Your opportunity
The General Director is responsible for providing strategic vision and coordination within the shared leadership model, ensuring the organization's sustainable growth and impact. They work closely with the leadership team, oversee key areas, and represent the organization to funders, strategic partners, and the general public.
Your mission
General Functions- Vision and Strategy: Lead the definition and ensure the implementation of the organization's long-term vision and strategy, ensuring alignment with its mission and values. Internal
- Coordination and Synergies: Facilitate collaboration among different directorates to ensure coherence and efficiency in the execution of work plans.
- Strategic Alliances and Institutional Representation: Develop and strengthen key relationships with entities, strategic partners, and other relevant stakeholders in the organization's field.
- Legal Representation and Spokesperson Role: Act as the legal representative of the organization and be one of its main spokespersons before the media, institutions, and other key audiences.
- Development and Management of Funder Relations: Ensure financial sustainability through fundraising and maintaining relationships with funders, guaranteeing transparency and accountability.
- Supervision of Goal Achievement and Growth: Monitor the progress of strategic and operational plans, ensuring that the organization meets its impact, growth, and stability objectives.
- Public Relations and Positioning: Enhance the organization's presence and reputation at the national and international levels, promoting its recognition in the sector and its influence in public debates.
Main Responsibilities1. Vision, Strategy, and Organizational Growth
- Ensure compliance with the organization's mission and vision through strategic planning and decision-making.
- Supervise the development and implementation of strategic objectives in collaboration with the Directors of Operations, Animal Welfare, and Communications.
- Assess and mitigate risks in potential strategies, ensuring informed and sustainable decisions.
- Oversee the quarterly impact reporting and evaluation model in coordination with the leadership team.
2. Coordination and Shared Leadership
- Delegate strategic responsibilities to area directors, ensuring they have the necessary resources for their development.
- Facilitate decision-making within the shared leadership team (Director of Operations, Director of Communication, and Director of Animal Welfare), promoting a collaborative and equitable decision-making model.
- Supervise and coordinate the implementation and fulfillment of organizational objectives across all areas together with the leadership team.
- Monitor the impact and effectiveness of implemented actions, ensuring continuous improvement.
- Safeguard the organization's long-term mission and vision.
- Ensure the proper functioning of reporting mechanisms, follow-up meetings, and impact evaluation processes.
3. Representation and Institutional Relations
- Represent the organization before funders, institutions, strategic allies, media, and other key stakeholders, ensuring an image aligned with its values and mission.
- Act as the organization's spokesperson and public face at key events, debates, and communications, strengthening the organization’s visibility and positioning.
- Develop and strengthen strategic alliances with other organizations, companies, government agencies, funders, and other relevant sector stakeholders.
4. Development and Financial Sustainability
- Lead the financial sustainability strategy, including managing major donors, grants, and other funding sources.
- Identify new opportunities for funding diversification aligned with the organization's strategic objectives.
- Oversee budget planning in coordination with the Director of Operations.
- Ensure transparency and accountability in fund utilization, strengthening funders' and partners’ trust.
5. Relationship with the Board of Directors
- Act as the primary liaison between the Board of Directors and the leadership team, ensuring clear and effective communication.
- Coordinate the presentation of reports, meetings, and follow-up on agreements with the Board of Directors.
- Ensure compliance with reporting mechanisms, follow-up meetings, and quarterly impact evaluations.
- Lead the identification and selection process of Board members, ensuring alignment with the organization's mission.
6. Organizational Culture and Talent Management
- Actively participate in promoting a healthy organizational culture and climate, based on transparency, collaboration, and respect.
- Encourage equitable and collaborative decision-making processes within the leadership team.
- Promote the professional growth of the team by facilitating learning and development opportunities.
- Implement strategies to attract and retain talent aligned with the organization's mission, ensuring a motivating and sustainable work environment.
- Foster a healthy work environment that prioritizes team well-being and encourages long-term commitment and engagement.
Your profile
Experience and Knowledge
- Extensive experience in leadership and strategic management roles.
- Experience in co-leadership models, distributed leadership, or horizontal governance will be valued.
- Demonstrable knowledge and experience (minimum 5 years) in effective animal advocacy.
- Experience in non-governmental organizations.
- Knowledge of facilitation processes and collaborative decision-making will be valued.
- Residence in Spain and availability for national and international travel.
- Advanced or bilingual level in Spanish and English. Knowledge of other official languages in Spain and internationally relevant languages will be valued.
Skills and Competencies
1. Leadership and Management
- Ability to lead teams using collaborative methods, fostering a participatory and equitable work environment.
- Management and strategic leadership skills for effective organizational coordination.
- Capacity to manage uncertainty and work in complex environments with tolerance for ambiguity.
- Focus on change management and continuous improvement.
- Ability to facilitate negotiation and conflict resolution processes within the leadership team.
2. Strategic and Problem-Solving Thinking
- Analytical and critical thinking skills for informed decision-making.
- Results-oriented and execution-driven approach, ensuring the achievement of strategic objectives.
- Proactiveness and initiative to drive high-impact projects and strategies.
- Strategic and problem-solving mindset.
3. Institutional Relations and Communication
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills, assertiveness, and empathy.
- Ability to establish and strengthen relationships with stakeholders, funders, and strategic partners.
- Institutional representation and spokesperson skills in various settings.
4. Key Relationships
- Internal Collaboration: Works closely with the shared leadership team (Director of Operations, Director of Communication, and Director of Animal Welfare) to ensure strategic alignment and the achievement of organizational objectives.
- Supervision: Responsible for the management and guidance of the Major Donors Specialist.
- Accountability: Reports directly to the Foundation's Board of Directors, providing strategic information and ensuring transparency in management.
- External Relations: Represents and collaborates with funders, strategic allies, media, and other key stakeholders to strengthen the organization's presence and impact.
About us
Animal Welfare Observatory is a fast-growing and high-impact animal advocacy organization with an outstanding track record of successes.
Our mission is to secure commitments from companies and institutions to put an end to the suffering of animals destined for human consumption. We want to achieve a food system free of factory farming!
AWO is committed to open and inclusive access to the job market. All candidates will receive equal consideration for the position in the search for talent, in order to create a diverse workforce, regardless of ethnicity, color, class, sex, gender, sexual orientation, type of diet, special abilities, marital or family status, or religion.
AWO has tools for the prevention and treatment of cases of misconduct, showing its rejection and prohibition of this type of action. It is committed to implementing initiatives to ensure a work environment free of any conduct that could be considered improper.
