Could it be you? Search for our next Exec Director begins

Our mission – and yours?

Euclid Network is the European network of social entrepreneurs and civil society leaders. Since our foundation in 2007 we have managed 25 mainly EU-funded projects to a value of over 15 million Euro, and worked with 50 partners from most EU Member States and the MENA region. Euclid Network and our partners have supported 1000 young entrepreneurs to undertake business mentoring placements in another country. As well as continuing to provide practical peer mentoring to 140 social entrepreneurs per year, Euclid Network will also work to put social entrepreneurs at the forefront of shaping the ecosystem and market for social enterprises thanks to a new strategic partnership with the European Commission.

Euclid Network brings together social enterprise federations, universities and training institutes, frontline NGOs and social enterprises.

Together with members and partners, our mission is to:

• Create connections between civil society and social enterprise leaders
• Share and produce leadership, professional and entrepreneurial knowhow
• Influence European policy and funding and strengthen members’ and network participants’ EU engagement
• Raise the visibility and understanding of civil society and social enterprise in business, academia, government and the wider society

Our vision is to see social entrepreneurs and civil society leaders empowered to drive positive change.

Organisation and opportunity:

Euclid Network is in the process of relocating from London to The Hague in order to assure its European identity after the UK’s exit from the European Union. The Executive Director will be the first post created in The Hague. From mid-2018 to mid-2019, Euclid Network will operate across two locations before the transition is completed and all staff posts and EU contracts are transferred.

Euclid Network is also at the beginning of a new strategy period in which three major EU-funded programmes will operate in parallel over the four years from 2018 to 2021. Those will allow us to play a central role in growing social enterprises, building capacity of their support organisations, developing the social entrepreneurship ecosystem and social finance market across Europe and the Mediterranean region.

Our London-based CEO, Stephen J. Barnett, is due to step down in summer 2018, having secured those new contracts and having supported the Board in planning the transition. This is an exceptional opportunity for a new Executive Director to shape the future of social entrepreneurship in Europe from very practical work with social entrepreneurs to high-level policy work with the EU institutions.

Role description:

We are looking for an entrepreneurial and impact-oriented Executive Director with an international track record in business development. S/he will be working closely with the Board, the staff team and their EU funders. S/he will take Euclid Network to the next level to further support our members, grow impact, diversify funding and develop partnerships with organisations which share the goal to drive positive change through social entrepreneurship and social finance. The new Executive Director will report to the President and is responsible for the team consisting of 6 professionals.

Responsibilities:

• To assure effective implementation of key EU contracts and maintain coherence with vision, mission and values
• To provide strategic leadership to EN in conjunction with the Board, ensuring governance is fit for purpose in terms of UK and Dutch law and practice
• To grow the membership, ensure clear added value for members through our events, projects and services
• To identify opportunities for business development and member services based on the activities under key EU contracts
• To increase the influence of EN and its members on the social finance market and social entrepreneurship ecosystem across Europe, notably in terms of EU policy and funding
• To manage the HR, accounting and membership systems of the organisation effectively
• To set the overall EN budget, monitor income and expenditure and take appropriate action in support of our financial sustainability
• To ensure that EN is measuring its own impact and adapting its activities accordingly to maximise impact
• To lead and develop the EN team so that they are highly capable, confident and credible in fulfilling their responsibilities
• Recruit a high-performing team in The Hague

Required skills and experience:

• European outlook, intercultural skills and international experience
• Commitment to EN’s vision, mission and values
• Knowledge of social finance and social entrepreneurship
• Experience and knowledge of membership organisations
• Track record of creating sustainable income and social value
• Ability to influence EU institutions to create policy guidance and funding opportunities
• Innovative and creative
• Strong analytical skills and an understanding of the environment
• Strong managerial skills
• Experienced in building partnerships (collaboration)
• Flexible, adaptable

Terms and benefits:

Gross salary in the first year will be in the region of €70 000 per annum + Dutch holiday month + 8% employer pension contribution. There may be scope for growth after one year’s employment.

Interested? Curious? Enthusiastic?

Please submit a CV (max 2 pages including details of two referees) and a motivation letter, in which you:

1. Explain why you want this role now
2. Describe how you meet the 4 core competences in the person specification: European outlook, commitment, knowledge, member focus
3. Pick out one more competence from the list which you think is especially important for this role and describe how you meet it
4. Explain how you would approach this role specifically in the transition period

Please send this by Friday 4 May to info@duxinternational.com, for the attention of Marjolein Wiersum, consultant at DUX International.