Youth Years Leader, Ashoka Global

Ashoka has changed the framework of the social sector by introducing the idea that there is nothing more powerful than a bold, new idea in the hands of an exceptional entrepreneur. We build fellowships of people who catalyze an irreversible social change through an innovative idea and encourage others to do the same.
Role:

Ashoka is looking for a dynamic changemaker to take charge in transforming Ashoka's Youth Years programming.

What You'll Do:

Ashoka is looking for an exceptional changemaker to join its Global Leadership Team to lead this change from our Global Office

• Spearhead a Global Movement: Increase the number of young people, parents, educators, partners, and citizens that identify as changemakers so that “Changemaking” becomes the new norm.
• Unleash Systems-Level Insights: Design and lead systems to extract and scale compelling insights from Ashoka Fellow innovations
• Drive Resource Generation: Pioneer new revenue models, raise vital resources, and garner strategic support to make “Every Young Person Practicing Changemaking” the new societal normal.
• Build a Team of Teams: Work closely with Ashoka’s Leadership, 6 regional leaders (Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Latin America, and MENA), and senior stakeholders to integrate each region by weaving together Ashoka Fellows, business entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and strategic partners.
• Strategic Partnerships: Search out, nurture, and solidify partnerships with funders, corporations, foundations, unions, educators, and other entities.

What You Bring:

Given that this role is in Ashoka’s Leadership Group and involves international influencing and impact, the right candidate will have the skills and 15-20 years of related experience to effectively execute deliverables. They will have already:

• Identified a shared problem and created an innovative solution with system- or sector-wide impact.
• Founded their own social impact organization to scale their innovation, advanced a mission/cause through an innovation that has since changed a sector or system, or launched a movement driven in part by innovative approaches with measurable systemic impact; this work may have started as early as one’s student years.
• Created partnerships with key actors to advance an innovation and its social impact.
• Elevated the profile of an organization, cause or mission.
• Supported the building of a systemic change movement and needs across teams to advance a mission through fundraising efforts. Or, raised substantial funding to support their own organization and mission.

The right candidate also

• Has an ability to adapt and thrive in an entrepreneurial, fluid, team of teams environment in which needs, strategy and short- / long-term goals may change to adapt to shifts in the ecosystem or social impact landscape.
• Demonstrated ability in fundraising and resource generation, major client/partner relationship management, resource mobilization, and balanced budget management.
• Has an ability to balance creative strategy design with day-to-day execution based on current needs.
• Is skilled at leading and managing a team that has autonomy and independence to further cultivate Ashoka’s emphasis on creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.
• Understands and exhibits empathy, teamwork, leadership and changemaking in their lived experience and has the ability to enable or share these capacities with others.
• Proven ability to lead through influence, ideas, and exceptional communication skills.

Core Criteria

• Entrepreneurial Quality: Compelled to take creative initiative and ownership (e.g. founding an organization or company, starting a movement, or re-shaping the work of an existing organization). Demonstrates relentless and realistic how-to-thinking and passion for seeing their ideas come to life.
• Understanding and Belief in the Everyone a Changemaker: Understands and believes the Everyone a Changemaker vision at a gut level. To be able to innately ‘get’ this, candidates should have a broad and inquisitive intellectual and a thinking pattern that connects the dots between historical trends and current social context.
• Emotional and Social Intelligence: Ability to work efficiently and respectfully in teams, putting organizational/team goal first (personal glory second).
• Ethical Fiber: Exceptionally strong ethical behavior. Is self-reflective and has strong empathy skills. Trustworthy.
• Self-Definition: The person expects that changing the world in big ways and on a continental scale is what he/she will do in life.