DUF seeks secretary-general with an eye for strategy, association life and political influence

Do you want to lead an organization that works for strong democratic communities and for children and young people’s opportunities to participate and have influence? Can you set direction, lead from the strategy, and bring different interests together toward common goals? Then you could be DUF’s new Secretary General. We are seeking a Secretary General who can translate our ambitions into action and ensure a strong interplay between the member organizations, the political leadership, and the secretariat.

Your role

As Secretary General you will be a close partner to the politically elected leadership and in daily work particularly for the figurehead who is DUF’s outward face. You must contribute with qualified advice, solid decision bases, and a secure implementation of the decisions that are made.

You will have overall responsibility for the secretariat’s leadership, development, and operations. Based on DUF’s political goals and strategy, you must create clear priorities and ensure coherence between efforts, ambitions, and the needs of the member organizations in collaboration with the rest of the secretariat.

The secretariat has grown in recent years, and as Secretary General you must be able to develop the organization accordingly and create direction and followership along the way. At present, the secretariat consists of about 70 staff distributed across 7 divisions, each with its own division head.

Your main tasks will be to

• Translate DUF’s strategy into concrete goals, priorities, and results.
• Lead and develop the secretariat with a focus on professional quality, collaboration, and well-being.
• Strengthen relations with the member organizations and bring their different perspectives together in joint efforts.
• Support DUF’s political advocacy and develop relationships with decision-makers and partners.
• Ensure responsible financial management, solid administration, and good governance of grants and funds in DUF’s work distributing around 250 million annually.
• Have an eye for DUF’s overall work and development, including the connection between DUF’s international and national activities.

You are expected to deliver solid results that draw on the three-party system of the association sector and the work of translating the Welfare Commission’s recommendation that all children and young people should participate in a leisure activity, as well as to create better conditions for young people in democracy, among other things by placing a 16-year voting right on the political agenda.

Who are you?

You are a leader with political understanding and a strong commitment to democracy, the association sector, and the participation of children and young people.

You understand the interplay between a democratically elected political leadership and a professional secretariat. You can advise clearly, challenge constructively, and work loyally within the organization’s democratic mandate.

We especially emphasise that you

• Have a strong political network and experience in advocacy.
• Have experience with personnel management and can see yourself as Secretary General for DUF.
• Can navigate in a politically led organization and build trust across interests and positions.
• Take on the task of setting direction in an organization with several professional areas.
• Have a solid grasp of economy, operations, and organizational development.
• As one of your first tasks, familiarize yourself with the Grant Regulations if you do not already have experience with the regulations and the work around the grants committee.
• Communicate clearly and can translate complex questions into understandable messages and decisions that guide DUF’s work.
• Build strong relationships and follow collaborations through to the end.
• Understand that voluntarism and organized association life are the foundation of DUF’s work.

You may have your experience from a member organization, an interest organization, civil society, or another politically led organization. What matters are your leadership skills and political acumen, your judgment, and your ability to deliver results together with others.

As a leader you are clear, listening, and trustworthy. You give employees responsibility and act when a decision is needed. You can accommodate disagreement and find common direction in an organization where diversity is a strength.

What you’ll get with us

You will take on a central leadership role with the opportunity to make a difference for children and young people’s democratic participation and for the conditions of organized civil society. By stepping into a role where establishing and maintaining cross-civil-society collaborations is a core task, you will also have the opportunity to expand your network.

You will become part of an organization with a clear purpose, engaged member organizations, and a secretariat that each day works to translate DUF’s visions and values into action.

The position gives you the opportunity to shape DUF’s development in close collaboration with the political leadership, the member organizations, and the staff.

We offer an exciting and professionally strong working environment with engaged, easy-going, and good-humored colleagues.

Employment terms The position has no upper limit on working hours, and evening and weekend work is to be expected, distributed over between 30-40 evening meetings and about 5 weekends per year. Salary is determined through individual negotiation based on qualifications.

The primary workplace will be at Scherfigsvej 5, 2100 Copenhagen Ø.

Application The application deadline is 22 November with starting on 1 February or as soon as possible thereafter. We expect to conduct 1st interviews on 1 and 2 December and 2nd interviews on 14 December.

Applicants should anticipate time to complete personality analyses between the 1st and 2nd rounds of interviews, and applicants may be asked to solve a small case as part of the 2nd interview.

DUF values diversity among its employees and encourages everyone regardless of gender, ethnicity, or religion to apply for the position.

You can obtain additional information about the position by contacting DUF’s chair Anneline Larsen at email [email protected] . For questions about the recruitment process itself you can contact HR Partner Nina Nisted at tel. 60201403.

About Dansk Ungdoms Fællesråd DUF is an umbrella and interest organization for 77 idea-driven and community-engaged children’s and youth organizations, working to promote democratic communities for children and young people in voluntary associations. Scouts, student organizations, church associations, environmental organizations, and the political youth organizations are among the members.

DUF works to promote young people’s participation in voluntary life and democracy locally, nationally, and internationally.

Application deadline: 22 November