Position Specification

Philanthropy University
General Manager

Private and Confidential

Position Specification
Ref: General Manager
Philanthropy University

Our Client
Poverty. Inequality. Conflict. Disease. Climate Change. Food Insecurity.
We face countless global challenges, but each and every day, millions of non-profits, NGOs and social
impact organizations work tirelessly to try to address these challenges, and protect the communities most
affected by them.
Yet too often, it is not a lack of compelling mission or powerful vision that impedes these organizations
from achieving their full potential. Instead, it is limited capacity leaders that are stretched too thin to be
effective, fundraising strategies that are too limited in scope, monitoring and evaluation systems not
robust enough to provide meaningful results that prevent organizations from being able to scale, sustain
and drive long-term impact. The social change sector is too often stretched for time, for resources, and
for the opportunity to continually develop the expertise of its people. With limited resources, there are
too few opportunities to connect, share knowledge and skills, foster innovation and maximise impact.
Thats where Philanthropy University comes in.
With a target of making meaningful and measurable impact on 100 million people worldwide by 2020,
Philanthropy U is a free online education platform designed to develop NGO leaders and non-profit
managers around the world. It is the newest venture from Stars Foundation, the sole philanthropic arm
of the Al Dabbagh Group, a family-held company with 62 portfolio companies and 15,000+ employees.
Complementing an already rich programmatic history, Philanthropy U was launched in September 2015
and attracted 415,000+ registrations from over 100 countries.
The non-profit combines:

an innovative and collaborative team-based learning platform through which non-profit leaders
all over the world can access the highest quality free, online courses;

world-class instructors and advisors to build a cutting-edge curriculum that addresses the capacity
needs most pressing to change-makers; and

a vibrant community of social change leaders who can grow their networks and forge new
connections that will strengthen their practice and perhaps even develop partnerships that will
lead to breakthroughs in the fight against some of the worlds toughest challenges.

The University of California Berkeleys Hass School of Business continues to incubate the initiative with
their Institute for Business and Social Impact and Centre for Social Sector Leadership, working together to
develop the curriculum in partnership with Philanthropy Universitys Curriculum Committee, chaired by
Stanford Universitys Professor Paul Brest (former President, Hewlett Foundation).
Philanthropy Us program and courses provide relevant, practical and immediately applicable tools and
concepts to help learners collaboratively develop the skills they need and NGOs build the capacity to make
a greater impact. Courses are free, 3 to 8 weeks in length and accessed online asynchronously. Additional
social tools and platforms are incorporated to enable students to collaborate and network. Content is
created by leaders in the field and featuring real-world case studies. At the end of each course, students

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Position Specification

Ref: General Manager

Philanthropy University

will receive a certificate from one of its university partners. Philanthropy U has launched an initial set of 7
courses taught by leading educators and practitioners, including:

How to Connect with Donors

Strategic Planning and Evaluating Impact
Financial Sustainability: The Numbers Side of Social Enterprise
Determining Organizational Capacity
How to Scale Social Impact
Leading with Integrity: 10 Golden Rules
Global Entrepreneurship: Across Borders, Across Culture

The initial launch was deemed a success such that the organization now is expanding its offerings and has
a goal of 200,000 online course completions by 2020.
In this context, Stars Foundation seeks to hire a General Manager (GM) to build out Philanthropy U and
essentially serve as a Co-Founder. The new GM will grow and lead the team to realize the organizations
ambitious vision.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/17/your-money/online-university-helps-philanthropic-groups-andtheir-leaders.html
The Role
The General Manager of Philanthropy U will report to Dave McMurtry, Global CEO of Stars Foundation.
He/she will be the first hire in the new Stars Foundation headquarters in the East Bay region of the San
Francisco Bay Area (likely Oakland). The General Manager will be responsible for building out all aspects
of Philanthropy U including hiring the team, helping to develop a strategy and plan, and implementing
that plan, executing on short and long term goals. Although the Philanthropy U office will be very much a
startup atmosphere, the GM will have the generous support from the Stars Foundation and the Al
Dabbagh Group. This is an opportunity to build a new and innovative online learning entity in an
innovative startup environment with stable funding.
Candidate Profile
The successful candidate will be a proven senior-level executive with entrepreneurial DNA, a track record
of driving success in online learning and with a deep understanding of the international development
sector. The ideal candidate thrives in people management roles and enjoys creating results through others
in a motivating and challenging way. He/she loves to build and create new entities from scratch, and has
a passion for education and innovation, and a strong desire to make a difference in the world by
supporting organizations that are striving daily to do just that. The successful candidate will be driven for
all the right/best reasons in order to compete to win.
In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the
following:

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Position Specification

Ref: General Manager

Philanthropy University

Knowledge and Experience

A hands on, proven founder / start-up executive with a track record of building successful
companies and a sustainable business model (in a competitive environment) from initial concept
without a final roadmap.
Proven track record, with demonstrated operational excellence, in online learning or edTech at
least 5 years of increasing responsibility in an online learning venture, whether for-profit or nonprofit. Has successfully built a best of breed user experience for students, instructors, and
organizations.
Expertise in the competitive landscape of MOOC providers, student incentives and user experience,
and the overall critical components of a functioning online learning ecosystem.
Proven experience running a business, owning a P&L, and leading teams to meet KPIs as set forth
in a business plan youve created.
Professional experience working at an NGO/non-profit, or significant volunteering experience in a
leadership capacity at NGO/non-profits, international or domestic.
International Development: At least 5 years of increasing responsibility in international
development, both at the grass roots field and also the more academic level.
Demonstrated executive and operational leadership people development, customer
development, organizational excellence, exceptional marketing management and executive
leadership skills.
Understands the operational challenges that small, medium, and large NGO/non-profits struggle
with in meeting their annual and long-term goals.
Awareness of the 2015 SDGs and how theyll impact philanthropy for the next 15 years.

Executing for Results

Ability to develop product and marketing strategies, identifying areas of need, initiating and
championing projects, marshalling resources (internal and external), obtaining buy in, incorporating
multiple levels of input and driving projects to successful completion.
Proven track record of scaling products and teams, both internal and external partners, to reach
logarithmic growth in customers.
Proven capabilities and desire to drive revenue generation strategy and solve tough business
problems and leverage limited resources.
Exceptional time management and organizational skills, including ability to accurately gauge project
duration, deliver quality results on budget and within deadlines.
Strong capabilities in planning; creating and presenting plans; executing plans, setting milestones,
measuring performance and reporting results to the Board and acting as company spokesperson.
Track record of having led customer-driven product management.

Leading Teams, Building Relationships and Using Influence

Demonstrated success in people leadership within startup companies.

Has built and developed exceptional teams and high-performing organizations to meet aspirational
goals in a startup environment.
Strong mentor and thought leader.

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Position Specification

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Philanthropy University

An extrovert with the ability to inspire and persuasively communicate ideas, overcome obstacles,
lead people, and compel customers. A strong public speaker with natural leadership skills.
Ability to lead cross-functional teams and synthesize input; effective and comfortable in a
team/collaborative environment.
Experience working in diverse international business environments with people whose first
language is not English.
Strong conflict management skills that succeed in a variety of cultures.

Personal Characteristics

Entrepreneurial and startup DNA.

Embraces the startup environment; comfortable with ambiguity.
Demonstrated ability to roll-up sleeves and work efficiently with scarce resources.
Highly motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced team environment and is readily adaptable.
Flexible and motivational.
Comfortable in an environment that rewards passion and drive to solve problems.
Cool under pressure, resilient, tenacious.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to delivering a quality product.
High integrity and accountability.
Can multitask and quickly change course as required.
Excellent communicator with a proven ability to clearly convey complex ideas and data to various
audiences.
Enjoys a transparent and performance-based culture.
Direct, candid, pragmatic working style.

Contact
Meredith Rosenberg
Russell Reynolds Associates
meredith.rosenberg@russellreynolds.com

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