Winton House, Stoke Road, Stoke on Trent, ST4 2RW

Winton House, Stoke Road, Stoke on Trent, ST4 2RW

Tel: 01782 845584 Fax: 01782 746647 E Mail:

April/May 2013

Ref: Vacancy –Director ofOperations

Dear Candidate

Thank you for your enquiry regarding the above vacancy.

Enclosed with this letter are:

An application form
Background information on Asist
Job description and person specification
Summary of terms and conditions
Asist Equal Opportunities Policy
A recruitment monitoring form

If you wish to apply for this post please complete the application form and return it, with the relevant documentation and the recruitment monitoring form, by Friday 10th May 2013 (noon). Following the short listing meeting offers of an interview will be sent out to take place on Monday 20th May 2013.

As you will appreciate, our resources are limited, and we are therefore unable to write to candidates not being offered an interview. If you have not heard from us by 17thMay 2013, please assume that your application has not been successful.

Yours sincerely

Vacancy Co-ordinator

Enc

S:\ASIST\Recruitment\Director recruitment\application pack Director of operations 2013.doc

Winton House

Stoke Road

Stoke on Trent

ST4 2RW

 01782-845584

Fax 01782-746647

Application Form

Director ofOperations

Surname:First name:

Address:Contact Telephone number(s):

(H)

(M)

(W)

Where did you see the post advertised?

Names and Addresses of two referees

(please indicate if you do not wish us to approach them before an interview)

Would you please complete this form and send it along with:

a: your CV

b: a statement in support of your application which addresses the following (no more than 2 sides of A4):

the relevance to the position of your qualifications and experience
the importance of staff support, supervision and training
the challenges of ensuring a quality service to advocacy partners
any examples of developing new and innovative projects

c: the completed recruitment monitoring form

to: FAO Vacancy Co-ordinator, Asist, Winton House, Stoke Road, Stoke on Trent, ST4 2RW

Please Note: The shortlist for interviews is primarily based on how you answer the above questions and how you demonstrate the ways in which your qualifications
and experience meet the job description and personal qualities.

Director ofOperations

About Asist

Asist was formed in early 1994 from a steering committee made up of various voluntary bodies and other interested parties. It is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. The organisation is governed by an Executive Committee made up of people from the voluntary sector along with other members of the community.

Asist has grown considerably since its establishment. It runs 12 different projects and is one of the largest independentadvocacy schemes in the Country. The organisation has a main office in Stoke on Trent and 4 smaller offices throughout the County.

Asist currently has 39 employees working on a variety of projects advocating for a wide range of people who use services. The core service is the generic project which covers the whole of Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent and offers advocacy to people with learning disabilities, physical or sensory disabilities, and/or mental health needs.

There are also a number of specialist projects including: a BME Project, a transition project, a resettlement project and an Acute Wards project. Asist also provides the Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy service (IMCA) and the Independent Mental Health Act Advocacy service (IMHA) in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent. Additionally Asist facilitates a group advocacy project, REACH, which is semi-independent from Asist.

Asist is accredited to provide the City and Guilds National Advocacy Qualification.

The job

Asist has grown over the last nineteen years to become one of the largest advocacy groups in the country. It has done so, in part, by developing an effective and responsive management structure.

Asist has two Managing Directors of equal status who jointly manage the organisation and report directly to the Executive of Asist. Asist expects both Directors to maintain a degree of autonomy within their own areas of work whilst maintaining a high degree of co-operation with each other. Each Director is expected to have a good working knowledge of the others work and to effectively cover for the other Director when necessary (illness, holidays etc). The job description for the Director of Operations is included in this pack. The primary responsibilities of the Director of Development and Funding include: funding and financial administration; liaison with statutory, voluntary and independent sectors, both purchasers and providers; management of Training Project and IT systems.

The current Asist Management Team also includes six Project Co-ordinators, each with their own area of responsibility. The Director of Operations is required to take an active role in the Asist Management Team, leading regular Management Team meetings and adhering to the agreed Management Team Guidelines.

The Director of Operations directly supervises all of the Advocacy Co-ordinators and the Reach Project Co-ordinators; additionally they manage all the advocates in the South Staffordshire Generic team in Stafford, Burton and Chadsmoor.

Asist sees itself as an innovativeand supportive employer; the successful candidate would be expected to continue to support the ethos of excellent employee relations including effective staff consultation and communication. Asist prides itself on high staff satisfaction and a very low staff turnover; the Director of Operations holds a central role in ensuring continued co-operation between staff and management.

The Director of Operations is expected to keep abreast of employment law and be responsible for ensuring contracts and collective agreements adhere to any changes in law. They are also expected to have some knowledge of redundancy and TUPE regulations and would be responsible for their implementation if necessary.

Asist maintains a successful service whilst employing a very lean bureaucratic management. Funding is primarily directed at supplying a quality advocacy service, all of the staff self-administrate utilising up to date technology which is supported by the Computer/Finance Project Co-ordinator and the IT Support Officer. There is only one part time administrator whose function is to offer support in arranging training, recruitment procedures, and general administrative tasks, etc. The new Director therefore would be expected to be able to use their computer skills to maintain their own administration including letters, reports, diaries, etc. All sickness and holiday records and procedures are maintained by the Director of Operations aided by a bespoke personnel database.

Asist records its advocacy partnership data on a web-based bespoke case management system. The Director of Operations will work alongside the Finance/Computer Project Co-ordinator to ensure advocates maintain quality up to date records.

Asist has had significant involvement in the national advocacy movement. Previous Directors have been involved in the setting of national quality standards for advocacy and Asist has been involved in influencing such legislation as the Mental Health Act Advocacy Service (IMHA) and the Mental Capacity Act Advocacy (IMCA). Asist would expect both Directors to continue with this role.

The successful applicant will be required to play a major part in the maintenance of an efficient and professional organisational structure. They will be coming into an organisation that is settled and successful with an excellent reputation for the provision of advocacy services.

Asist is a caring organisation – to its staff, volunteers and, critically, to the service users to whom it offers a service. The Director will have to be committed to the needs of service users and be fully in agreement with the principles of advocacy and its delivery.

Any applicant called to interview would be expected to have gained a working knowledge of advocacy and advocacy principles, although we are not expecting an applicant to have worked or volunteered for an advocacy organisation.

The successful candidate will be expected to undertake a period of induction training before commencing work. Asist provides comprehensive supervision, support and training for all of its workers. The Director of Operations would be expected to lead regular staff meetings and liaise with staffthroughout the organisation.

All workers are required to register for an enhanced disclosure with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Please note that the existence of previous convictions, cautions, or bind-overs will not automatically disbar any candidate. Each case will be carefully considered on its individual merits.

Successful candidates will be required to provide documentation of evidence of eligibility to work in the United Kingdom.

Director of Operations

Job description

Responsible to: Asist Executive Committee via the Chair

Overall Purpose:In conjunction with the Director of Development and Funding, manage Asist and ensure that Asist provides a good quality independent advocacy service for eligible people in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent.

Principal Accountabilities:

(Working in conjunction with the Director of Development & Funding)

Be instrumental in the development of an independent Advocacy Scheme for all service users in Staffordshire
Ensure that service user rights have a high priority
Work in partnership with the staff and executive in the overall development of the service.
Ensure that procedures are in place to maintain the highest standard of advocacy for service users
To act on behalf of the Director of Development & Funding in their absence
To be jointly responsible for any other matters as identified by the executive of Asist

Responsibilities:

Personnel matters

Take overall responsibility for the recruitment of all Asist staff
Be responsible for ensuring equality and diversity within recruitment and selection procedures
Undertake induction training for all new staff
Manage, supervise and support designated Asist Advocates and Project Co-ordinators
Oversee the organisation of training for Asist staff
Develop and implement appropriate monitoring and support for staff and volunteers
Be responsible for ensuring that all appropriate staff have up to date DBS disclosures
Be involved in the planning and development of appropriate training for volunteer advocates
Ensure effective internal communication with all stakeholders
Organise staff meetings

Administration

Develop and maintain appropriate administrative systems
Develop and maintain appropriate records of the activities of Asist
Co-ordinate the service provision across individual projects
Develop appropriate documentation and publicity material in relation to the work of Asist in conjunction with the Director of Development & Funding
Review existing and develop new policies in consultation with staff & executive
Working with the Director of Development & Funding and staff: develop, implement and monitor the annual action plan for the organisation
Compile and publish Asist’s Annual Report in conjunction with the Director of Development & Funding
Administer Investors in People standard in conjunction with the Director of Development & Funding
Investigate all complaints received by Asist
Keep a concise and confidential record of all complaints received at Asist
Act as line manager to the Administration Co-ordinator

Quality Standards

Ensure that procedures are in place to maintain the highest standard of advocacy
Undertake monthly supervision with all designated advocates and co-ordinators
Undertake annual reviews with designated advocates and co-ordinators
Carry out database audits on a regular basis
Organise staff shadowing on a regular basis
Implement any necessary changes to practice as a result of feedback from user-based monitoring systems
Implement any necessary changes to practice following investigation of complaints

Executive

Service the Executive Committee of Asist
Provide the necessary information for the Executive Committee of Asist
Organise Asist’s Annual General Meeting

Other

Take an active role in the Asist Management Team, attending regular Management Team meetings and adhering to the agreed Management Team Guidelines.
Where necessary and with appropriate support, take part in the provision of external training including the National Advocacy Qualification. Where required undertake the associated accredited training qualification.
Maintain appropriate levels of confidentiality and ensure Asist complies with all relevant aspects of the data protection act.
Be involved in your own professional development
Undertake any other duties identified by the Executive Committee that are consistent with this post

Personal Qualities

essential / desirable
work experience / Working knowledge of community care issues and advocacy principles
Supervision of staff
Monitoring staff performance
Recruitment processes
Administering Equal opportunities / Experience of working within a voluntary organisation
Ability and desire to work in partnership with other voluntary and statutory agencies
Policy development
organisational / Excellent organisational and administrative skills
Developing and monitoring action plans Information Technology skills / Compiling reports with specific reference to Annual Reports
Knowledge of Investors in People
personal / A belief in the rights of service users
Personnel skills
Good communication skills
Empathetic and listening personality / Working with people with disabilities
Training skills
miscellaneous / Awareness of disability issues.
Demonstrable commitment to anti-discriminatory practice.
Driver with a car. - If you have a disability which does not enable you to drive a car, Asist will discuss reasonable alternative arrangements for travel. / Supporting a volunteer based executive
In order to provide occasional cover for Director of Development & Funding, experience in: Project monitoring; Financial skills; Liaison with purchasers

Director of Operations

Summary of terms and conditions

Title / Director ofOperations
Location / Stoke Office
Environment / Shared office in Stoke
Salary / £36,496per annum
Hours / 35 per week excluding lunch
(these hours are currently worked over 9 days per fortnight; changes to this arrangement may be negotiated)
Non social hours / Occasional
Holidays / 30 days (3 compulsory at Xmas) + national holidays (pro-rata for part time workers)
Sickness / 65 days full pay/130 days half pay per annum
(pro-rata for part time workers)
Expenses / 45p per mile
Notice period / 2 months
Contract type / Permanent
Redundancy / One month per completed year
Pension / Asist will match personal contribution up to 7% of gross income
Probation / 6 months

All Asist staff are covered by a collective agreement, which can be amended through negotiations on an annual basis.

New agreements take effect from April of each year.

Equal Opportunity Policy

Asist strives to be an equal opportunity organisation in all aspects of its work.

Asist strives to implement its equal opportunities policies and principles with regard to people who wish to use its services. We actively develop strategies to ensure that all groups and individuals within Staffordshire have real access to our services.

In pursuit of this aim we:

produce literature in a number of formats that will maximise the access to information by people who wish to know about what we do
actively support other agencies to develop specialist services that we find difficult to provide

As an employer we apply objective criteria to assess merit. We aim to ensure that no job applicant, employee, volunteer or service user receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, religion, ethnic or national origin, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation or disability or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.

Selection criteria and procedures will be reviewed frequently to ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and treated on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities. All employees will be given equal opportunity and where appropriate and possible, special training to enable them to progress both within and outside the organisation. Asist is committed to a programme of action to make this policy fully effective.

In pursuit of this aim, Asist intends to undertake a continuing review of its policy and practice, and will in particular:-

become more aware of disadvantage and the problems it causes, how it affects us and the implications for our work;

work to ensure that the services Asist provide do not discriminate.

We declare our intention to work with others for the elimination of disadvantage.

Recruitment Monitoring Form

The information requested below will help us to monitor our own recruitment and selection processes. As an equal opportunities employer we are continually striving to ensure that our policies and practices allow for a greater degree of diversity within our organisation. The information collected will help us to monitor how representative we are of the whole community.

This monitoring form does not in any way affect the short listing process. Application forms are administered by a member of staff who is not on the short listing committee and all personal information is completely separated. Monitoring forms are not viewed by either the managers or the selection committee until after the selection process is complete and are used for statistical purposes only.

All information is kept in the strictest confidence.
However, we understand that some of the questions are of a personal nature and, if you wish, you do not have to answer any, or all of the questions.

Age / years / Sex / Female
Male
Are you? / Single / Married / Divorced
Separate / Widowed / Living with partner
Number of dependent children
Disability / I have a disability / I do not have a disability
Type of disability:
I think of myself as:
African / Indian / White European
Caribbean / Bangladeshi / Chinese
Other Black Background / Pakistani / Mixed parentage
Other:(please specify)
I speak the following languages other than English:

Thank you for your help,
could you please enclose the completed form with your application to Asist.
(All monitoring forms will be separated from applications upon receipt.)