Head of Community Engagement

Transcription

1 Head of Community Engagement Main purpose of job To play a strategic leadership role in the Society s aspiration of reducing social isolation and enabling people with dementia and their carers to live well with dementia in the community. The post holder will lead our Dementia Friendly Communities programme and Dementia Friends initiative, which focuses on improving the inclusion and quality of life of people affected by dementia. They will also be responsible for the management of the Society s relationship with the National Dementia Action Alliance. This job it will require considerable gravitas and strategic leadership in order to establish and maintain relationships at a senior level, internally and externally and crucially turn commitments into clear actions to increase dementia friendliness. Position in organisation The Head of Community Engagement will be line managed by the Director of External Affairs and will be a member of the External Affairs Leadership Team. They will also be responsible of advising the Director of External Affairs and senior management colleagues on the direction and impact of this function. They will liaise at all levels within the organisation. Dimensions and limits of authority The Head of Community Engagement will work as part of the External Affairs Leadership Team. This post will be responsible for the delivery of our Dementia Friendliness ambitions as set out the External Affairs Business Plan. The Head of Community Engagement will assign responsibility for jobs and projects within the team using his or her judgement about the best use of resource and skills available to complete the work. The Head of Community Engagement will be responsible for the relationships as agreed within their remit with external bodies and organisations in the commitment to increase dementia awareness and friendliness. The Head of Community Engagement will represent the Society and manage and build relationships with key external figures, as agreed by the Director of External Affairs. The Head of Community Engagement will represent the Society at conferences and in seminars on matters related to this post. 1

2 Duties and key responsibilities Responsible for the integration and alignment of the Society s Dementia Friendly Communities and Dementia Friends activities; leading the overall programmes. Management of the Society s relationship with the national Dementia Action Alliance. To build up a range nationally recognised and authoritative materials and activities to put Alzheimer s Society as the leading organisation promoting and delivering dementia friendly communities. To realise the benefits of Alzheimer s Society being the leading organisation in the pursuit of improving quality of life for people with dementia. Contribute to the development and management of relationships with existing and potential organisations. Establish and oversee the governance structure and arrangements relating to the overall programme and, as appropriate, the individual projects. Working with colleagues in Fundraising, External Affairs and with external stakeholders and partners, lead on the securing of funds to continue the overall programme and its constituent projects. Working with the Research and Development team, to establish a programme of evaluation for the individual work streams falling under the Dementia Friendly Communities and Dementia Friends programme, to ensure these further the Society s aim to reduce social isolation for people with dementia and those who care for them. To use this evaluation to enable Alzheimer s Society to continue to procure internal and/or external funding or fundraising for the programme. Responsible for the successful delivery of the Dementia Friendly Communities programme recognition process. To establish and manage external relationships with organisations and individuals related to dementia friendliness activities. To ensure that people with dementia and their carers are involved in the development and activities that define our priorities work around dementia friendliness. To oversee the production of and reporting against a detailed programme budget. To identify and integrate current and planned Society efforts, as well as current and prospective external opportunities, to support the establishment of dementia friendly communities and Dementia Friends. To act as a media spokesperson for the individual work streams and the overarching programme of work. As a member of the External Affairs Leadership Team, to work with the Director of External Affairs to contribute to the External Affairs business plan, leading on those activities within own functional remit. To establish and lead a high calibre team, ably led in the pursuit of excellence, equality, inclusion and integrity. To work with the Internal Communication and Engagement team, ensure that an engaging, ongoing internal communications plan is in place for all volunteers and employees, so that all our people are active ambassadors of the programme, playing their part in its delivery.

3 To write and as appropriate report to key stakeholder groups including but not limited to the Strategic Leadership Team, Board of Trustees and funders. To act as a member of agreed committees, sub-committees or reference groups internal and external as appropriate. To take forward key strategic initiatives for the Society as agreed with the Director of External Affairs. To undertake any other duties or projects commensurate with the nature and grade of this post as required. Person specification All of the following requirements are essential, unless marked with a * when they are desirable, and will be assessed from a combination of information provided from the application form and interview process. The following competencies will need to be evidenced by the successful candidate. * denotes a desirable or advantageous competency Education and qualifications Degree or equivalent level qualification required. Skills and experience Considerable and demonstrable senior level experience managing community and or stakeholder engagement programmes Considerable experience producing strategic and business plans and managing budgets Experience implemented and embedding structural and cultural change within an organisation Experience developing strategy aligned to the organisational strategy and priorities Effectively influencing at a senior level Strong leadership and experience of complex, geographically dispersed project management on community engagement programmes or equivalent in a large complex organisation Significant experience in project governance and evaluation A track record of external stakeholder management and active engagement Excellent external influencing and communication skills Extensive experience influencing government and Whitehall departments Evidence of working with service users Successful in securing funding for projects e.g. from government Putting in place robust evaluation and impact methods into the development of community based activities Experience managing commissioned or out-sourcing projects Successful track record of leading innovation and change Experience working on internal and external communications strategies

4 Experience public speaking at conferences and seminars Media experience Personal attributes / qualities A strong strategic and inspiring leader Able to prioritise and manage a complex workload in order to meet tight deadlines Ability to establish relationships of trust with senior decision-makers Able to work with and influence a wide variety of stakeholders, internal and external Able to motivate and inspire employees and volunteers to create a high performing team. Able to travel throughout England and to Wales and Northern Ireland and undertake evening work and overnight stays as required.

5 Value Based Behaviours Alzheimer s Society has a value-based behavioural framework which brings our values to life in everything we do. The framework is applied across the full employment (and volunteering) life-cycle. This includes individual objectives, appraisals, performance management, reward and recognition and personal and professional development. You will be given a full copy of the framework if appointed, as part of your induction. For this role, the key value based behaviours you will need to evidence in your application and which will be assessed during the recruitment process are: Alzheimer s Society has a value-based behavioural framework which brings our values to life in everything we do. The framework is applied across the full employment (and volunteering) life-cycle. This includes individual objectives, appraisals, performance management, reward and recognition and personal and professional development. You will be given a full copy of the framework if appointed, as part of your induction. For this role, the key value based behaviours you will need to evidence in your application and which will be assessed during the recruitment process are: Seek and act upon feedback, continually developing self and improving own performance. Champion and role model a culture of transparency and accountability, establishing continual constructive feedback channels and mechanisms Take personal accountability and ownership for corporate decisions and outcomes. Challenge the status quo in a constructive and respectful manner, actively suggesting and contributing to improvements. Create an environment where people are empowered to realise their full potential. Keep abreast of external opportunities and challenges that impact on our work, making sure that we are able to re-prioritise our approach and resources rapidly and effectively. Champion and celebrate examples of our even better if ethos, across the Society. Act as an ambassador for people affected by dementia at all times. Promote partnership and collaboration within and across teams.