JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title:Director of Engagement

Reports to:Chief Executive

Directorate:Fundraising

Last updated:August 2017

Job Purpose

To provide strategic and inspirational leadership to drive forward innovative and diverse engagement and fundraising programmes that significantly increase awareness and support for our brand and to grow voluntary income at a competitive ROI.

To bring about positive change for blind and partially sighted veterans by ensuring the implementation of the Strategic Plan across the organisation as part of the Senior Leadership Team and through leadership of the Engagement division.

Dimensions

The post holder has overall responsibility for Public Engagement; CommunityEngagement; Individual Giving; High Value Relationships; Legacy Marketing; Customer Support & Development within the directorate with a total of 66 staff and a growing number of volunteers.

The post holder has an income target of £25m in 2018/19 rising to £36m in 2022/23.

Main Accountabilities of the post

  1. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, work proactively, collaboratively and with drive to develop and deliver the five-year organisational plan, executing lead responsibility as required.
  2. Develop and manage the Blind Veterans UK brand such that it effectively builds a bridge between the organisation and its audiences and increase awareness understanding and consideration of Blind Veterans UK among those audiences.
  3. Lead a team of skilled and committed engagement and fundraising staff who work as one team to deliver the Engagement Fundraising strategy and to meet and where possible exceed targets.
  4. Maximise total net income, ensuring growth in sustainable income streams and achieving a balanced and growing portfolio of activity that achieves/surpasses the five- year growth plan and ensure growth in five- year + legacy income, in line with the five-year plan.
  5. Build trust and confidence with the Board, engaging their support for Engagement & Fundraising activity as appropriate.
  6. Develop orientation of the whole Charity towards audience and customer focus to ensure the organisation understands its target audience and its key customer segments and is focused on connecting with them and meeting their needs.
  7. Turn awareness into action though an integrated marketing and communications programme that results in more:
  8. beneficiaries using our services
  9. volunteers supporting our work
  10. supporters donating to/fundraising for our work
  11. partners working with us to achieve impact for our beneficiaries
  1. Lead on the development and implementation of the Blind Veterans UK customer experience, centralised customer services and a programme of customer journeys.
  2. Ensure that the voice of our members is heard and that it influences public policy, either through direct activity or in partnership with others.
  3. Lead the organisation to identify which partnerships are needed to achieve its goals and to develop and implement a plan to secure those partnerships.

Additional Responsibilities

  1. Attend in-house and relevant external training courses, as agreed with the line manager.
  2. Practise and comply with all aspects of current Health and Safety at Work legislation and Blind Veterans UK current Health and Safety policies.
  3. Undertake any reasonable tasks from time to time at the line manager’s request, as may be deemed appropriate within the scope of the post
  4. Engage actively with our volunteers as appropriate and within the scope of the post.
  5. When required, carry out duties associated with disciplinary and grievance procedures including undertaking investigations and acting as chair at related hearings.

Work Context

  1. The post operates within a busy department in a fast moving Charity where effective matrix management and teamwork across divisions is pivotal. Primarily office based, there is regular national travel and overnight stays.
  2. Setting and working to challenging targets with conflicting demands requiring prioritisation.
  3. Overall management of a large and diverse team.

Autonomy and decision making

  1. The post is self-directed and is expected to make professional autonomous decisions on a daily basis.
  2. Make operational decisions regarding the future development of Engagement.

Communications

The post holder will use high level interpersonal and communication skills on a regular basis to influence decision making by others, this will include colleagues across the organisation, our Board, partners, supporters and potential supporters.

Internal

Participates as a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). Submits information and makes recommendations on all Engagement activities to SLT and the Trustees.

Frequent communication with Operational Managers regarding logistical matters and those pertaining to strategic brand, marketing and fundraising issues.

Frequent communication with Blind Veterans UK members and other beneficiaries who act as speakers and volunteers.

Frequent communication with enabling services (HR; L&D; Volunteering; Finance; IS)

External

Supporters, high net worth individuals, funders, and partners

Consultants and external agencies

Contracted suppliers

Venues and event organisers

Other charities

Main areas of difficulty

  1. Promoting and leading a pan-Charity Engagement culture engaging staff and volunteers from all parts of the Charity.
  2. Developing a brand that has a niche audience.
  3. Helping the Board and SLT to understand and commit to what it takes to successfully build engagement and fundraising for the organisation.
  4. Managing, Leading and developing a diverse fundraising and engagement portfolio and team in an environment where there is high competition.
  5. Generating voluntary income in challenging and competitive external environments.
  6. Generating high performance and a strong team ethic within the Fundraising team.

This job description is a guide to the work you will be required to undertake. It may be changed from time to time to meet changing circumstances. It does not form part of your Contract of Employment.

Person Specification – Director of Engagement - Blind Veterans UK

Essential / Desirable
Knowledge /
  • High level of computer literacy and knowledge of CRM databases
  • Brand and marketing theory and practice
/
  • Understanding the military ethos
  • In depth knowledge of a variety of fundraising channels.

Skills /
  • A proven strategic mind-set with the ability to see the big picture and translate this into programmes of action.
  • Demonstrable capacity to generate imaginative, innovative, cost effective solutions to complex market problems
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • Proven strategic development, business planning and project management skills
  • Excellent presentation and report compilation skills
  • Ability to structure, engage and lead a diverse team to achieve outstanding results.
/
  • Proven ability to engage diverse groups of colleagues across an organisation in fundraising activity.

Qualifications /
  • Degree in relevant discipline or equivalent relevant vocational experience
/
  • Member of the Institute of Fundraising
  • Member of the Institute of Marketing

Experience /
  • Significant experience of leading a diverse team to achieve step change results
  • Demonstrable track record of finding new solutions to old problems
  • Strong track record in at least one of - strategic brand, marketing or fundraising arenas
  • Experience of public engagement.
  • Experience of establishing and maintaining strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders with the sensitivity to achieve consensus
  • Experience acting as ambassador for a respected brand
/
  • Experience of the military environment.
  • Significant experience of managing high value/strategically important relationships in a sales/fundraising environment
  • Some experience of fundraising
  • Some experience of brand development/marketing.
  • Experience of managing external strategic partnerships including agencies and suppliers
  • Experience of leading and managing organisational change

Personal qualities /
  • Well-developed level of emotional intelligence
  • Hard working, tenacious, determined
  • Highly credible and convincing ambassador in high value and influential audiences
  • Strong leadership by example
  • Tact and diplomacy
  • Resilience
  • Resourcefulness and creativity
  • Good team player