How to build your network. 4 board roles. And rural retreats for the writers amongst us...

Roles, networking + opportunities just for you

Author

Hannah Wickes
October 25, 2023

Opportunity Seeker highlights ways you can grow your career and personal impact. We’re here to open up opportunity so more of us can belong in spaces that need us.

This newsletter is coming to you from the corner of a hotel lobby in Spain. My three month fellowship with The Break has come to an end. It’s been a huge learning curve and my heart is more then a little sore from all the goodbyes this morning.

But this newsletter marches on, with new opportunities to grow your career and carve out your own path for impact. This week we’ll be looking at..

  • 3 opportunities to grow your network + community 🧡

  • Human Rights — how to support, learn + defend

  • Rural retreats for the creative writers amongst us ✍️

  • 4 board roles to scale your impact

  • And a collection of c-level, director and executive roles for those ready for big change in 2024…

Here’s a definition of what I have been blessed to experience over the last month…

❝

I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”

Brené Brown

Opportunities to build connection

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from the last month in Spain, living and co-working with 14 other female entrepreneurs, it’s how incredible and valuable it is to forge connection and build out your support network.

Here’s three ways you can create connections and community, by investing a night, a week, or a year of your time…

  • For the female founders: One of my favourite people to follow on LinkedIn is Deborah Choi, she’s founded six businesses and is now hosting a Berlin pitch night for female entrepreneurs. Whether you’re an entrepreneur who wants to pitch, a supporter of female founders, or an investor, mark your calendars for the November 17th.

  • For the writers: This one’s for the aspiring authors amongst us. Arvon is an org that hosts writing weeks in Yorkshire, Devon and Shropshire (they also hold online masterclasses). The retreats are a chance to connect with other writers, work with published tutors and have breathing room to develop your own work. One of my favourite authors, Booker Prize Winner, Bernadine Evaristo began her journey with Arvon’s retreats.

  • For those pushing back against inequality: This one is a year long commitment, Atlantic Fellows have opened up applications for their Social and Economic Equity Programme. You’ll join a community of 400 fellow change makers. They have two tracks, one residential which involves a scholarship for a social science masters at London School of Economics and one online — applications close January 2024.

Step into a new leadership role

Switching roles when you’re senior in your career can take time, opportunities are frequently word-of-mouth or have long hiring processes. But if you’re thinking of getting started early with a change for 2024, here’s four global roles for those ready for Director level and above… 🚀

  • Seattle: The Bill & Melinda Gates foundation have committed $1.4 billion to climate adaptation, and now they’re looking for a Director to lead their agricultural development work. You’ll need significant specialist experience and be committed to closing systemic gender gaps in the space. They’re actively asking for candidate nominations and referrals if you know someone perfect for the role.

  • London: Globally 9 out of every 10 people are breathing in polluted, harmful air. One org tackling this is Clean Air Fund; they’ve just received substantial funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies to set up Breathe Cities and are looking for an Executive Director. You’ll need to be an experienced team lead, with partnership and stakeholder management experience. Ideally you’ll be based in London, but with the global focus of the project they are offering visa sponsorship.

  • Oslo/Remote: Prefer a startup focused leadership role? Founded in Norway, Konfidens is a SaaS startup building tools for therapists. They’re adding a Chief Growth Officer to their team, and while CEO Alek shared that they’d love an Oslo based candidate, with the UK a key focus market they’re looking far and wide for the right person.

  • Remote: It’s hard to search for any topic on the internet and not end up on a Wikipedia page, and working tirelessly behind the world’s largest collaborative encyclopedia is the Wikimedia Foundation. They’re looking for a Vice President of Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. With remote employees in over 50 countries, Wikimedia is truly an intercultural organisation, and they want a candidate with a global profile.

Opportunities to join a non profit board

Joining a charity board isn’t for everyone, it can involve committing a portion of your time in the evenings to board meetings, taking days out for strategy work, and it’s frequently pro bono. On the flip side, it is a huge opportunity to grow, scale your impact, and unlock senior leadership experience. Here’s four open opportunities…

  • Europe: Passionate about news, media and storytelling? European Youth Press is a small non profit representing young journalists and media professionals. They’re looking for both Executive Board Members and Advisory Board Members.

  • Remote: This board role is not for the faint of heart, but it is an opportunity to have an incredible and much-needed impact. The UK charity arm of Amnesty International UK are looking for a trustee, and while their HQ is in London, they’re open to international applications.

  • Australia: Meanwhile in Australia, the nation voted to reject a constitutional amendment to give First Nations people a voice in Parliament. In the wake of the outpouring of community grief, one non profit increasing its commitment to Australian First Nations Peoples’ Rights is Oxfam, and they’re looking for a First Nations Board Director to support them in that. Full board pack is here.

  • UK: Grant making organisations that fund other charities and non profits to do their impact work have incredible power to dictate who and what gets supported. One org that’s on a journey to restructure the way it makes donation decisions is The Tudor Trust, they’re looking for a Non Executive Director with decolonisation and anti-racist experience.

Learning opportunities

In countries and regions around the world, human rights are continually under threat — and things like AI, the climate crisis and global conflicts are putting more and more pressure on this space. Here’s three ways you can take action and learn how to defend your own rights and those of your community:

Next week

Next week we’ll be doing a round up of opportunities in growth marketing and deep dive into what it takes to be a Creative Director. Got an exciting role you’ve spotted or are hiring for? Feel free to send a reply so I can put it in next week’s email.

Signing off from beautiful Madrid…

Hannah, your questing opportunity seeker in arms

P.S. Got a spare second and feeling generous of heart?

This week I’ve shared a lot from Amnesty International, so it only seems right to highlight them as this week’s giving partner. Founded in 1961 by a British-based lawyer to help people claim their rights, they now work globally to tackle a huge range of intersectional human rights issues.

Want to know more about what they focus on before becoming a member? This short video explainer should help.

In general, Amnesty have a three tiered way to push for change, through research, advocacy+lobbying, and campaigns. Each year they run numerous grassroots actions and always need signatories to be able to lobby and petition for government shifts related to human rights — you can see and sign live petitions here.