Advert for a new Co-convenor for a Better Way

Better Way are seeking applications for a Co-convenor, with a deadline of 3pm Friday 13th January. This is a fantastic opportunity to work with a brilliant and inspiring group of people from right across the country.  They are particularly focused on increasing the diversity of the Better Way network and they are therefore particularly interested in applications from people from minoritised and marginalised communities who are currently under-represented.

If you’d like to find out more before you apply, please contact info@betterway.network. 

From Betterway:

About the network

A Better Way is a network of people committed to changing the way things work for the better – improving services, building community and creating a fairer society. Growing fast, we now have over 1,100 people in the network, from across the UK and beyond, spanning different sectors and fields of activity.  It was established in 2016 and continues to be ambitious not just in spreading good practice but also shaping the national debate and influencing systemic change.

The network is shaped by its members, including a set of founding principles and a model of behaviour change which have come out of our discussions.  What these mean in practice is illuminated by Building a Bigger We, a collection of 36 short essays written by our members, published in 2022.  We have a regular programme of highly participative meetings, encourage blogs from members, are active on social media (currently twitter and LinkedIn) and produce regular publications.  We are aiming to set up a podcast. Here is further information about who we are and how we operate.

Currently, we have two part-time co-convenors. They are Caroline Slocock, the Director of Civil Exchange (which is the host organisation for the network); and Steve Wyler. Caroline is intending to step down once a replacement can be found though she will still be involved in a new role, as Chair of the core group. 

From 2023 onwards, we are hoping to:

• Further grow and diversify the network in all its dimensions, including on ethnicity and the involvement of small and local groups, and we will continue to offer a broad programme of events, grounded in our core Better Way principles and behaviour.
• Seek to strengthen the network’s voice to get the message across more widely and become a catalyst for change, by increasing its influence, impact and reach, including through new publications if funding allows, and further developing its communications.

About the opportunity

The Co-convenor’s work has evolved as the network itself has changed, and we expect this to continue, with new convenors themselves developing the role. Currently the network convenors:

• Build a community of membership, welcoming members, curating connections between them, and designing, arranging and facilitating programmes of online events on different topics and themes, as well as an annual National Gathering.
• Reflect on the learning from Better Way discussions and distil this learning to produce Better Way publications and frameworks for change.
• Spread the word through occasional bulletins for members, our website and through social media (we have 2,170 Twitter followers to date), and identify interviewees for our forthcoming podcast.
• Take the Better Way thinking into wider arenas, including national conferences and national media, drawing on Better Way insights to contribute to shaping key areas of national public policy, and building relationships with like-minded networks and organisations engaged in systems change.
• Build distributive leadership within the network, including working with ‘thought leaders’ from the network and with the Better Way core group to reflect on our methods and impact and work out how best to grow the network’s reach, diversity and influence.
• Raise funds for the network and report to funders.

This is a very enjoyable and satisfying role, which involves everything from the most strategic to the most basic task and working with a vast swathe of different, wonderful people.

The work of a co-convenor is expected to take 1-2 days a week on average across the year, at a daily rate of £550 (including any VAT if applicable).  Funds are already available for around 1 day but, depending on additional fund-raising, we are hoping for up to 2 days per co-convenor. The fee will either be paid on a free-lance basis or as a grant to an organisation seconding an individual part-time. 

We expect to continue with two Co-convenors devoting an equal amount of time to the role, but other arrangements might be considered. 

Funding for one day each is fully secured until the end of December 2023, and half of the funding is already in place for 2024.  We expect the new Co-convenor to be actively involved in fund-raising.

The qualities and experience we’re seeking

• A personal commitment to the principles of the Better Way, with leadership and personal qualities that match the Better Way behaviours, and an understanding of why these are important. This may come from lived as well as professional experience.
• The convening power and influence to attract new people to the network, particularly from across the voluntary and public sectors and from different backgrounds.
• Someone who listens deeply and is good at stimulating and facilitating a conversation in which everyone feels welcome and is able to participate and learn from each other.
• Intellectually curious, always looking for better ways of doing things, and able to challenge existing ideas and practices to help the network develop new thinking.
• Strong communication skills both in person and in writing and ideally also in social media, able to distil and communicate complex and sometimes disparate views passionately and clearly to different audiences.
• A demonstrable track record of making change happen and doing things differently, either through delivery or pushing at the boundaries of thinking or both.
• Ambition for the network and an ability to innovate to help it evolve and preferably someone who brings direct experience of taking part in the network, though other candidates with a strong match with the qualities and experience above will be considered. 

We strongly welcome applications from people who are from communities that experience discrimination and marginalisation, as diversity is important to the effectiveness of a Better Way and we are aiming to increase it across the network.

How to apply for the role

Please write to info@betterway.network by 3pm Friday 13th January 2023 with your CV and setting out:

·       why you would like to carry out this role

·       what qualities and experience you would bring; and

·       how you might like to see the network develop. 

Please let us know if you have any access requirements and do contact us in the meantime if you would like further information: info@betterway.network.

Interviews will be held in central London on Monday 30th January.

Closing date for applications:  Friday 13th January 2023, 3.00pm.