The Global Fund for Children (GFC) is committed to creating a world where every child and young person is safe, strong, and valued. We partner with locally-led, innovative organizations, providing them with flexible funding and capacity-building support to enhance their social impact. Since 1997, GFC has invested over $44 million in more than 700 organizations, advancing children's and youth's rights in the areas of education, gender equity, youth empowerment, and protection from violence and exploitation.

Our values are rooted in courage, excellence, learning, partnership, inclusion, kindness, and passion. We are inspired by the visions for change held by our partners, and we prioritize youth-centered approaches. Continuous feedback and learning shape how we improve and grow.

*Role

We are seeking a Deputy Vice President of Programs to join our Global Programs team. This newly created position requires a passionate and experienced leader committed to fostering inclusive, engaged teams and driving social change that positively impacts children, youth, and their communities.

Aligned with GFC’s shared leadership model across the Board, CEO, and regional levels, this role will collaborate closely with the Vice President of Programs. The Deputy Vice President will support a high-performing, global "team of teams," overseeing 4-5 senior-level direct reports and contributing to the evolution of GFC's programmatic and partnership strategies, external influence, and organizational growth.

This position will focus on specific regions and thematic areas, depending on the candidate's location, experience, and interests. Our Global Programs team consists of approximately 30 people across four regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Eurasia, with plans to expand into the Middle East/West Asia.

Guided by our commitment to empowering children and youth as leaders, the Deputy Vice President will help deepen relationships, experiment with and learn from emerging grantmaking practices, and evolve our trust-based support for community organizations and individual activists. This role will also focus on influencing the sector toward practices that enable communities to sustain the changes they seek.

What Will You Be Doing?

This dynamic new role allows for flexibility, shaped collaboratively with the Vice President of Programs based on the postholder’s skills and experience. Key responsibilities include:

Program Strategy and Development
- Contribute to strategic oversight and partnership in regional strategies, program ideas, and implementation within GFC’s community-driven, decentralized approach, which is informed by partners, young people, and regional teams.
- Help shape program development aligned with GFC values, focusing on participatory, community-led processes, funding opportunities, and regional trends.
- Collaborate with the Development and Marketing teams to support program stability by engaging in fundraising, proposal writing, reporting, and donor engagement.
- Share responsibility for integrating culturally relevant safeguarding practices across program activities.
- Based on experience, take a leading or supporting role in developing partnerships in the Middle East/West Asia.

Team Management
- Provide mentorship and strategic guidance through direct management of two regional team directors and other team members as needed.
- Support directors in managing their teams, focusing on skill-building and professional growth.
- Foster community building, knowledge exchange, and learning across a multicultural, virtual team working in various time zones.

**Strategic Leadership**
- As part of GFC’s leadership team, contribute to strategic priorities, program policies, budget management, organizational culture, and stakeholder relations.
- Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion through specific practices and actions.
- Promote cross-team collaboration and information sharing.
- Model collaborative leadership in working with the Vice President of Programs.

Board Relations
- Help facilitate positive engagement with the Programs Committee and the Board of Directors, deputizing for the Vice President of Programs when needed.

**Influencing, Learning, and Representation**
- Work with GFC’s learning and evaluation team to interpret learning patterns and trends, advocate for innovative and participatory approaches, and apply insights strategically.
- Champion changes in the philanthropic sector that uplift marginalized communities.
- Stay updated on trends in philanthropy and global contexts that impact GFC’s work.
- Build relationships with peer organizations for learning and collaboration.
- Represent GFC in external engagements.

**About You**
The ideal Deputy Vice President of Programs will be a values-driven leader, dedicated to implementing wellbeing, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) principles. You will challenge conventional philanthropy models, empowering young people and communities to use their power for positive change.

Don't miss out on the application deadline which is  23 October 2024.