This is a career-defining opportunity to have the autonomy as Chief Executive to lead and shape an inspirational organisation, making a major contribution in helping address one of the most pressing issues in the NHS, and benefitting the lives of patients, frontline staff and wider communities.
Reporting to the Board of Trustees, the Chief Executive will be responsible for providing outstanding leadership of the charity. They will lead the development and delivery of Helpforce’s ambitious strategy over the medium and longer terms, ensuring that Helpforce continues to grow impactful volunteering opportunities through partnering and supporting organisations across health and care, and securing a long-term financial business model to support our ambitions.
Key responsibilities
Strategy
- To lead and deliver the strategic advancement and positioning of Helpforce as the charity operating at the interface between healthcare and volunteering, supporting and accelerating the use of volunteers in the NHS.
- To develop, implement, communicate and deliver Helpforce’s high-impact strategy, annual budget and ensure their regular review, for approval by the Board of Trustees.
- To establish and monitor key indicators of Helpforce’s impact, funding and financial health, providing regular reports.
- To ensure that the action plans to support the delivery of Helpforce’s strategic business plan are implemented successfully across the organisation.
- To maintain an awareness of risk and changes in the external environment that could affect Helpforce.
Business development
- To build on and develop Helpforce’s commercial and business development strategy, identifying and targeting of new opportunities to promote and accelerate the impact of our work.
- To work with the team in developing new products and services, ensuring that these are aligned with the needs of those we partner with, and thinking creatively and innovatively about expanding our impact into new areas.
- To build, develop and maintain a broad range of commercial and partnership relationships at the most senior levels across the NHS and beyond, developing an in-depth understanding of where Helpforce can support the scaling of volunteering in health and care.
Fundraising
- To provide leadership to Helpforce’s fundraising, developing and maintaining existing relationships, and working with the team to identify and cultivate new relationships.
- To lead on the production of high-impact bids, and to ensure robust donor reporting frameworks are in place.
Financial
- To have responsibility for Helpforce’s funds, as delegated by the Board of Trustees, and ensure that they are put to best use to achieve our sector-shaping strategy and ambitions.
- To ensure that robust financial procedures and controls are in place and that the Board of Trustees are fully appraised of progress against the agreed budget or projected deficits as soon as practicably possible.
- To be responsible for negotiating and maintaining key contracts and funding necessary to support Helpforce’s activities and developments.
- To be proactive in securing alternative and new sources of funding for Helpforce.
Team leadership
- To provide hands-on leadership of the team, ensuring an effective forum in which policies and plans are developed and decisions of the Board of Trustees are implemented.
- To directly manage members of the senior leadership team, providing inspirational leadership, support and direction, and assessing professional performance, development and training requirements.
- To encourage focus across the team, enabling Helpforce to act in accordance with its vision, values, aims and objectives and see that these underpin decision-making.
- To periodically report on progress against strategic objectives to the Board of Trustees and other relevant stakeholders.
- To ensure Helpforce has the organisational structure, sound financial controls and sustainable funds to deliver its objectives, supporting and advising on robust governance across all aspects of the organisation.
Communicating and convening
- To act as an authoritative and effective speaker, building and maintaining strong relationships with a network of stakeholders to build Helpforce’s profile, including but not limited to the NHS and wider healthcare sector, the voluntary and third sector, and central Government including Whitehall and Westminster.
- To ensure Helpforce delivers a robust and dynamic communication strategy ensuring Helpforce’s brand and profile are maintained and nurtured.
- To be an inspirational spokesperson externally, and represent Helpforce to the media and give interviews, where appropriate.
- To represent Helpforce at external events and positive publicity opportunities.
- To be a considerate and effective internal leader who successfully communicates strategy and absorbs and considers employee opinion.
- To bring together key stakeholders and facilitate collaboration through networking events.
Governance
- To promote and conduct the affairs of Helpforce with the highest standards of integrity and governance, ensuring that the Board of Trustees is supported and equipped to meet its statutory responsibilities under Charity and Company law.
- To establish an excellent working relationship with the Chair and Board of Trustees.
- To ensure that all Board and committee meetings are effectively and efficiently serviced with attendees supported, briefed and papers prepared and distributed in a timely fashion.
- To support the Board of Trustees to recruit and retain Board members, providing a comprehensive induction and training and development plan as determined by Trustees.