About ADD International.

ADD is a participatory grant-maker for disability justice. Our vision is for a world in which ableism no longer exists, and disabled people can fully participate in society. Our mission is to strengthen disability justice activists and organisations through resourcing, and leadership skills. In March 2024 we launched a new ten-year strategic framework which canbe found on our website here: https://add.org.uk/mtiririko/

We are transforming our organisation away from traditional development and getting back to our roots by sharing more power and resources directly with activists. Over the next ten years, we have a goal to provide £25 million long-term unrestricted grants directly to disability justice activists and movements. Crucially, we will also give disability justice activists greater decision-making power on who should receive funding and how funding should be spent.

Our new ‘Fundseeking’ Strategy outlines how we will raise the funding and cultivate the right partnerships to provide the flexible resources that disability justice movements need and that allow ADD to become the grant-maker we aspire to be. This is not a usual fundraising strategy. It decentres ADD’s own growth and instead focuses on using our position and proximity to wealth with intention to channel more resources to disability justice movements that are less able to access them. The first two years of this strategy have successfully raised £3 million in unrestricted funding from funders who share our vision.

The Opportunity

This is a new role that will take on the management of our internal IT and systems working with external service providers and being a bridge between them and our teams implementing our existing new strategy, Mtiririko. This will be the lead and only IT role on the staff of ADD, working with a range of external providers as necessary.

To date we have mainly relied on a range of external providers for our IT but with a new way of working we need more coherence across our countries of operation and that we need to pay more attention to the accessibility, usability and security of all of our systems.

Coming into this role you would begin by undertaking an audit of our current IT systems and solutions, identifying what is working and where existing challenges or unmet needs are.

Your role would then be to create a roadmap for solving these challenges. You would also need to be hands-on where necessary and have a clear understanding of the systems we use and how they can be best applied to virtual and accessible working.

Finally, you would need to help us procure the right systems and providers for future needs, including helping us develop and implement policy and practice around IT security and AI.

You will have a passion for both IT and disability justice. With clear skills in IT and systems as well as an understanding of accessibility and virtual working needs you will be excited to apply them to our context where the right IT and systems can help us make our work as effective as possible.

Key Responsibilities

Manage all of our relationships with external IT and systems providers, working with other relevant members staff where necessary
Ensure all of our IT systems are functioning as effectively as possible
Ensure our IT systems and the way they are configured is accessible to a range of users
Provide training and support to users on ADD’s IT systems
Audit existing systems and develop a roadmap for solving any challenges
Negotiate relationships with suppliers to ensure best value for money
Ensure timely day to day management of our IT systems whether directly or through an external provider
Work closely with relevant colleagues across the organisation to understand their IT and systems needs and solve their challenges with IT where necessary
Be comfortable working as part of a small team and leading on this key area of work as the only specialist within it internally
Ensure that we build the right IT and systems for the ways of working described in our strategy
Make sure that ADD adopts IT security approaches that are adequate for the nature of our work.
Safeguarding level.

We are committed to ensuring we are a safe organisation that does no harm to people we work with. As we transition from project-based work to grant-making we recognise the power dynamics this creates that can make grant-seekers vulnerable to abuse and are putting in place robust systems to minimise risk to any communities we work with.

Our processes ensure all posts are graded, based on interaction with communities, persons or organisations of persons with disabilities. This post is a Level 1 post. See outline of all levels below:

Level 1 - office based, no real direct access to communities, persons or organisations of persons with disabilities, and never alone.
Level 2 - a travelling role, possible access to communities, persons or organisations of persons with disabilities but unlikely to be alone.
Level 3 - regular access to communities, persons or organisations of persons with disabilities, including on their own, or lead responsibility for safeguarding within office/location.
All level 3 posts will be required to undertake regular police checks (or equivalent depending on location).

About You

A thorough understanding of the IT needs of virtual organisations working across multiple geographies
Strong knowledge of relevant IT systems for an organisation of our size and scope including experience with Microsoft 365, including SharePoint, as well as knowledge of alternative products and their strengths and weaknesses
Knowledge or the willingness to learn about accessibility and multi-language functions within IT systems
Good knowledge of the IT security issues most relevant for an organisation of our size and scope
Experience of working as an IT professional, ideally within a charity or NGO where you are the only person with expertise in this work
Experience building relationships with external providers and handling procurement conversations with them
Willingness to be both hands on and to develop plans that involve others
An understanding of Disability Justice and a willingness to apply its principles in your work
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work with colleagues across cultural difference
A commitment to shifting and sharing power in international development and a willingness to work out how this should impact our approach

Interested applicants should send the following attachments by email:

• Their CV (max 3 pages)

• Your answers to the below 3 questions (maximum 1,000 words or 6 minutes

audio/video)

• The names, contact numbers and addresses of 2 referees (please state if you are not

happy for them to be contacted at this stage)