THE SIMON COMMUNITY
DIRECTOR –
JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON SPECIFICATION
ABOUT THE SIMON COMMUNITY
The Simon Community is a community of ex-street homeless people and full-time volunteers who live and work together in London in order to transform the lives of everyone involved by running a wide range of outreach services to people still on the streets.
Our services are designed to make and sustain relationships with those most in need and those who are hardest to reach. We work with people who are let down by other routes and who are unable to maintain relationships with themselves, with others and with society. Our democratic community model has been honed over many decades and a framework of daily house meetings, shared tasks & shared values within a structured therapeutic group environment offers people the opportunity to learn or relearn the skills necessary to lead fulfilling, independent lives. This can be a very slow process that requires significant patience, with some people needing support for the rest of their lives.
Simon has been in existence since 1963, when it was founded by Anton Wallich-Clifford and is widely recognised as a pioneering charity from which the homelessness sector as we know it today grew. The Simon Community has touched the lives of tens of thousands of people and over the decades has inspired those involved to set up similar projects addressing homelessness and social justice across the UK including St Mungo’s, the Cyrenians and Centre Point.
DIRECTOR JOB DESCRIPTION
ROLE TITLE:Director
REPORTING TO:Chair and Board of Trustees
RESPONSIBLE FOR:Leading and Managing the Community
ROLE LOCATION:The Director is expected to work across London although based primarily at St Joseph’s House, 129 Malden Road, London, NW5 4HS
HOURS:
37.5 hours per week (excluding lunch break) worked flexibly, with on-call and occasional weekend and evening work – other arrangements possible by negotiation
ANNUAL SALARY:NJC Scale PO5 £41,800 - £44,545 (inc London Weighting) CONTRACT LENGTH: Permanent (with 6 month probation period)
ANNUAL LEAVE:25 days
MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
This is a pivotal role in a small independent charity with a significant history and a unique place in the homelessness sector. Core to the role is a genuine understanding of and engagement with the values of the Simon Community. The Director must be able to uphold the Community model; working with external experts where necessary to ensure that our therapeutic group processes are central to all that the Community does.
The Director is responsible for the safe and effective delivery of services, both residential and outreach, for the financial sustainability of the organisation and for working closely with the Board of Trustees to ensure strategic and governance responsibilities are fulfilled.
This role is a demanding one and is not for the faint hearted! Leading the Simon Community requires resilience and a willingness to challenge your own assumptions, learning and developing alongside residents and volunteers whilst simultaneously providing steady leadership.
The Director will be the principal ambassador and spokesperson for the Community, representing and promoting our values to a wide range of audiences and stakeholders
DUTIES AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Vision, Leadership and Community
Provide vision, leadership and direction to the Simon Community in developing its ethos, values and methods of work.
Be in the community and strive to ensure it runs safely and according to its values.
Lead and manage the full and part time volunteers and residents, to ensure the effective provision of residential community houses and agreed outreach services.
Work with professional support, staff, volunteers and residents to ensure that the Community’s therapeutic processes are implemented and effective.
Lead on the promotion of the Simon Community’s work, ethos and services to stakeholders and the wider public.
Be an ambassador for the Simon Community and its work and philosophy, to a wide range of audiences for example, national conferences and high-level policy forums, recognising the Simon Community’s role within the Homelessness sector.
Actively campaign and seek to influence policy on Homelessness.
Governance and relationship with the Board of Trustees
Work with and support the Board of Trustees to enable them to fulfil their governance responsibilities.
Develop strategic options and proposals for the Simon Community in conjunction with the Chair and Board in the context of the changing fundraising landscape, external policy agenda, wider Government and sector initiatives and how these affect the needs of those the Community supports.
Report to the Board of Trustees on a regular basis with timely, up-to-date, comprehensive and transparent information of the Community’s overall management, with particular attention to any organisational risk, the financial status, fundraising progress, key strategic matters and otherwise as directed by the Board of Trustees.
With the Chair, develop and ensure an annual calendar of meetings of the Board of Trustees, its principal sub-committees and key governance dates, is in place.
Strategic Leadership
Provide vision and be responsible for leading and developing the Community, ensuring that all volunteers, staff, residents, partners and the wider Community are respected, valued and have the opportunity to contribute to the development of the Community in line with its strategic ambitions.
Through regular presence in both residential settings and outreach services, develop and foster the ethos and practices of the Community by working with volunteers and residents to facilitate group therapeutic processes in order to create an environment of support enabling short and longer term positive change.
Inspire and support the staff and volunteers to meet their objectives, make them feel valued and able to work effectively, and to understand how their contribution is vital to achieving the Community’s wider strategic aims.
Organisational Management
Oversee and provide operational guidance and support in the delivery of high quality residential, outreach and other services in line with the Community’s objectives.
Manage the Community, full time volunteers and staff effectively, providing supervision, support, development and regular appraisals.
Deal with breaches of residents’ or volunteers’ agreements where necessary
Work with the Board to ensure that appropriate processes and systems are in place for generating significant information and monitoring performance.
Work with the Board of Trustees and Treasurer to formulate the annual budget, ensure that monthly financial management information is provided to the Board of Trustees, and regularly monitor performance against budget and take appropriate corrective action.
Ensure that the Community’s corporate policies, procedures and training practices are up to date, relevant and fair to ensure that the Community works within regulations, including charity law, equal opportunities, health and safety, safeguarding, and promotes good practice in all activities.
Ensure that the Community’s risks are managed effectively by having a risk management policy in place, regularly maintaining a risk register and taking appropriate steps to manage risks that could significantly impact the Community.
Provide all reports required by the Board of Trustees in the exercise of its legal, financial and other responsibilities, in accordance with the Charity Commission regulations and current legislation.
Fundraising, Promotion and Advocacy
Develop, implement and hold strategic and delivery responsibility for income generation to maintain and enhance the level of funding as set by the Board of Trustees, from both existing and new sources.
Build diverse and healthy income streams by leading on and positively developing relationships with key individual supporters, corporate partners, trusts and foundations, to maximise opportunities for income generation.
Provide direction and support to any staff, volunteers or members of the wider Community involved in income generation activities and ensure team efforts are coordinated.
Ensure clear and consistent messaging is developed and delivered in line with the Community’s communication and fundraising strategies across all platforms including social media, website, the Simon Star and any external communications including public fundraising and campaigning events.
Raise the Community’s public profile by acting as an ambassador for the Community in all media, networking widely to promote the Community’s key messages and strategic direction.
6.General Responsibilities
Be flexible within the broad remit of the post.
Take direction on projects and priorities from the Board, in line with agreed delegated powers.
Abide by organisational policies, codes of conduct and practices.
Be proactive in keeping up to date with developments affecting your work and maintain and improve personal competence through continuous professional development.
Work at all times within the guidance and remit of the ethos, values and aims of Project.
Carry out other associated duties as may arise, develop or be assigned.
This job description does not form part of your contract of employment and can be amended from time to time as the needs of the organisation require.
DIRECTOR PERSON SPECIFICATION
The Director should be an experienced leader who shares our passion for and has a genuine commitment to building relationships and providing vulnerable people on the streets with the support they need. This requires emotional intelligence, resilience, patience and the vision to inspire positive change.
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ESSENTIAL
Significant management experience at a senior level.
Experience of managing a complex working environmentacross a range of subject areas, with the ability to meet deadlines and respond to unplanned demands.
Proven and diverse experience of negotiating and securing funding from a variety of sources, including individual , corporate and trusts and foundations
Demonstrable financial management expertise including budgeting, risk management and mitigation
Successful management of staff and volunteers delegating and monitoring the work of others to achieve operational goals.
Strategic and business plan development and implementation experience
DESIRABLE
Significant group work or therapeutic work experience in the homelessness sector or equivalent eg mental health, young people, migrant / refugee, offenders, women’s refuge, the elderly.
Experience of acquiring new properties for charitable purposes and/or capital build experience
Several years experience of social policy/homelessness policy or campaigning work
Experience of representing an organisation publicly, to the media and a wider sector related audience.
Communications and PR experience
HR experience
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & ABILITIES
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ESSENTIAL
An understanding of the issues facing people who are socially excluded and the associated implications of working with them
Clear verbal and written communication skills including the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with a wide range of people and organisations
Analytical prioritising and decision making skills (strategic ability)
A facilitative approach to management with the capacity to coach, support and develop staff and volunteers
A thorough understanding of how to run and govern a charity and the work necessary to support the Board’s effectiveness and legal responsibilities.
Sensitive leadership skills including the ability to engender trust and make people feel valued whilst ensuring clear lines of accountability.
Good working knowledge of IT skills.
DESIRABLE
Excellent public affairs, campaigning and relationship management skills.
Presentation and public speaking skills.
Persuasion, negotiation and diplomatic skills
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES /
ESSENTIAL
Able to be a role model and confidence to express uncomfortable things or opinions in a constructive way
Kindness, but not sentimentality
Emotional intelligence, patience and resilience with an ability to defuse problems quickly.
A commitment to equality, diversity and safeguarding vulnerable people
A capacity to be flexible and innovative in the changing circumstances of a small, highly participative, charity
A demonstrable willingness to work hands on with people
Able to work on-call, some evenings, weekends and overnight as necessary
DESIRABLE
Driving licence