Job Description

This is a new and pivotal senior role in Independent Age which will be tasked with transformational leadership – driving innovation across the whole organisation as the charity enters an exciting phase investing for growth. Its primary role will be to develop and pilot new services, interventions or approaches which will enable the charity to help more older people and their carers achieve their independence goals. By developing new products or pilot programmes, this post holder will be testing options for the expansion of the scale, scope and depth of Independent Age’s Services, ensuring an integrated and sustainable approach and informing a culture shift across the whole charity.

This role will be accountable and responsible for designing and developing a new Innovation function for Independent Age, scoping roles and activities and embedding a culture of innovation and enterprise across the charity.

Main Duties

Leadership:

• To build, lead and develop a high performing Innovation team with a collective sense of purpose. To develop, recruit, support and line-manage new roles, develop departmental strategies, objectives, policies & protocols, which contribute to divisional and organisational priorities, delegating responsibility appropriately and ensuring that team members model Independent Age’s values and behaviour. The post-holder will also commission and engage with external agencies and experts and build multi-disciplinary teams of internal and external stakeholders.
• To provide Innovation leadership, direction and expertise to drive the aims and objectives of Independent Age. To inspire a culture of innovation and enterprise throughout the whole charity. To play a leading role in the Wider Management Team, to oversee the development and delivery of cross-organisational strategies, programmes and projects as delegated by Independent Age’s Senior Management Team (SMT). Model leadership behaviours – building relationships at all levels, facilitating co-operation, harnessing the talents of functional experts and always acting with utmost integrity and professionalism.

• To oversee the development of strategic partnerships with local and national stakeholders, best-in-business consultants and suppliers, ensuring cost- effective service, clear compliance and a commitment to Independent Age’s values and goals.

Strategy:

• As an identified area of strategic importance, to lead the development of an integrated Innovation strategy, and related framework, processes, plans and activities, across a broad portfolio to meet and exceed KPIs and ensure long- term sustainable organisational growth.
• As a senior member of the WMT, to actively contribute to the development and evaluation of organisational strategy, related priorities, objectives and projects.

Budgets, Planning & Reporting:

• To lead the development of robust business plans and budgets, multi- year forecasts and KPIs, as well as systems for monitoring and evaluating Innovation activities in line with agreed divisional and organisational guidance.
• To be accountable for meeting agreed Innovation KPIs, contributing to the delivery of broader organisational KPIs and reporting on performance to the CEO, SMT and Board of Trustees as directed by the Director of Services.

Innovation

• To lead Innovation activity across Independent Age and act as a resource to teams across the charity in generating ideas and improving practice
• To facilitate the bringing together of staff, older people, volunteers, commissioners, collaborators and partners to shape new interventions and improve practice in Independent Age, in a range of communities and settings.
• To co-create with internal functional experts a simple and robust Services Innovation Framework which sets out Independent Age’s approach and criteria to scoping and testing new services

• To develop a cross-functional ‘test-and-learn’ integrated matrix approach, harnessing the talents of functional experts, ensuring that pilots capitalize on opportunities to build profile and generate resource (ensuring integration with Marketing & Communication and Fundraising strategies across the Engagement Division).
• To drive Innovation R & D, new service design and development, co-design methodologies, frameworks for Innovation measurement and evaluation and to project manage the start up of new initiatives.
• To develop business cases, risk assessment, safeguarding policies, plans and budgets for new initiatives and to ensure effective processes, data management and reporting frameworks to assess progress and ensure a continuous test and learn approach for outcomes focused improvement.
• To ensure that Independent Age benefits from horizon scanning and from knowledge of best practice and what works, drawing on models and creative approaches and assessing their benefit and relevance to IA.
• To work collaboratively with Service Development & Quality and Service Delivery to harness insight, identify opportunity and good practice, facilitate two way learning and knowledge sharing and shape Service strategy. To support Service Development staff to effectively scale up successful pilots.
• To work in partnerships with Marketing & Communications and Fundraising (Brand & Marketing, Digital, Media & PR, Public Fundraising and Partnerships & Philanthropic Giving) experts across the Engagement Division in the development of new innovations and initiatives – from inception to testing to evaluation – and related marketing & communications and resource generation plans.
• In liaison with the Head of Digital, ensure that we capitalize on the role new technologies can play in delivering social impact.
• To work with the Customer Insight & Strategy team to ensure a collaborative and integrated approach to using consumer insight to inform the development of plans and activities.
• To work with the Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications to identify, mitigate and manage potential risk associated with new innovations and initiatives.
• To work collaboratively with Policy and Research to harness insight, identify opportunities, assess potential partners and shape Influencing strategy.
• To champion innovation across the charity and help deliver organisational development and investment in this area.

Development & networking:

• To future-proof Independent Age’s Innovation delivery by building a network of senior level contacts/strategic partnerships, ensuring that Heads and managers undertake regular competitor analyses and horizon scanning, investigate ways to improve effectiveness, seize opportunities, and anticipate risks, and by encouraging and supporting innovation and improvements.
• To represent Independent Age externally at a senior level, including acting an ambassador and advocate for our interventions.

Other Duties

• To ensure that activities adhere to charity law, compliance & best practice (eg data protection, safeguarding and vulnerable adults, consent, quality accreditation).
• To observe and comply with all Independent Age Policies, including the key policies and procedures on Confidentiality, Data Protection, Health and Safety, Safeguarding and Information Technology Policies and Procedures.
• To undertake other reasonable duties as directed by the CEO as the division’s and organisation’s work develops and new needs emerge.
• This role may require additional travel and overnight stays.

Closing Date: 

Sunday 15 April 2018

Interview Date: 

Wednesday 25 April 2018

Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and so the post-holder may be required to undertake other duties which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.

Independent Age is committed to equality of opportunity and of eliminating discrimination. All employees are expected to adhere to  the  principles  set out in its Equal Opportunities Policy and all other relevant guidance/practice frameworks.