South NottinghamshireAlliance

Chief Executive Role Descriptor

POST TITLE Chief Executive

LOCATIONNottingham

RESPONSIBLE TO Chair/ Board of Trustees

HOURS 37 hours, Job Share, Flexible Working requests considered.

PAYRANGE£38000 – £40000 p.a. FTE, negotiable

THE ORGANISATION

South Nottinghamshire Alliance will provide services to charities, voluntary organisations, community groups and members of the public. Our mission is “To improve the quality of people’s lives through effective and sustained voluntary and community action.”

Appendix 1 sets out the mission and strategic objectives of South Nottinghamshire Alliance and its background.

JOB PURPOSE

Provide Strategic leadership by developing and promoting clear vision, purpose and values internally and externally. Promote an inclusive culture which puts service user and voluntary sector needs and interests at its core.

Influence perceptions of the charity and of the sector through effective and positive partnerships and public relations.

Ensure the sustainability of the charity by seeking and winning new “business” while maintaining existing “business” and reputation.

Exercise overall responsibility for the work of the whole organisation. Ensure key objectives are achieved and high quality services are delivered within excellent standards of governance and practice.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Produce a 3 year strategic plan and annual business plan. Monitor the implementation of the plans, noting any variance and corrective action, ensuring the efficient use of resources and the high quality of services. Ensure that key priorities of the organisation are understood and delivered.

Represent the organisation externally and develop and maintain constructive partnerships with local, regional and national decision makers and funders in statutory, voluntary and business organisations.

Actively identify service needs and opportunities and ensure developmentof services to meet them where appropriate, while maintaining delivery of services required by current funding streams. Encourage and help other organisations in the sector to develop new services where they are better placed to do so.

Develop a range of funding streams and income generation activities and ensure competitive and other proposals are submitted.

Ensure effective staff performance through recruitment, development and performance management, with clear areas of accountability and responsibility. Ensure work is organised effectively and robust processes are in place.

Ensure effective financial controls are in place, including setting and monitoring adherence to agreed financial and procurement processes and taking responsibility for budget management.

Attend Board of Trustee meetings, preparing such reports, draft policies and other information or advice as required by the Board, including sub-committees as appropriate.

Take overall responsibility for the production of statutory reports and documents, including the Annual Report, or other documents as required by the Board. Develop and implement relevant policies and procedures.

Ensure the organisation supports the need for equality and welcomes and respects diversity.

Undertake any other duties necessary to fulfil the purpose and key objectives of the role and undertake any further duties which the Board may from time to time reasonably delegate or assign.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

  • Established experience of leading and directing strategic development and planning within an organisation, including financial planning, risk management and managing change.
  • A proven track record of working successfully alongside a Board of Trustees/Directors in the strategic planning for and development of an organisation, including initiating and driving through change.
  • Proven record in the successful management of high level projects and contracts, including experience of effective negotiation.
  • Considerable experience of the successful management of resources, finances and people, demonstrating, in particular the ability to support the setting and monitoring of complex budgets.
  • Successful track record in securing funds for an organisation through bid writing or applications.
  • Proven experience of generating a profitable “trading income”.
  • Proven experience of leading a team of people delivering a diverse range of services.
  • Demonstrable experience of the development and performance management of individuals through the use of established management techniques and approaches.
  • The ability to translate strategy into the delivery of results on time, in budget and to agreed quality standards.
  • An understanding of and commitment to diversity and equal opportunities.
  • An appetite for continuing professional self development.
  • Well developed negotiation and communication skills, including report writing, press releases, and an ability to promote the organisation through public speaking engagements and in the print and broadcast media.
  • Resilience, stamina and the ability to deal with the pressures of competing and conflicting priorities, tight deadlines and peak workloads.
  • A working knowledge of employment legislation and health and safety.
  • A good understanding of the local and national social and economic environment, which affects the voluntary and community sector and in particular the provision of infrastructure support to voluntary sector delivery organisations.
  • Well developed IT skills

KEY COMPETENCIES

Leadership - the ability to set a clear direction, inspire others and assume command.

Communication – the ability to be expressive, clear and concise in a variety of situations. Having excellent oral and written communication skills.

Adaptability – the ability to modify approach or style in order to reach a specific goal.

Team Working – the ability to develop co-operation and team work while leading.

Problem Solving – the ability to critically examine a problem or opportunity, services or project; break it down into its component parts and consider it in a systematic way to reach an appropriate conclusion.

Interpersonal Effectiveness – the ability to use a wide range of interpersonal skills with an emphasis on two-way communication to gain commitment to business objectives.

Influencing others – demonstrate development and useof structured arguments based on well organised facts to gain support for business plans, ideas or activities and win people over.

Ethics and Values of the Voluntary Sector – demonstrating a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards and a belief in the voluntary sector.

Championing and Embracing Change – being positive about change and removing obstacles which stand in the way of progress.

Appendix 1

South Nottinghamshire Alliance

Mission

To improve the quality of people’s lives through effective and sustained voluntary and community action’

Strategic Objectives:

  • To lead on change and innovation throughout the voluntary sector/sharing outcomes
  • To support voluntary and community groups to fulfil their missions more effectively(information, advice, training and performance management).
  • To help communities (and their groups) to identify and develop services to meet needs. Where it makes sense to do so, deliver these services directly(e.g. voluntary transport, health work, older people’s services and Whatton Prison visitor centre).
  • To influence policy and practice where they have an impact on voluntary sector groups and their beneficiaries(campaigning, advocacy, responding to consultations)
  • To facilitate communications and collaboration amongst local voluntary groups and between sectors(Networking, Conferences, Facilitation)

Background

South Nottinghamshire Alliance is being formed by a merger of two Community and Voluntary Services (CVS) – Gedling CVS and Rushcliffe CVS.

The new organisation has been registered with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in time for it to become operational by 1 April 2015 or as soon after as is practical. Work is in hand on branding and external identity and the name South Nottinghamshire Alliance may therefore be the name used only on legal documents. It is possible that at some stage a subsidiary trading company might be needed.

Services will be delivered initially on behalf of local authorities, both at District and County level, Clinical Commissioning Groups and the Prison Service. Budgetary responsibility will be in the region of around £250000 initially with some 20 staff. The area of operation will be principally in the Gedling and Rushcliffe local authority districts and to some extent across Nottinghamshire and possibly neighbouring areas.

The Chief Executive would work closely with the Board of Trustees, Chief Officers of the CVS’s and the Project Manager in concluding the merger and developing the new organisation and its strategies.

3.2.15