take personal accountability for managing challenging situations and relationships and brokering outcomes A high level of emotional intelligence and skill in managing relationships. Analytical and problem-solving ability with the appetite and energy to evaluate, challenge and deliver change
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How to Apply All correspondence, at this stage, should be via Oxford HR. To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button in the job advert page and complete our online application form. Please provide a CV and cover letter as two separate documents which should be prepared before applying as they will be requested in the application process. The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit. The document should be saved in MS Word in the following format: Your First Name-Your Last NameDocument Name-Date (yymm) e.g: Malika-Cook-EDF-CV-2205.
CLOSING DATE 8th July Early applications are greatly encouraged and will be processed upon receipt.
SELECTION PROCESS All candidates will be notified about the status of their applications. Shortlisted candidates may be required to undertake an additional assessment prior to the final interview.
EQUALITY STATEMENT Environmental Defense Fund is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant’s qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.
ELIGIBILITY You must have the right to live and work in the EU when applying.
QUERIES If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information, or would like to have an informal discussion, please email Dr Rachel Barlow, Lead Consultant at edf-avp-european-operations@oxfordhr.co.uk in the first instance.
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About Oxford HR Oxford HR operates globally - mainly within the international development and charity sectors. We carry out retained executive search mandates at board and senior management levels. We also offer human resource and organisational development consultancy. Oxford HR has many years of experience in search as well as an extensive network of international development, social sector, corporate, public sector, and academic contacts from across the world. We carry out comprehensive and often international searches designed to meet the specific needs of our clients. Oxford HR’s team members have significant personal experience of working in international development and the social sector as well as the corporate and governmental sectors. We are in a unique position to find and assess talented individuals from a variety of backgrounds.
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OXFORD
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Workify Africa
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+44 (0) 1865 985 457
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+31 (0) 683 334 473
+254 (0) 797 233 217
www.oxfordhr.co.uk | Company No. 6456325
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