Thank you for your interest in working with us and in leading Videre as its next Chief Executive Officer. This Guide is intended to provide you with an introduction to us, the position, and the recruitment process.
About Us
Videre is an award-winning, UK-registered NGO that exposes human rights abuses and holds perpetrators to account. We work directly with communities in stressed environments, equipping networks of activists and community leaders with the technology and training necessary to safely capture visual documentation of political violence, human rights violations, and other systemic abuses. Together, we put this documentation in the hands of those able to secure accountability and justice. Our aim is to ensure that the concerns and knowledge of affected communities drive advocacy, policy, and legal action.
Since its founding in 2008, Videre has:
- Supplied critical documentation of war crimes and crimes against humanity, mobilising international action, establishing fact patterns for prosecutions and sanctions, and leading to arrest warrants.
- Countered official claims of free and fair national elections by documenting systematic intimidation and coercion, leading to official responses and tactical changes.
- Deepened existing investigations by exposing illegal arms trafficking between a national army and multiple armed groups.
- Shifted UN and government policies to better align with the needs of impacted communities.
- Detailed widespread patterns of police corruption and violence, resulting in firings and internal investigations.
- Revealed flaws in a mineral certification scheme which was failing to prevent conflict minerals entering supply chain, bolstering advocacy efforts.
As long as there are communities and activists determined to shine light on abuses – and challenge those who would cover them up – Videre will be there to support and sustain their extraordinary work.
We believe that:
- Human rights and human dignity are universal, indivisible, and undeniable.
- Inequality encourages conflict and breeds human rights abuses.
- Every individual has the right to document and expose human rights abuses.
- Local communities should drive our work because they understand the root causes of the abuses they face.
- The issues, not the organisation, should take centre stage.
- Ground-sourced, verifiable information helps ensure accountability and secure lasting change.
- Information doesn't have a half-life.
About You
- You are a motivated, passionate, inspiring, and curious person who wants to bring about change in the world, overcome challenges, and is looking for an amazing team with whom to do it.
- You are compassionate, values-led, and have a sense of humor.
- You have a successful track-record working at senior leadership levels in ambitious, innovative, courageous organisations with multi-country operations (ideally, 10+ years of increasing responsibility, with 5+ years of senior leadership experience).
- You have a solid understanding of human rights principles and the needs and concerns of affected communities in stressed environments.
- You are able to develop a compelling strategy and vision for Videre’s future plan of work.
- You have excellent communication and public speaking skills.
- You are a compassionate and thoughtful leader who does not shirk from decisive action in the face of complex or risky situations.
- You are committed to building a sustainable organisation that attracts highly talented team members.
- You demonstrate strong people management and interpersonal skills that foster inclusivity, recognises achievements, and cultivates collaboration.
- You have experience working with diplomats, policymakers, NGOs, journalists, and community advocates, developing and sustaining excellent and reciprocal relationships.
- You have experience of overseeing, managing, and monitoring complex budgets.
- You have a good knowledge of and a track record in fundraising from a variety of donors.
Role Requirements
Reporting to the Board of Trustees, the Chief Executive Officer will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for Videre’s staff, programs, expansion, and execution of its mission.
Leadership:
- Set and provide a clear, compelling vision and purpose for the organisation
- Lead and ensure effective delivery of Videre’s strategic plan
- Act as a positive role model for the culture of Videre
- Develop a high performing collaborative and accountable team
- Provide the Board of Trustees with regular feedback and advice
- Network and collaborate with partners to create change
People Management:
- Foster a high-performing, collaborative team where innovation, excellence, and commitment to delivery thrives
- Provide inspirational and supportive leadership while taking decisive action where necessary
- Implement human resources policies and other procedures which ensure the security and well-being of Videre’s team and all those with whom we work
Fundraising:
- Develop high performing fundraising strategies
- Nurture existing and expand high net worth fundraising relationships
- Cultivate and steward critical donor relationships
- Ensure fundraising goals are achieved
Programme and Research:
- Ensure excellence in research and analysis
- Keep abreast of new developments across geopolitics, human rights, technology, and law that could affect Videre’s work
- Oversee a comprehensive organisation-wide approach to risk identification and management
Financial Management:
- Ensure financial goals are achieved
- Ensure the financial policies and procedures of Videre are implemented and reviewed on a regular basis
- Ensure financial accountability and transparency demonstrating effective use of charitable donations
Communications:
- Ensure a clear communication strategy which protects Videre’s low profile and ensures staff and activists’ safety, but which maximises opportunities for fundraising and builds respect and awareness of Videre’s work within key stakeholder groups
Partnerships and Strategic Collaboration:
- Proactively develops and establishes trusted stakeholder relationships to help deliver results – for example, with those working in human rights, law, media, trade unions, civil society organisations, and governments
Governance:
- Collaborate with the Board to ensure good governance of Videre
- Ensure Senior Management Team produces timely and accurate reports for Board of Trustees meetings and for the Board Financial Committee
- Assist the Board in the identification of new Board members
Working with Us
Location: We are a distributed team that spans multiple time zones. In order to facilitate work, we have a strong preference for candidates based in UTC +/- 3 time zones. However, we are open to considering exceptional candidates outside those time zones.
Salary: Videre uses a salary localisation policy using a combination of open-source tools and multipliers. The London, UK, salary for this position is £84,000 to £95,000.
Benefits: Benefits are also localised to provide the greatest equity and comply with local regulations. Employees start with 28 days of holiday leave, rising to 30 days after 2 years’ service, along with an organisational closure between Christmas and New Year. Working within the laws of local jurisdictions, we also aim to provide a 6% pension contribution, with a minimum employee matching at 2%.
The Application Process
If you would like to apply, please submit a CV and cover letter via Breezy. The cover letter should outline (in no more than two pages) your interest in the role and how you fulfil the requirements as set out in the About You and Role Requirement sections above. (In particular, please be sure to include in your cover letter any experience you have in executive leadership of an organisation, your sector knowledge, and your fundraising experience.) The Recruitment Committee will short-list candidates, based on this letter and CV, to whom a written set of questions will be sent. Some of these candidates will then be invited for an interview.
The interview process is likely to be in two to three stages, which will include: a panel interview with members of the Recruitment Committee; a presentation to key staff and Board members, followed by Q&A; and a meeting with the full Board of Trustees. All interviews and presentations are likely to take place online.
While we will accept applications on a rolling basis, we will begin reviewing applications on 22 May 2023. Apply before this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.
In line with our legal obligations as an employer, we are required to verify your right to work in the country in which you are physically located. Required documentation will be requested after you accept the job offer and before any contract of employment is issued. The documentation requested will be based on the laws of the country in which the work will be carried out.
As is standard employment practice, Videre will seek two references ahead of issuing an employment contract. One of these references should account for your most recent employment. You will be asked to provide the contact details for the two references once a job offer has been made.
Diversity and Inclusion Matter to Us. We are committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone regardless of their background. We acknowledge that people from certain backgrounds are under-represented in the human rights sector and we are committed to doing what we can to correct this. Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the communities that we serve. Therefore, we are particularly keen to receive applications from people who identify with minority and/or underrepresented groups (whether on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected status). We also value diversity in terms of personal and professional experience, believing that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create stronger and more creative working environments.
To protect the integrity of our work and the safety of all staff, Videre will review and assess online information about prospective candidates.