Salary: £50,000-£55,000

Hours of work: Full time (37-hour week)

Annual leave: 25 days, in addition to national public holidays.

Pension: In line with auto enrolment (5% pension contribution)

Location: Benfleet, Essex

Accountable to: The Board of Trustees

The Castle Point Association of Voluntary Service (CAVS) is looking to recruit its next Chief Executive Officer to lead the organisation and manage the implementation of programmes that enhance the capacity of support within our community and the associated services that we provide in the Borough of Castle Point.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is responsible for working with the Board to ensure clear strategic direction and leadership of the CAVS. The incoming CEO will play a crucial role in leading development, transformation and service delivery that underpins CAVS commitments to further build on its ambitions of growth, stability and sustainability for the organisation, local stakeholders, residents, partners and employees.

Duties and responsibilities

Strategic leadership and execution:

In collaboration with the Board, the CEO will develop and define CAVS strategic direction, goals, develop programmes of support, monitor progress and establish processes to meet projected ambitions.

The CEO will be responsible for the leadership and oversight of contractual delivery, efficiencies and service improvement work programmes, thereby ensuring that the contractual obligations, standards of practice, productivity and value for money are upheld and always met.

As appropriate, the CEO will challenge conventional approaches and drive strategic change when needed; demonstrating a commitment to creating a learning organisation culture, committed to continuous development and improvement.

Manage Foundation building and change:

• Establish a strong foundation for future growth and sustainability. Navigate the organisation through transition, endeavouring to provide stability and resilience.

Business and programme development:

• Oversee the development of the effective information analysis to support strategic decision making, future planning and commissioning opportunities.
• Work in close liaison with commissioners of services and secondary providers to develop new models of working and integrated support pathways.
• Proactively investigate and source grant funding opportunities. Research, write and submit business proposals to secure financial support to further underpin CAVS ambitions, service developments and service provision for our local community.

Policy, governance, regulation and risk management:

• Providing support to the board to enable it to fulfil its duties and responsibilities for the governance of the organisation.
• Report and provide assurance at the bi-monthly Trustee Board Meetings, this will be inclusive of but not exclusive to: Health and Safety, Safeguarding, Financial and charitable regulation.
• Ensure that the organisation fulfils its constitutional, regulatory and legal obligations with effective controls that are always in place.
• Review, uphold and implement CAVS policies, procedures and systems. Monitor and manage performance, striving for operational excellence by adhering to established guidelines and continuously improving processes.

Engaging with Stakeholders:

• Align CAVS objectives with those of its stakeholders by collaborating with voluntary, community, local authority, County Council, health service providers and other partners to foster meaningful and productive business relationships that further underpin the support and services that CAVS provides to its community.

Provide visionary leadership:

• Support and embed training and development opportunities to underpin a high performing and motivated workforce who feel valued and who are content to be held to account in relation to the delivery of support and service provision.

• Demonstrate an experienced and positive leadership style that develops good working relationships and behaviours. Further supports a motivated workforce, which in turn will identify leadership potential and talent within the organisation that can be nurtured and that will offer personal development.
• Development of an open, engaged and learning culture that embraces service model improvement; strategically reviewing and developing support to underpin the employees with the tools and information that they need to provide safe, efficient, and high-quality services.

Volunteers/Volunteering

• Proactively and continuously review volunteering status and associated recruitment and engagement within the organisation.
• Implement marketing and communication campaigns/events to establish volunteering opportunities that underpin our services.
• Foster good and frequent communications with existing volunteers to demonstrate CAVS appreciation of their time and the valued contributions that underpin our charitable endeavours, and the lives of those who they support.

Membership development

• Develop strategy to grow community group membership and enhance opportunities of engagement and mutual partnership working, where this is appropriate and conducive to CAVS ambitions of partnership working for the benefit of our local community.

Emergency preparedness

• Take responsibility for emergency preparedness issues within CAVS, ensuring the organisation fulfils its statutory responsibilities.
• Strategically develop and lead on the implementation of all emergency planning activities, including risk assessment of issues and plans to support these.
• Strategically develop an efficient, effective reporting programme that assures on the level of control and legal compliance.
• Take responsibility for advising the Trustees of statutory responsibilities, ensuring any changes are effectively communicated in a timely manner.

Other:

• CAVS Operations Manager reports directly to the CEO to assist with operational oversight and project and programme management.
• Adhere to the Nolan Standards of Public Life
• To carry out other duties as may be required by the Chair of Trustees/Trustee Board.
• The above duties are not exhaustive, and the post holder may be asked to undertake other duties that can reasonably be expected of a senior executive of CAVS.

Variation

The job description will be subject to review from time to time. Any amendments will be made in consultation with the post holder.

Person specification

Essential skills and attributes

Values and Personal

Extensive experience of leading strategic development and change management programmes.

A visionary leader that can shape the present and create the future and is able to inspire others.

Partnership building – ability to build strong partnerships, particularly with large and complex statutory organisations. Proven success in forming positive relationships with funders, partners and stakeholders.

Resilient, with the ability to work in a challenging and changing environment.

Positive work ethic: professional, flexible, enthusiastic, dependable, conscientious.

Reviews own practice and takes responsibility for own personal and professional development.

Demonstrates visible leadership – holds self to account for outcomes.

Flexible and energetic team player who is self-motivated; combining strategic leadership skills and the ability to embrace a hands-on natural collaborative working style.

Highest standards of integrity and professionalism

Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. Having the ability to assimilate complex issues and use appropriate communication strategies to inform and influence wide and diverse audiences.

Personal credibility and ability to influence and operate effectively at all levels.

Experience

Recent experience of working for a VCSE sector organisation at a senior and strategic level, i.e. Chief Executive/Deputy Chief Executive, Director, Senior Management role. Have worked within an organisation where it is considered that the senior level experience held to date, is transferrable, i.e. charitable/NHS/Social Services.

Relevant experience and responsibility of managing risks and implementing significant organisational change initiatives.

Experience of delivering high levels of productivity. Improving service delivery models and financial efficiencies.

Experience of business development, bid writing and achieving success with funding applications, public contract tendering etc. The securing of grants to support strategic objectives and outcomes.

Experience of monitoring and evaluating organisation performance against KPIs, demonstrating outcomes and quality service delivery.

Experience of developing strategic partnerships and acting as an effective representative at strategic partnership level.

Experience of taking pragmatic and solution focused approaches.

Experience of leading a whole organisation approach to continuous improvement and organisational learning (L&D).

Experience of working with, developing and resourcing Trustee/Governance Boards.

Knowledge and skills

Strategic thinking, imaginative and innovative

Excellent written and oral communication skills – the ability to write in different styles for different audiences with the requisite of attention and accuracy to detail.

Highly effective leader and manager of people with a solid understanding of different leadership styles, people management practices and models of shared leadership.

Developed leadership skills and emotional intelligence.

Highly developed influencing and communication skills.

Interpersonal skills that enable the establishment to develop and maintain relationships with key partners.

Ability to innovate, to recognise challenges, analyse problems and apply effective solutions.

Good IT skills. Clear understanding of systems management.

Analytical skills, political acumen and awareness of changing policy underpinned by the ability to report/present/write in summary form.

Creates a culture of flexibility and responsiveness, ensuring that direct reports act as role models.

Capacity to accommodate and prioritise a variety of tasks and initiatives at any one time and work effectively under pressure.

Understands and interprets risk, factoring risk into decision-making as a matter of course.

Confident presenter

Qualifications

Degree/equivalent education /or relevant management and training qualifications achieved during career. (e.g. finance, social/public policy, health management/social care, community studies.)

A relevant professional qualification in business management and/or leadership management

Other requirements

An enhanced DBS check will be required for the successful applicant.

Driving license and car available for work purposes

 

To apply for this role please submit your CV by 21st February to office@cavsorg.uk with a covering letter outlining your interest and advising of your current salary. Thereafter, applications will be reviewed and short-listed applicants will be invited for interview.