Traditional strategic thinking is not solving today’s social challenges. We need to generate new ideas to drive impact. Spark is an agency for strategic solutions and sustained action. As a trusted advisor, we help to inject creative ideas, challenge the thinking, and align the conceptual and practical. As a certified B Corp, we stand for purpose, not just profit.

Position summary

We are seeking an experienced Head of Strategy with 10+ years of relevant experience to join our team. This role will be best suited to someone with a commitment to and strong networks in the social sector (e.g. not-for-profits, government, philanthropy, CSR, social enterprise, social procurement).

The role will include people management, with direct reports who you will inspire with your leadership skills and experience, whilst knowledge sharing across the business. The role will also include business development.

• Head of Strategy: Leading complex strategic advisory projects for a wide range of clients and working across the entire project lifecycle, you will consult with our clients to understand their pain points, uncover strategic opportunities, conduct research and perform complex analysis, stress test ideas and provide thorough recommendations driven by stakeholder engagement.
• Leadership: leading by example with outstanding strategic skills, you will pass on your experience formally and informally to your fellow “Sparkies”, supporting and encouraging individual and organisational growth.
• Business development: you will help to support the financial sustainability of the organisation through creative pitches, proposal development and other sales-related activities.

If you are interested in joining a profit-for-purpose consulting firm delivering a unique brand of advisory, we invite you to apply for this role to sit within our dynamic, non-hierarchical team.

About Spark

Spark Strategy works with leaders who are as excited by ideas as we are, who want to take action and transform. And we stick with our clients to achieve outcomes, favouring long-term relationships over draft and dash plans. Our approach is highly interactive and all about bringing energy into the process through team-based workshops and activities that spark moments of discovery. We do the heavy lifting behind the scenes, stretching and probing the ideas before rigorously planning out the execution and building the organisational stamina required for transformation. We employ both traditional consulting tools (without the consultant-speak) and creative tools to help unearth ideas that are practical yet innovative.

Our key services include strategic planning, business model design, operating model review, impact assessment, facilitation, co-design and other strategic projects e.g. (partnerships, innovation).

Skills and experience

We are excited for the opportunity to bring in new ideas, skills and experiences to the team. To support and grow our business and our impact, we are looking for a new “Sparkie” who can bring the following:

Non-negotiables

• Passion for purpose – you are committed to doing good in the world and your track record includes significant work with impact-led teams and organisations.
• Relationship orientation – you recognise that relationships are the key to positive impact and have a focus on building and maintaining meaningful connections within and outside your organisation. This includes significant experience engaging and working with boards and executive teams.
• Strategic outcomes focus – as an experienced strategist, you think about the big picture and drive towards tangible outcomes on a daily basis.
• Leadership and knowledge transfer – an ability to both develop “Sparkies” strategic skills and simultaneously inspire “Sparkies” to extend their capabilities for the benefit of our clients and themselves.
• Thrives in a dynamic work setting – keeping busy and moving between a range of tasks and subject matters brings out the best in you because you have great time management and organisational skills.
• Comfort with ambiguity – you can effectively handle uncertainty, and you help people and organisations move from ambiguity to clarity.
• Keen and effective problem solver – you’re always looking for improvements, answers and resolutions, rather than sitting with the challenges at hand.
• Strong communication skills – you effectively get your message across with both the spoken word and the pen/quill/keyboard, including strong workshop facilitation skills.
• Business Development track record – you can reel off your achievements, mistakes and lessons when it comes to business development and sales, which will support you to hit a sales target.

Desirable

• Loves learning – you actively seek opportunities to develop and respond well to feedback.
• Curious by nature – you ask insightful questions and are keen to get to the heart of things.
• For-purpose network – you have an individual network of previous clients, contacts and industry thought leaders across not-for-profit, government, philanthropic and/or CSR.
• Synthesis central – you have an uncanny ability to analyse and synthesise complex and/or large quantities of information.
• Great attention to detail – you dot your i’s and cross your t’s.
• Understanding of the tools of the trade, such as business model and strategic planning frameworks and processes.