Appointment of Executive Director, Services and Support

Transcription

1 Appointment of Executive Director, Services and Support 1

2 Executive summary More than 100,000 people live with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the UK. Every one of them shares the uncertainty of life with MS. With an annual income of around 25m, we re the leading UK charity for people with MS. We re fighting for better treatment and care to help people with MS take control of their lives, and live life, knowing they don t have to face MS alone. We re one of the world s biggest charity funders of MS research, and we re funding research that we believe will beat MS for good. We have a well established network of approximately 280 branches and the support of over 37,000 members and an estimated 9,000 volunteers, along with a dedicated team of 255 staff all working together towards our vision of a world free from the effects of MS. We re seeking an Executive Director, Services and Support to play a critical role in helping us achieve our ambitions. This new role will lead on the delivery of the MS Society s services and support strategy, operations and volunteering. Their directorate includes information services, care and support services, volunteering, supporting branches and operations in England and country wide management of Directors in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 2

3 About the MS Society Originally founded in 1953, today the MS Society has over 37,000 members and branches in every part of the UK including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Our work has inspired thousands of volunteers, supporters and staff members to make a difference to the lives of people affected by MS. We re working with partners around the world to fund research that we believe will beat MS for good. We ve already made important breakthroughs, and we re now at the start of a generation of MS research that holds incredible promise. While we work towards a cure, we ll continue to fight the corner for people affected by MS - demanding the highest quality care and support, wherever they live. We pride ourselves on providing reliable, evidence-based information to anyone affected by MS who needs it, online, over the phone, by and through a range of events. Our helpline, run by staff and volunteers, handles over 15,000 enquiries a year and we have over 850 trained support volunteers, all providing a listening ear to people local to them. We give grants to help people live independent lives, providing support with mobility aids, home adaptations, respite and short breaks. We influence MS services locally and nationally, building strong relationships with MS professionals and commissioners, and provide a range of services through our extensive network of branches and support groups. 3

4 Mission and values Our mission Our mission is to enable everyone affected by MS to live life to their full potential and secure the care and support they need; until we ultimately find a cure. Our aim is to beat MS. We are led by people affected by MS. People with MS guide our work. Our volunteers and supporters: shape our research programme through our Research Network help us provide support locally through our branches and groups help us write our publications, moderate our online forums and run our helpline. Most of our trustees and council members have a personal connection to MS, either because they have it or a family member does. They are elected by our members. At our annual general meeting we work on the principle of one member, one vote, so that everyone has an equal say. 4

5 Our year in figures 89% of our income came from donations and legacies 38p 1p Fee income Income 25.4m How we raised each 1 1p Investment income Donations & fundraising 53p 2p Grants 3p Other Legacies 36p 4p Trading & merchandising 18p Fundraising 15p Support Expenditure 27.6m How we spent each 1 1p Governance 4p Research 9p Information 8p Leading the MS agenda 7p Raising standards of care Respite care costs In reducing our reserves to the agreed range of 10 to 14 weeks planned expenditure, we budgeted a deficit of over 3m for the year compared with the actual deficit of 2m before investment gains. 5

6 The MS Society in 2014 It s never been a more exciting time to join the MS Society. Our Chief Executive, Michelle Mitchell, joined in September 2013 and is currently leading the charity in developing an ambitious new five-year strategy. Critical to this strategy will be a goal to significantly increase our income over the coming years. We ll do this by growing and diversifying our sources of restricted income, building on a solid foundation of a reliable flow of unrestricted gifts from our generous supporters. And we have big plans to bolster this further through a major national appeal tapping into new income streams and enabling us to deliver a step change in our investment in MS research. Why is this important? Because we re at a point in time in the history of MS research where a surge of investment could deliver major advances in MS treatments. We have the chance to accelerate our efforts to transform the lives of people living with a condition that can have devastating consequences for their independence, quality of life and mental health. We re under no illusion, however, that, even with significantly greater investment, research takes time to bear fruit. That s why it will remain critical to the MS Society s future strategy to continue to support people living with MS today. That s not just about ensuring we continue to improve and develop our information and support services, but about influencing MS services provided by the NHS and others. It s about tackling the very real challenges in enabling people with MS to get access to the treatments that are right for them, and about playing our part in coalition campaigns to stop people with MS and other long-term conditions continuing to suffer under the Government s welfare reforms. It s about supporting carers and families of people with MS, and fighting for a funded long-term solution to the social care crisis. All this and more stands in front of us as our challenge in It s a big task. But when united, the MS community is a unique and powerful force for positive change. At our best, the MS Society is the glue that binds that community together join us and help us ensure we don t let them down. 6

7 The role This is a key leadership role that supports our mission to enable everyone affected by MS to live life to their full potential and secure the care and support they need, until we ultimately find a cure. As a member of a recently restructured Executive Group (EG), the Executive Director, Services and Support will have an instrumental role to play in leading the charity through a significant change programme through 2014 and beyond. The new EG is made up of the following members of staff, with an Appeal Director and Programme Director of Strategy and Impact also reporting to the CEO and attending EG meetings. Executive Director, Corporate Services Executive Director, Fundraising Executive Director, Marketing and Communications Country Director NI Chief Executive Executive Director, Services and Support Executive Director, Policy and Research Country Director Scotland Country Director Cymru In addition to Services and Support, there are five other directorates: Corporate Services responsible for HR, finance, facilities, ICT and health and safety Policy and Research responsible for our biomedical and care & services research programmes and our policy development and influencing work with the NHS, professionals and political stakeholders Marketing and Communications responsible for strategic marketing of the charity, including brand, marketing, CRM, digital, media relations, campaigns, events and internal comms Fundraising responsible for leading income generation across the charity, supporting and working with the Appeal Director Chief Executive s Office responsible for governance, strategy and impact. The Executive Director, Services and Support will lead our Services and Support strategy and operations to deliver our strategic goals by: Developing and implementing a three year strategic business plan and budget, incorporating impact measurement and assessment, for Services and Support Directorate. Preparing and critically reviewing an annual plan, annual budget and impact assessment for Services and Support Directorate. Supporting fundraisers in income generation, in particular in preparing accurate and detailed information regarding services, support, operations and branches where appropriate. Continual development and implementation of Services, Support and Operational delivery policies, procedures and systems nationally in line with MS Society wide best practice standards. Ensuring that Services and Support contracts and agreement conditions, regulations and guidance are disseminated to staff as appropriate to ensure compliance. Accountability for the monitoring and reporting on performance against services and support directorate objectives, outcomes and KPIs and alerting the appropriate staff in a timely manner of issues to enable corrective action to be taken as required ensuring that social impact income is maximised. 7

8 Ensuring excellent administration of Services and Support Directorate and a clear focus on driving improvements in quality, impact and performance. Leading, motivating and developing a high quality team, ensuring that staff and volunteers all work in accordance with the standards set out in the Human Resources policies and procedures, customer service, protocols, industry and governance standards. Ensuring adherence to the MS Society s Governance regulations. The person appointed will be responsible to the Chief Executive for the achievement of: Services and Support Financial planning Devising and implementing a clearly defined 3 year strategy, business plan and budget for all aspects of the Directorate s work including defining social impact goals and supporting income generation. Ensuring effective operational plans are developed to deliver the outcomes required by the strategy and to monitor and evaluate their impact. Maximising social impact, setting income and expenditure targets and making best use of resources to continuously improve the Services, Support and Operations infrastructure, systems and processes to deliver organisational strategy and improve efficiency. Overseeing the financial and resource management of all budget holders, providing advice and guidance as necessary. Ensuring the directorate is run as cost effectively and efficiently as possible, managing budgets in line with agreed organisational principles and processes, developing and delivering business cases for investment and cost saving proposals as required Actively seek funding to make the charity s resources go further and expand reach and impact. Information Leading a UK-wide information strategy ensuring we target people at key transitions and drive behaviour change in line with social impact objectives. Ensuring effective operational delivery of information services in line with quality standards and value for money. Ensuring that all information is evidence based and effectively integrated across the UK. Driving service improvement, through the implementation of a robust quality and service evaluation programme and design new options for information products and funding streams. Coordinating the formulation of a coherent programme of information activities across the UK, working with colleagues including Country Directors as appropriate. Developing strategies for prioritising, commissioning, publishing and/or promoting information that will inform the work of the MS Society and wider MS community (UK and internationally). Ensuring the priorities of people affected by MS are central to the development and delivery of the information and education work of the MS Society. Operational delivery Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Managing and supporting the Country Directors to ensure that the MS Society s strategic aims, priorities, budget and business plan, outcome and quality standards are achieved. Providing inspirational leadership, engaging and motivating staff and volunteers and leading the team of local and country staff to build a culture of one team across four countries. Organisational standards Developing the MS Society s own procedures, standards and objectives to meet needs, statutory requirements and to establish best practice in MS care and support services, operational delivery and organisational standards. 8

9 Volunteering Leading on volunteer strategy and engagement with circa 9000 volunteers. Branches Strategically lead, build and manage successful relationships with regions and branches and ensure that Country Directors, their staff and branches comply with governance regulations, policies, procedures and quality standards. Leading on core strategy for services and support, addressing gaps in direction to the teams across a wide range of provision. Ensuring that standards, quality and cost impact are monitored. Ensuring co-production and delivery remain relevant and accessible to target group. Jointly responsible with the Director of Fundraising for achievement of income generation targets, including income generation of branches, through restricted funding and product and pipeline development. Ensuring effective risk management arrangements are in place across all services and activities provided by paid staff and volunteers on behalf of the MS Society. Investigating and developing optional organisational and geographical structures to ensure consistency, quality and performance in operational delivery. Financial management Proposing and being accountable for the efficient management of expenditure including effective budget preparation, planning, monitoring and review. Ensuring effective financial and resource management of all budget holders, providing advice and guidance as necessary. Staff Management Leadership, recruitment, development, retention and appraisal of staff in accordance with the standards set out in the Human Resources policies and procedures. 9

10 Person specification The successful candidate will be an experienced individual and a motivational leader, with a background of working at Senior Management level. They will be commercially astute with considerable skills and knowledge of service delivery with the ability to network with senior personnel in the public, private and voluntary sectors. The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate that they understand the challenges that face people with MS in their area, be enthusiastic and passionate about the work that MS Society does and inspired to deliver high positive outcomes for the people with MS we serve through both direct and non direct reporting teams. In order to fulfil the demands of the role, the Executive Director, Services and Support will be able to demonstrate the following: Professional/Technical qualifications Qualified to degree level in relevant discipline with evidence of continuous professional development or, equivalent work experience. Experience A proven track record of success in leading and managing a large geographically dispersed delivery function in the voluntary, public sector or multi-site environment of comparable size and complexity, delivering high quality results to deadlines and with conflicting priorities. Substantial experience of working in a senior team to develop a high level strategy and business plan, and working in unity with the team to communicate and implement the plan. A proven track record in service design, development and innovation. A proven track record in securing restricted funding bids. Experience of developing and implementing outcome frameworks. A proven track record of successfully managing budgets and resources. Experience of managing and mitigating financial and operational risks. A proven track record of working successfully with disparate groups and volunteers. Proven experience of applying effective problem solving techniques when the situation demands. Knowledge and skills Knowledge of health and social policy, and of relevant statutory and voluntary organisations. Sound understanding of the commissioning environment. High level planning, programme and project management skills to control effective use of resources. Outstanding management and positive leadership skills. The ability to drive and embed lasting change. The ability to focus on impact and deliver outstanding results in a team environment and contribute positively as part of a team. Exceptional interpersonal skills, and able to influence/persuade a wide range of stakeholders. Excellent communication skills, written and verbal, with recognised experience of making presentations to diverse, high calibre audiences across different media. The ability to determine decisions, making trade-offs where appropriate and understand the impact on interrelated areas. The ability to work under pressure and adapt to change. 10

11 Employee benefits In return for your hard work, the MS Society will pay you a salary circa 75,000. Holiday 27 days plus 8 bank holidays; three of the annual leave days must be taken between Christmas and New Year, when the MS National Centre and national offices will be closed. Hours of work Full time working hours are 35 per week. Some post holders will be required to work out of hours and at weekends to meet the needs of their posts Pension All new employees will be automatically enrolled on to the pension scheme from their start date with the Society. The minimum employee contribution is 3% of salary and the maximum employer contribution is 6% of salary. If the employee does not wish to contribute to the pension scheme, there will be a process that will automatically be in place for them to follow to opt out of the scheme for a limited period of time. Life Assurance As long as an employee is at least 18 and less than 65, they ll be included in the scheme from the day they join us. A lump sum benefit is payable to the named next of kin on the employee s death of 3 times the basic salary at the date of death. Sickness We operate an occupational sick pay scheme. Season ticket loan We offer an interest free loan to buy annual season tickets for travel to work. This is available once you have completed your probation period. GAYE Employees may give directly to a charity of their choice via the payroll. Emergency loans We offer interest free loans to assist employees with occasional emergencies. Eye care vouchers Eye care vouchers are provided for an eye test. If glasses are required which are specifically needed for your role, then a voucher worth 55 is given. Flexible working Flexible working is supported where it helps meet the aims of the Society. Examples of this include home working and job sharing. Some flexibility in working hours may be possible. Parental leave Employees who meet the qualifying criteria can claim up to 18 working weeks unpaid leave per child under 5, or up to 18 year of age if the child has a disability. Employees can take parental leave in blocks of one week and no more than 4 weeks per year. Childcare vouchers The scheme will enable those with parental responsibilities to pay for the care of children up to the age of 15, or 16 if they are registered disabled. You can choose to take up to a maximum set amount per month of your salary in childcare vouchers, which are exempt from tax and NI. Employee Wellbeing programme The EWP is a personal support programme that gives you access to a range of specialist support and information covering: Finances dealing with debt, budgeting, investments Relationships family, work, partners, friends Health fitness, weight, illness, wellbeing Legal consumer issues, housing, insurance claims etc Family care - childcare, schooling, parenting issues, care for the elderly The EWP service is a UK wide service available to all employees and their immediate family members, as long as they are over 16 years of age and live in the same household. This includes a spouse, partner, siblings, any parent, brother or sister and any legal dependants under the age of 21 years old and in full time education. 11

12 Appointment process To apply for this position, please send a curriculum vitae and supporting statement of no more than two sides of A4, which evidences your suitability for the role against the job description and person specification. You should also include two referees, one of whom should be your current/most recent employer. References will only be taken once your express permission has been granted. If you would like to arrange an informal discussion about the role with the Chief Executive, Michelle Mitchell, please contact Nita Shah, Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive on Applications should be ed to jobs@mssociety.org.uk Closing date: Tuesday 15 April 2014 First interview: Friday 9 May 2014 Second interview: Tuesday 13 May 2014 The MS Society is committed to promoting equality and diversity. 12