Managing Director for STRING

STRING is a political network organisation stretching from Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein in Germany to Region Zealand, Capital Region and the City of Copenhagen in Denmark, the City of Malmö, Region Skåne, Region Halland and Region Västra Götaland in Sweden as well as Akershus and Østfold Counties in Norway. 

Are you interested in policy making processes and implementation? Do you have the drive and the energy to push forward the visions and ambitions of a large international political organisation with different cultures, languages and governing traditions?

Then you may be STRING’s new Managing Director and Head of Secretariat.

The STRING vision is to create a green growth corridor in Northern Europe in the wake of the new infrastructure connected to the Fehmarnbelt project between Denmark and Germany as well as the infrastructure investments along the Swedish West Coast and between Gothenburg and Oslo. We see the infrastructure as a crucial tool to develop our societies – both sustainable and economically.

STRING’s role in assuring this development, is to work with policy making, lobbying, influencing and dialogue as important means to reach our ambitious goals to become a model for the rest of the world when it comes to regional cooperation and development, green solutions and economic prosperity. Our focus areas are: Infrastructure, Green Growth, Research and Development, Tourism, Culture and Cross-Border living.

STRING works on all levels of governance, both local, regional, national, international and with the EU institutions – and an important part of our remit is to bring together actors from the political, academic and business sphere to facilitate cross-border cooperation.

STRING’s highest governing body is the Political Forum where politicians from all 11 partners meet 2-3 times a year. The Political Forum gives the strategic direction of our work, and take political initiatives towards the national and the EU level as well as deciding on new initiatives and projects that supports our overall vision. The Steering Group, consisting of directors from the 11 partners, is the operational board to which the managing director refers in operational matters, dealing with the early action plans and budgets as well as new initiatives and projects. On a day- to-day basis the Secretariat work with the Contact Group, consisting of one representative from each partner on the civil servant level.

Read more about STRING here: http://stringnetwork.org/ 

As Managing Director and Head of STRING Secretariat we expect that you will:

• Initiate and drive new political initiatives, lobbying and communication efforts that support the overall vision of STRING as well as the general knowledge of STRING and our activities
• Be responsible for the operation of the STRING Secretariat with reference to the Steering Group and the Political Forum
• Run and develop STRING in close cooperation with the chairmanship
• Maintain and develop close contact to the Steering Group members and relevant members of the administrative level in all partner organisations
• Be responsible for the STRING brand as a reliable partner and influencer based on quality and trust
• Sustain and develop the comprehensive network of stakeholders in 4 countries and the EU within politics, public administration, business and NGOs
• Formulate speeches, blogs, notes and other communication material that conveys the central STRING policies, strategies and stories.
  
  

The preferred candidate:

• You are educated within political science, communication and/or public affairs to an academic level
• Preferably you have experience from working within a public political institution with project managing and servicing of politicians
• You have a broad network in the political, business and civil society environment of the region
• You know the political institutions in the STRING area and how to work cross border or with international politics
• You have a proven record of leadership and cooperation in team-oriented organisations consisting of individualists, creative minds and employees with different cultures and nationalities
• You are familiar with representing your organisations on many levels and in many situations, both as networker and key-note speaker
• You have both a theoretical and practical experience in political influencing on many levels both nationally and internationally
• You have the energy, humour and social and communication skills it takes to make groups work together towards common goals
• You are flexible as to travel and spend time with the members and stakeholders of STRING
• Fluent competences in English and Scandinavian language, as well as good competences in German.
  
  

Practicalities:
The STRING Secretariat is headquartered at Region Zealand in Sorø, Denmark – where your office will be situated. We travel a lot in STRING in order to keep in contact with all the partners, participate in debates and meetings in the four countries and in the EU, so a certain amount of flexibility is required.
You will be employed by Region Zealand who is STRING’s legal body, adhering to Danish labour market standards.

You are most welcome to contact senior consultant John Reynolds on +45 5076 1222 or consultant Henriette von Essen-Leise on +45 2943 5048 for a confidential talk about the position.

To apply for the position, please upload your CV and cover letter  (reference number: DK-04735) no later than 26 March 2018 at 12.00 noon (CET).