Holacracy and Self Organising Lead

Submit your CV HERE.

Submit a cover letter to recruit@animalthinktank.org.uk

Role Purpose

Enable Animal Think Tank to grow as large as needed while being effective and robust, by guiding ATT to operate as a self-organising organisation, in order to supercharge the power of ATT and any entities.

The Accountabilities of this Role are

  • Training, coaching and supporting members to self-organise using Holacracy

  • Researching and implementing governance best practice

  • Helping members maintain the organisation’s governance records

  • Implementing structures to safeguard the organisation’s long-term health

About the Role

This Lancaster-based role is core to our organisation’s long-term agility and resilience.

The role has spent the last 18 months leading Animal Think Tank’s adoption of Holacracy, a progressive management system that distributes authority and enables the organisation to govern itself effectively. The new role-filler will continue that adoption process and help the organisation mature its Holacracy practice.

The role is also tasked with looking outward at what other practices can help the organisation be more effective, adaptable and resilient. Initially, the role will be part of Animal Think Tank’s Direction & Coordination circle. The role-filler will work closely with our Direction Stewards, and the role will initially be shared with the previous role-filler until handover is complete.

Who We’re Looking For

It’s essential that:

  • You have experience with Holacracy or a similar management system

  • You’re eager to build the long-lasting structures needed to win Animal Freedom

  • You can think in a structured way

  • You can collaborate with others and have a good capacity for empathy

  • You value the importance of strong culture as a complement to strong structure

  • You can work with ambiguity and complexity

  • You’ve experienced being part of different types of groups, including grassroots groups

  • You can commit to an organisation engaged with nonviolent civil disobedience

It would be ideal, but not essential, if:

  • You have some experience of researching best practice

  • You have experience coaching others

  • You have experience developing trainings and training resources, and delivering trainings

  • You have some experience leading groups or leading in an organisation

  • You have some literacy in group dynamics

Key Projects

Initially, some top priority projects of the role will be

Project 1: Set up systems that enable effective self-organising in the long-run.  

Background: So far, approximately half of ATT’s members have completed a course in Holacracy adoption. Multiple members have completed HolacracyOne’s Facilitator Fundamentals training. New members are asked to complete an in-house Self Organising Crash Course. A variety of resources and materials are available to ATT members, including short in-house trainings on the Circle Lead, Secretary and Facilitator roles.

This project will require skills in systems-building and collaboration to think through and implement what will be needed for ATT to self-organise effectively over the long-term.

When complete, this project might result in an organisation that features things like:

  • A rhythm of training that reinforces Holacracy-relevant practices

  • Personalised Holacracy skills coaching for influential members

  • A rhythm of assessing members’ Holacracy skills and then designing interventions to fill skills gaps

  • An improved self-organising onboarding experience

 

Project 2: Improved Articles of Association in line with needs of Direction Stewards

Background: While Holacracy adoption is a major focus of this role, it does not purely focus on Holacracy. Rather, the role exists to help Animal Think Tank stay effective and robust into the future. Therefore the role also considers governance structures beyond those described by the Holacracy Constitution.

We have identified that a key safeguard against organisational collapse is a strong set of Articles of Association, the legally binding document which sets out the duties and rights of the organisation’s directors.

This project will require skills in research, consultation and synthesis to improve ATT’s Articles of Association such that they meet the needs of the organisation’s Direction Stewards.

You shouldn’t take this role if…

  • You’ve never heard of Holacracy

  • You always want things clear-cut and you can’t handle human ambiguity & mess

  • You’re not willing to navigate group dynamics and conflicting perspectives

  • You have trouble being self-directed

  • You struggle to communicate simply and clearly

  • You are unhappy about working with people with different values and backgrounds, including people with different politics, norms, attitudes and behaviours.

 

Submit your CV HERE

Submit a cover letter to recruit@animalthinktank.org.uk