Rethink Ireland: Impact Management and Learning Manager

Contract:2 years full-time

Based: Dublin, Cork or Galway, with some travel within Ireland

Salary: €45,000 - €55,620 subject to experience

Benefits: 24 days Annual Leave; 8% employer pension contribution following successful completion of probation; Hybrid (With the opportunity to work from home & flexible working)

ROLE PURPOSE

The purpose of this role is to be the dedicated lead on the execution of our existing impact management & learning plans and tools, measuring and managing our impact. The use of relevant data (qualitative and quantitative) to inform our decision-making process in order to embed a culture of learning and improving, transferring our learning from failures and successes to our processes to maximise impact. 

This role sits within the Operations unit and is dedicated to research, hands-on data gathering, analysis and impact management to create accurate, meaningful and accessible information across all business units within the organisation. As a centralised support function, a key aspect of the job is to build strong relationships, continuous dialogue, and information flow across all business units, including Management teams and our Board.

The main focus of the job is to support setting impact goals, monitoring and evaluating our impact across all investment areas and funds, being able to assess and analyse large amounts of information and data, develop a coherent point of view as well as areas for improvement, and present the information to stakeholders in a manner that enables effective decision-making. Synthesis of recent findings, recommendations and presentations to the Board, senior management and key stakeholders will be a regular part of the job.   

In this role, you will use your attention to detail, resourcefulness, and flexibility to lead and execute the creation, execution, and analysis of research projects.  

JOB DESCRIPTION

Reporting to the Operations Director, the successful candidate will lead on the internal implementation of our existing impact management plans and tools, embedding a learning culture in the organisation, internal and external impact reporting and action research in areas of strategic focus. The candidate will also lead on the scope of new funds and projects, collaborating with our Business Development and Marketing, and Finance teams to ensure impact management is a core support for Awardees, and the monitoring & evaluation of our impact at Rethink Ireland.

Responsibilities include:

• Lead on the implementation of our existing impact management plans and tools: 
• Lead the adoption of a culture of learning, transparency and evidence-based decision-making processes generating trusted, credible and actionable impact information to the Board, Management teams, Rethink Ireland staff, donors and key stakeholders. 
• Develop activities that measure and manage progress towards our strategic objectives: ensure systematic monitoring and evaluation of all our investments including internal final evaluation of all our funds 
• Deliver training on our impact management tools and work closely with all organisation business units 
• Lead the execution of Impact Management and Learning tasks: 
• Deliver bespoke internal and external research 
• Coordinate scopes and concept notes in collaboration with other business units 
• Use qualitative and quantitative data to share regular insights to and across business units to maintain innovation edge
• Lead and execute on data collection, analysis and verification across the organisation: responsible for analysing and feeding back insights to strengthen our work and inform our strategic & investment decisions
• Lead and develop new funds & projects proposals, and coordinate with Investment Areas Heads, Portfolio Management Team and Business Development Team to ensure timely delivery and high quality standards
• Coordinate quarterly and annual reports for the Department of Rural and Community Development under Rethink Ireland's funding contract
• Prepare reports against Rethink Ireland's Strategic Plan and Implementation Plan for the Management Teams and Board
• Lead and coordinate all external and internal evaluations:
• Setting standards and guidance for these evaluations across investment areas, supporting the development of measures, metrics and data systems that are rigorous and consistent in order to leverage our learning to grow and deepen our impact
• Lead and coordinate our Impact reports & case studies
• Support the co-design of our capacity building programme in impact management & measurement, which will be delivered in part by you / Rethink Ireland and in part by commissioned partners.
• Support our Business Development, Marketing and Finance teams to better access awardee, impact and fund related data for strategic and operational purposes
• Support HR in measuring and evaluating staff initiatives when required, such as staff surveys, training programs, and development efforts, to drive continuous improvement and engagement
• Build successful partnerships with other organisations as required
• Line manage or mentor other team managers if needed
• Support the marketing, fundraising and communications work of Rethink Ireland
• Be an ambassador for Rethink Ireland

PERSON SPECIFICATION

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

You will be someone with the following qualities and skills:

• 5-7 years experience and track record in project management, experience at executing and coordinating the delivery of plans
• Degree or Postgraduate Qualification in a relevant field 
• Experience in the development of project proposals - excellent report writing skills  
• Leadership - capacity to communicate to a group of researchers / analysts to work towards ambitious targets and a shared common vision / goal
• Extensive experience in social impact measurement, collection and analysis of impact data
• Experience in Impact Management & Measurement
• Experience using Monitoring & Evaluation tools and systems
• Experience reporting to key stakeholders clear evidence based findings (collection and analysis of impact data)
• Experience with gathering and analysing all types of data and preparing datasets to support internal and external reports
• You have excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• You have an ability to build and maintain relationships
• You are committed to excellence and have strong attention to detail
• You are able to work independently and get things done in a changing environment
• You are a team player and self-motivated problem solver
• You are able to work under pressure to meet strict deadlines
• You are proficient in Microsoft tools and Salesforce
• You are passionate about making Ireland a better place and are committed to Rethink Ireland's mission and values.

General

• Comfort with an entrepreneurial culture and a fast-moving environment.
• A natural curiosity and a desire to learn.
• Drive and ambition.
• Ability to demonstrate the highest levels of integrity and ethical fibre.
• Desire and ability to be an ambassador for Rethink Ireland.

DESIRABLE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE 

• Extensive experience conducting action research in our areas of focus
• Extensive experience with Monitoring & Evaluation systems and tools  
• Strong competencies in quantitative and qualitative research methods, statistical analysis, and have experience of delivering comparative and evaluation studies
• Be a self-starter, with initiative, energy, commitment, and show he/she is keen to learn
• Strong diversity and inclusion perspective, listening skills, a collaborative approach with stakeholders for building internal and external relations
• An awareness of the ethics involved in the impact management process

Our Values

• We work with our hearts and our heads – we value compassion, passion and fun.
• We take smart risks and we allow permission to fail because we know that innovation and risk are two sides of the same coin.
• We believe that social change is a team sport. We build trusted relationships, and we choose to collaborate to achieve our goals.
• We are curious and hunger to learn.
• We value bold ideas and bold leadership, and we develop remarkable people.

COMMITMENT TO EQUALITY

We are an equal opportunity employer. We believe that diversity and inclusion lead to success and help us to achieve our best potential as an organisation. We commit to Respect, Equality, Inclusion and Diversity. We strongly welcome applications from members of minority and marginalised communities. 

ABOUT RETHINK IRELAND

Rethink Ireland (previously Social Innovation Fund Ireland) supports the most innovative non-profit organisations working in communities across the country. We believe that a team effort is more effective than working alone. So joining forces with the Government, companies, families, individuals and foundations, who understand as we do that lasting change demands new thinking, is how we do business.

Together we create funds to help innovations rise to the challenges of our most pressing social and environmental issues. Our cash grants and business supports enable social innovations to develop and maximise their impact. This is our venture philanthropy model. The groups we support and the donors who support us don't just think differently. They act decisively on their ideas to build a more equal, just and sustainable Ireland.

What is social innovation?

At Rethink Ireland, we define social innovation as the successful delivery of new approaches to meet social needs more effectively and sustainably than those currently available.

Our mission 

Our mission is to support the best social innovations so that they can grow and maximise their impact across Ireland.

Our vision 

Our vision is an Ireland which is more just, equal and sustainable because of social innovation.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and we strongly believe that diversity and inclusion equate to success. The work we do is underpinned by respect, equality, inclusion & diversity. If you would like us to provide any accommodations during the online interview process, please let us know.

In line with Ireland's Equality Legislation, we actively oppose discrimination on the following 9 grounds:

1. Gender.
2. Civil status: single, married, divorced, etc.
3. Family status: if you're the parent or person responsible for a child over 18, or if you're the main carer or parent of a person with a disability.
4. Sexual orientation.
5. Religion.
6. Age.
7. Disability.
8. Race.
9. Traveller community

We also actively oppose discrimination on the grounds of socio-economic disadvantage.

HOW TO APPLY?

Please apply through this LINK by 12h00pm on Tuesday 14th January 2025. 

Interviews will take place on 17th and 18th January 2024. 

If you would like to discuss the role, please contact us at eoghan@rethinkireland.ie