Lumos is an international children’s charity founded in 2005 by children’s author J.K. Rowling to end the harmful practice of institutionalisation of children. Lumos’ mission is to fight for every child’s right to a family by transforming care systems around the world.  Our vision is for all children to grow up in safe and loving families. 

Job Purpose

For over 10 years Lumos has worked directly in a number of countries to safely transform systems of care and protection, helping to ensure children can grow up in loving families rather than harmful orphanages, and demonstrating that change is possible.

Despite the milestones achieved, millions of children continue to live in institutions globally and until more countries adopt quality system-wide reform at national levels, this grave problem will persist.

Encouragingly national governments and major stakeholders are increasingly committing to transition away from harmful institutional models of care. However, many lack the know-how to develop holistic alternative solutions which support family and community-based care and it is not possible for Lumos and others in our sector to work directly in every country.

Leveraging its extensive experience and expertise, Lumos has restructured as a global centre for systems change. Working in collaboration with strategic partners to provide remote targeted support, technical advice and training, the global centre for systems change will help to build the capacity of national governments and other major stakeholders to lead safe, sustainable and system-wide reform. This will allow Lumos’ work to benefit more children and families and achieve an impact greater than the sum of its parts.

Scope

The Director of Global Systems Change will report to the Chief Executive Officer, responsible for delivering the systems change strategy in close collaboration with other members of the Executive Leadership Team.

The position is responsible for developing and delivering Lumos’ strategy to promote the adoption of high-quality care reform by national governments around the world.

The Global Systems Change Group will comprise the following functions:

• Targeted technical advice and remote support to national governments, NGOs and national systems leaders;
• Strategic Partnerships with influential intermediary organisations;
• Design and development of digital resources and learning exchange (learning products – toolkits; guidance; training; peer-to-peer exchange; study visits; and learning events);
• Systems change support;
• Developing a child and youth participation model, ensuring it is placed as a core component of technical advice to enable others to replicate quality participation.

The post holder will provide leadership across the Group and ensure that Lumos’ Global Systems Change Group is built into an integrated team.

As a senior leader, the post holder will be comfortable working within a culturally diverse organisation and promoting Lumos’s commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.  They will be a collaborative leader, engaging staff at all levels and developing them to achieve their full potential.

The role will require international travel, both to other Lumos offices, to countries in which Lumos is working and to strategic events and conferences.

Key Objectives

The Director of Global Systems Change will:

• Develop and deliver a Global Systems Change strategy for Lumos;
• Provide overall leadership and management to the Global Systems Change group;
• Develop cutting edge framework for systems change – enabling its adoption in a wide range of contexts;
• Support senior Heads of functions in the Group to design and implement a strategy to target and provide technical advice and remote support to national governments, NGOs and national systems leaders;
• Oversee and quality assure Lumos technical advice and remote support; 
• Build a network of relationships with sectors relevant to care reform for children, such as health, education and early childhood development, to promote holistic reform approaches;
• At a senior level, develop Strategic Partnerships with influential intermediary organisations and encourage them to adopt principles of high-quality care reform;
• Oversee the design and development of digital resources and learning exchange to support care reform adoption;
• Ensure that child and youth participation is placed as a core component of technical advice to enable others to replicate quality participation.
• Work closely with the Evidence, Advocacy and Campaigns Group to share learning and build on expertise;
• Work alongside the Demonstration Programmes Group to ensure that Lumos’ systems change approach can inform, and be informed by, innovative demonstration programmes.
• Manage the allocated Systems Change budget.
• Additional responsibilities
• Work closely with fundraising colleagues to develop and report on income generation opportunities;
• Ensure the Global Systems Change Group contributes to, understands and implements the organisational safeguarding strategy, and risks are managed effectively;
• Work with the Executive Leadership Team towards the delivery of Lumos’ long-term strategic plan
• Other tasks as reasonably required by the Chief Executive. 

Person Specification

Lumos is seeking a senior professional with extensive experience of developing frameworks and interventions that can be taken to scale.  The ideal candidate will have an entrepreneurial mindset, with a keen eye for developing strategic relationships that can lead to transformational change for children.

This post will hold significant strategic relationships both internally and externally – and will be comfortable operating flexibly with colleagues from different disciplines, sectors and contexts.

The ideal candidate will have:

Knowledge/Skills:

• Ability to strategically position childcare reform and Lumos in the international development sector, both at the government and non-governmental level, to advance regional and national initiatives aimed at fulfilling children’s rights;
• Knowledge and understanding of scaling interventions – creating frameworks and guidance that can be adapted in different contexts; 
• Knowledge and understanding of the field of transforming care, deinstitutionalisation, child rights, disability and international development and extensive knowledge of the key actors in each of these fields;
• Understanding of, and experience in, integrating child protection and care reform for children into relevant sectors, such as health, education and early childhood development;
• Excellent relationship-building skills, including the ability to work effectively and with sensitivity across barriers such as language, culture and distance;
• Proven ability to lead and manage multi-disciplinary technical experts;
• Proven track record of translating – often highly technical – evidence, expertise and knowledge into capacity building initiatives for a broad range of practitioners; 
• Experience of delivering complex long-term programmes to high quality standards and within budget;
• Significant experience of designing programmes to support children, families and communities with a complex range of needs, including children with disabilities;
• Expertise in working with and influencing governments, international organisations, NGOs, funders and other key stakeholders;
• Proven knowledge and experience of delivering and upholding child protection and safeguarding principles;
• Strong knowledge experience of child participation in the development of programmatic work;
• Ability to work calmly and creatively and to respond to a dynamic and changing environment;
• Fluent written and verbal English.

Experience:

• Experience of working within a culturally diverse organisation;
• Experience of engaging and developing staff;
• Significant experience of designing and delivering technical advice and remote support internationally in the field of transforming care for children;
• Experience of integrating child protection and care reform for children into relevant sectors, such as health, education and early childhood development;
• Expertise in working with governments, international organisations, NGOs, faith-based organizations, funders and/or other key stakeholders;
• Experience of working alongside fundraising colleagues to secure and effectively deliver on grants;
• Experience working in an international organisation.

Desirable:

• Fluency in a language other than English.