About the Centre for Public Impact (CPI)

At the Centre for Public Impact (CPI), we believe in the potential of governments to work differently to bring about better outcomes for people. We are a global not-for-profit organisation, founded by the Boston Consulting Group, that serves as a learning partner for governments, public sector leaders, and the diverse network of changemakers leading the charge to reimagine government. We work with them to hold space to collectively make sense of the complex challenges we face and drive meaningful change through learning and experimentation. CPI currently operates in 4 regions of the world, all stewarding CPI’s mission in different geographies: Asia, Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand, Europe and North America.

CPI Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand was established in March 2020. The current team is made up of Alli Edwards, Asitha Bandaranayaka, Jessica Fuller, Keira Lowther and Thea Snow. Over the last four years, the CPI ANZ team has been working to build a presence, develop strong relationships, and secure a pipeline of work. CPI ANZ is a small but agile team and therefore, needs someone who is willing to work across the full spectrum of tasks - from administrative work to blue-sky thinking. We are experimental in how we work and seek to reflect the beliefs, values, and principles set in our vision for government.

As a learning partner, CPI ANZ supports leaders with:

• Action research exploring and generating insights around new topics critical to the future of government and democracy. We learn by engaging diverse voices through listening sessions, sense making workshops, and other interactive opportunities.
• Professional development and knowledge building exercises to introduce tools, frameworks, and new methods for approaching complex challenges, but also create space for participants to learn with and from each other and develop the confidence to solve problems together.
• Learning partnerships where we walk alongside teams who are working on a complex challenge, or implementing a complex policy or program. We support our partners to reflect, learn and improve together, and work to ensure that this learning is informed by a broad range of voices and perspectives.

We are looking for an outstanding Programme Director with a deep understanding of government who will take responsibility for leading engagements with government agencies and other partners working at the intersections of the public sector innovation and social innovation space. CPI ANZ seeks someone who can effectively collaborate, mentor, and oversee daily operations, serving as a strategic thought partner to the regional director to enhance CPI's overall strategy, impact, and cultural initiatives.

CPI ANZ has a huge potential to advance our mission of reimagining government by exploring big ideas and supporting those in and around government to implement them. We believe that to do things differently we need to interrogate our ways of knowing and being. We do this by supporting those we work with to:

• Think systemically
• Invest in relationships
• Engage with complexity
• Reimagine measurement of evaluation
• Centre learning and reflection

Strategic Thinking, Leadership, and Impact

• Collaborates and practises the principle of sharing power/co-power decisions about our work with regional team and greater global organisation
• Demonstrates commitment to designing programs and cultivating a culture of equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace, with an aptitude for working across areas of difference
• Distills lessons learned from project work into higher level thought leadership that connects to CPI’s mission to reimagine government
• Deepens our understanding of how we articulate our purpose in this space and advances thought leadership and storytelling that promotes key insights from our research, relationships and programmes
• Recognises the significance of distinct data patterns and trends within the organisation and the wider context, and is enthusiastic about crafting tools to understand and respond accordingly
• Anticipates unforeseen obstacles and adeptly devises contingency plans effectively prioritising organisational need

Programme and Portfolio Management

• Provides day-to-day management and oversight of a broad range of learning programs, learning partnerships and research projects.
• Displays intellectual leadership and advance the development of the strategy, design, and execution of key project milestones for participants
• Collaborates with program managers, to ensure program costs and timelines remain within scope
• Supports the team to monitor progress with curiosity at each phase of the program, using diverse data sources to meaningfully track and report change

People Management and Development

• Demonstrates strong emotional intelligence with the ability to navigate interpersonal conflicts as needed and lead a team that is inclusive of different backgrounds, ideas, identities, and ways of working
• Builds organisational culture and dedicates time to training and supporting the team in their professional growth and goals.
• Delivers timely, thoughtful, and actionable feedback while enhancing existing systems through the establishment of clear measurable goals and actively embraces valuable feedback, including opportunity for learning, professional development, and self reflection to further our mission

Partnership Development and Relationship Management

• Effectively manages relationships with existing partners and funders, ensuring clear communications and successful delivery of programmatic commitments
• Supports overall regional business development strategy and pipeline within the public sector and social innovation space, identifying new project opportunities and preparing proposals/responding to RFPs (Request for Proposal) where required.
• Builds a pipeline of potential formal and informal partners within the public sector and social innovation space, by independently cultivating relationships with prospective partners (government, philanthropic, and community-based, among others) and organisations doing values-aligned work.
• Partners with global teams to advance any regional administrative or infrastructure needs which include financial reporting, management of vendors and contractors, oversight of budgets, participating in global initiatives.

Qualifications:

CPI is deeply invested in creating an experience of equity, inclusion, and belonging for everyone on our staff. We actively seek to recruit, develop, and retain a team of talented staff that represents diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. This includes candidates that have previously found it hard to be considered for other positions on the basis of their qualifications, disabilities, personal background or life events. If you would like to apply for the position but see a barrier to joining us, please do apply and we will work with you to find a solution. You can also read our full Diversity Equity and Inclusion Policy here.

We anticipate the successful candidate will have:

• At least 7 years of of pertinent professional experience with extensive understanding, and preferably direct experience of the Australian government landscape
• Exceptional people and programme management skills
• The ability to think in a creative and structured way
• Excellent communication and interpersonal relational skills
• Experience in programmatic and vision design in the public impact and social innovation space
• Demonstrated senior leadership with strategic, policy, and budget planning experience
• Proven experience as self-starter with a track-record of working productively to meet goals
• A commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace culture, demonstrating the ability to collaborate effectively across differences. For us this means a dedication to learning and introspection regarding power, privilege and systemic justices, and an appreciation of the importance of honouring and incorporating First Nations’ ways of knowing, working, and being.
• Comfort with ambiguity and the complexity of our work, where anything is possible but not always known in advance
• The ability to communicate effectively and manage senior-level stakeholder relationships
• Learning design and facilitation skills preferred but not required