Deputy Executive Director

Position description

Together with their partners, Frontline AIDS has been on the frontline of the world’s response to AIDS for 30 years. Frontline AIDS was founded in 1993 as the International HIV/AIDS Alliance to support the work of existing community-led organisations responding to HIV and AIDS. They have a rich history of working with partners to reach marginalised communities. Today, their global partnership works in more than 100 countries to support local, national, and global community action on HIV, health, and human rights.

Frontline AIDS’ mission is to support community-led organisations to break down social, political, and legal barriers to create a future free from AIDS. Frontline AIDS partners innovate and work across six action areas to achieve this. The AIDS response began in communities, both at country and global level. Communities shoulder the burden of pandemics, and local knowledge and leadership is critical to finding effective and sustainable solutions to end them. They commit to becoming an anti-racist organisation and strive to ensure that power and leadership sits locally and nationally with the communities that are at the heart of partnerships.

Job Purpose

The Deputy Executive Director working closely with the Executive Director, and as part of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), is responsible for stewardship of internal affairs in Frontline AIDS and will deputise for the Executive Director as and when required. They play a critical role in advancing the organisation’s ‘Power in Partnership’ strategic plan for 2026-2030, leading on coordination of operational planning and accountable for ensuring that operations are fit for purpose for the needs of an evolving organisation rooted in its commitment to anti-racist, feminist and decolonial values. The post-holder is responsible for cultivating an Operations team (People, Finance; IT; Safeguarding and Risk), that is values driven, cohesive and high performing. The DED also offers leadership around key transformation initiatives including work on culture, diversified leadership and the shift to become an organisation that is truly co-located between the UK and South Africa.

Key Responsibilities

1) Senior Leadership

• Coordination of internal affairs, including the business planning of the Senior Leadership Team.
• Oversee the development of a holistic and coordinated annual planning and budgeting process and the systematic measurement of Key Performance Indicators and performance objectives in service of organisational strategy.
• Shaping an organisational culture to ensure that leaders and staff are consistently and accountably modelling the behaviours that are demonstrably in fulfilment of our anti-racist, feminist and decolonised values.
• Oversee the development of SLT as an accountable, high-performing, value-based leadership team.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with the Board and its Committees, particularly the Head of the Finance and Audit and the People and Reward Committees, to support them to fulfil their governance responsibilities in meeting statutory and regulatory obligations.
• Deputising in other areas of the work of Frontline AIDS, including external representation as stipulated by the Executive Director.

2) Organisational Transformation

• Lead on putting into place systems, practices and behaviours that facilitate the evolution of Frontline AIDS into a cohesive globally co-located organisation dispersed between its UK and South Africa-based hubs.
• Lead on the development of a Leadership Forum that brings together SLT with wider organisational leadership to work together on issues of ongoing strategic importance to Frontline AIDS.
• Lead on the transformation of the organisation into a high-performing, predominantly but not exclusively, virtually connected and which is highly digitally proficient.
• Play a leadership role in developing an organisational culture that is rooted in our commitment to feminism and anti-racism.
• Create a workplace that fosters high performance while championing well-being and appropriate work-life balance.

3) Operations Leadership

• Cultivate a values-driven, globally cohesive, high-performing Operations team.
• Provide supportive and empowering line management to the Head of Finance, People Lead, Safeguarding Lead, Anti-Racism, Feminism and Decolonisation (ARFD) Lead and Risk and Performance Lead to accountably shape the work of their areas of responsibility within the Operations Directorate.
• Ensure that the plans and priorities of Operations shape and align with Frontline AIDS’ Power in Partnership strategy for 2026-2030.
• Ensure that all divisional plans, policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs), are up-to-date and are grounded in anti-racist, feminist, and decolonial principles that respect diversity and advance equality.
• Overseeing the development of Frontline AIDS’ finance and people systems and the improvement of business policy, processes, and systems to drive efficiencies and supporting delivery of strategic aims.
• Oversee an appropriate and effective supporting control environment to align with our values and meet legal requirements.
• Working closely with the Head of Internal Audit and Governance, ensure corporate, financial, people, safety, and IT/cyber security risks are managed effectively to provide adequate assurance to Directors and Trustees.
• Ensure that staff working from all locations have the appropriate infrastructure, systems, policies, and engagement required to deliver the strategic aims of Frontline AIDS.
• Oversee the production analysis of regular, timely and reliable management reports spanning all core functions for the leadership team, the Board, and donors.
• Supporting Frontline AIDS partners, ensuring that operations engage in a collegial way that is facilitative of the partnership, including being in a position to offer technical support to Frontline AIDS partners.
• Work with Frontline AIDS IT service provider to develop a roadmap for enhancing the Frontline AIDS digital infrastructure and ensure delivery of effective systems to support the needs of the organisation.
• Ensure that systems are in place to enable confidential, effective channels for reporting grievances, whistleblowing and safeguarding concerns.

4) Risk & Safeguarding

• Strategic Risk Management Oversight: Ensure the establishment and maintenance of a risk management and internal control framework that identifies, assesses and mitigates strategic and operational risks for the organisation. Safeguarding policy implementation: oversee the implementation and monitoring of the safeguarding plan.
• Incident Response and Business Continuity: oversee incident response and support business continuity planning.
• Safeguarding reporting and incident management: ensure the establishment of confidential and effective channels for reporting safeguarding concerns, ensuring that every incident is recorded, investigated, and managed with respect to the organisation’s ethical and legal commitments. Ensure regular liaison with the safeguarding lead on the Board.

5) Developing the Frontline AIDS Culture

• Frontline AIDS is committed to embedding the values of anti-racism, feminism, and decolonisation into all ways of working.
• These values must infuse organisational behaviours and practices both in the internal environment and how we engage with other stakeholders.
• The postholder will have a demonstrable high level of commitment to Frontline AIDS’s approach to equality of opportunity and the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.
• They will support a workforce that reflects our globally diverse movement, and ensures our work is enhanced by a range of ideas on the issues and challenges we work on, including building an anti-racist culture within the organisation.

Qualifications

Skills, Experience & Knowledge:

Essential:

• A relevant degree level qualification and/or other relevant professional qualification.
• Experience of working for an international organisation.
• Experience of having worked in Southern Africa.
• Experience of working in Europe.
• Strong strategic leadership skills with a proven track record of successfully directing, leading, and motivating multifunctional operational teams in a complex, culturally diverse international organisation.
• Experience of having worked effectively as part of a senior leadership team and with a track record of having worked with Boards and Board committees.
• Strategic thinking, planning and analysis skills.
• Experience of setting and tracking Key Performance Indicators.
• Exceptional people leadership skills and understanding of HR policies and practices in an international, diverse, multicultural and inclusive organisation.
• Extensive experience in organisational change and general management processes.
• Experience in budget management, reporting, financial forecasting and analysis.
• An understanding of modern financial systems and IT structures, use, and risk.
• Understanding of programme operating environments, requirements, and risks.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to empathise, influence, and negotiate with a diverse range of stakeholders and to a high level.
• Fluency in English, including excellent written, oral, and presentation skills.

Desirable:

• Good knowledge of HIV prevention and treatment issues.
• Working knowledge of French or Spanish.
• Experience within an international NGO.
• Experience of working in South Africa.
• Experience of working in the UK.

Key Attributes, Values, & Personal Qualities

• A thorough and demonstrable commitment to Frontline AIDS mission and values, and an understanding of the workings of the Frontline AIDS Partnership.
• Strong commitment to the approach of Frontline AIDS in respect of equality of opportunity, anti-racist practice, safeguarding, and supporting a workforce that reflects our globally diverse work and the marginalised communities we serve.
• An approach to inclusive leadership that inspires and motivates others; experience in building collaborative and cohesive teams and a demonstrable commitment to promoting empowering forms of accountability.
• A track record of delivery in a context of challenging organisational change.
• A demonstrable commitment to, and deep experience in, the meaningful engagement of marginalised communities and partners.
• The ability to be flexible and adapt quickly to changing global development challenges.
• The ability to think and work strategically while at the same time paying relentless attention to detail.
• Sets a good example for others, shows consistency in words and actions, learns from personal and organisational experience, strives for self- improvement, earns the trust and respect of management, colleagues and partner organisations, and treats others with respect.

APPOINTMENT TERMS

Location: South Africa/ United Kingdom

Salary and Benefits: South Africa: R 2,050,000 / United Kingdom – GBP 100,000

Contract length: Permanent

Travel: Occasional

Reports to: Executive Director

Direct reports: Head of Finance; People Lead; AFRD Lead; Safeguarding Lead; Risk & Performance Lead

Application instructions

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