Job Title:Executive Assistant to the CEO

Job Title:Executive Assistant to the CEO

Reports To:CEO

Key Relationships:CEO, SMT, Board of Trustees

Background

Cardinal Basil Hume founded the Centre in 1986; we offer a diverse range of services for homeless young people, families in need and the local community on one site. The Centre enables people to gain the skills and support they need to overcome poverty and homelessness.

We have a person-focussed approach which encourages us to recognise that each human being is different with complex needs and so our response needs to be multi-layered. Therefore we offer six principal service packages: residential services for homeless young people; family services for children and families; housing, welfare rights and money management advice; employment support; learning and skills (English, IT and Adult Learning); and immigration advice and advocacy.

The Centre takes the Benedictine ethos of our founder seriously, ensuring that we offer a non-judgemental welcome and a stable and safe environment for people in need to seek help and support.

With an annual income in the region of £2.7 million, there are currently 62 staff members. In addition, the Centre benefits from the generous and diverse contribution of volunteers; there are currently some 130 active volunteers.

Key Purpose

The core purpose of this post is: to provide high-level support to the Chief Executive, supporting her in leading and managing the organisation at a strategic level and to ensure the Centre is accountable to its governance structures; to collaborate with the CEO in developing and maintaining the Centre’s relationships with key stakeholders; to ensure the smooth functioning of the Senior Management Team and the Board of Trustees and to undertake specific initiatives at the request of the CEO.

Key Responsibilities

The post holder is required:

To provide a high level of support to the CEO, liaise in a positive and professional manner with Trustees, Company Members, Patrons, stakeholders and supporters, colleagues and visitors.
To manage the flow of general correspondence including email, papers and documents through the CEO’s office, ensure an appropriate and timely response, that filing and administrative systems are effective, well organised and maintained regularly.
To organise and maintain the CEO’s diary and meeting arrangements, ensuring she has all the appropriate papers and information available for both internal and external meetings.
To respond quickly to requests and enquiries which come to the CEO, either dealing with these personally, consulting as necessary, and liaising with other members of staff as appropriate.
To undertake the role of Board Secretary which includes arranging Trustee recruitment processes and inductions, and being responsible for holding accurate and current data on Trustees; to take responsibility for collating the papers and taking the minutes for the Board of Trustees meetings (5 per year), and expedite the follow up on matters arising from those meetings.
To collate the papers and take the minutes of the monthly Senior Management Team meetings, and expedite progress on matters and action points arising, including having the responsibility for ensuring various SMT frameworks, policies and processes are maintained and reviewed.
To negotiate on the CEO’s behalf where progress needs to be chased and action followed through on SMT and Board business, on cross-Centre issues and to represent the CEO’s interests internally as required.
To undertake particular pieces of work as requested by the CEO and the Senior Management Team or in response to urgent needs; this might include research, organisation of meetings, and participation in working groups and/or cross-Centre processes. These additional responsibilities will be agreed according to need and time available.
To lead on and/or participate in the organisation of a small number of corporate events in close liaison with the Fundraising Team.
To co-ordinate the work of any volunteers who may be working with the CEO and SMT at any given.
To participate in monthly 1 to 1s and an annual performance review with the CEO and undertaking training as agreed with the CEO.
To undertake any other duties as requested including some work outside of normal working hours for which TOIL is available.

Person Specification:

Essential

Proven experience of working in a high level support role to a Senior Executive

Excellent organisational and administrative skills including advanced knowledge of Microsoft Word, EXCEL, PowerPoint and experience of using and populating databases as well as being skilled in producing minutes to a high degree of accuracy
Total discretion and the ability to deal sensitively and professionally with confidential matters
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders
Project management skills
Willingness to act on own initiative to introduce and develop new systems as appropriate whilst having a hands on approach to ordinary day to day tasks
Being comfortable and confident with both prioritising and ensuring access to the CEO’s attention, time and diary
Ability to prioritise effectively and to juggle a mixture of routine and non-routine tasks and give both equal weight and attention
A sympathetic understanding of the life and culture of the Catholic Church in this country and ideally, familiarity with its structures
Commitment to the Centre’s values and ethos
A good degree of flexibility, good humour, common sense and the ability to deal amicably and courteously with people at all levels both inside and outside the Centre.

Desirable

Experience in the voluntary sector
Familiarity with how governance structures function
Voluntary fundraising and event management
Being sympathetic to the needs of homeless and vulnerable people

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

Starting Salary: £30,000 per annum

Holidays: 24 days, 26 after one year’s service, 28 after two years’ service

Notice: Two months

Probation Period: Six months

Pension: The Centre provides a stakeholder pension scheme and will match employee contributions up to a maximum of 6%.

Season Ticket Loan is available

The Centre requires all its staff and volunteers to respect the ethos of the Centre and to be in sympathy with its aims and objectives. A commitment to respecting and implementing the Centre’s Equal Opportunity Policy is also expected.

The Centre requires its staff to recognise the valuable role that volunteers play in the work of the Centre and to welcome and support volunteers with whom they work.

The Centre requires all its staff and volunteers to undertake an enhanced DBS police check.

Our Founding Ethos

The Centre takes the Benedictine ethos of our founder seriously, ensuring that we offer a non-judgemental welcome and a stable and safe environment for people in need to seek help and support.

“Each person matters; no human life is redundant. Every individual must be given the opportunity to live a life in which his or her basic needs are provided for and in which, so far as is reasonably possible, their full potential is realized.”

Cardinal Basil Hume OSB

Our Vision

The Centre strives towards a society where every individual will have a safe place to live and where their right to develop is respected and supported.

Our Mission: Turning Lives Around

The Cardinal Hume Centre enables people to gain the skills and support they need to overcome poverty and homelessness.

Our Values

Integrity: we strive to be true to our founding ethos and to living out our vision and mission; we are accountable to all our stakeholders.

Respect: we seek to be non-judgemental, to listen, and acknowledge each other’s worth and to put people at the centre of our work.

Inclusiveness:we promote equality of access to our services and support each client to access the same life opportunities as everyone else.

Compassion: we will demonstrate our care for each individual who comes to the Centre in the quality and consistency of the services we offer to them.

Empowerment: we will provide holistic support to our clients in helping them to identify their needs and in making informed choices about their lives

Collaboration: we will work together with others who share our values, seeking partnerships to augment and complement our service offer.