Chief Executive of the North West Police Benevolent Fund

The North West Police Benevolent Fund is looking to recruit a Chief Executive.

This is a new position, which will provide the successful candidate with the opportunity to lead the Fund through one of the most exciting and dynamic periods in its history.

About the Fund:

The object of the Fund is to:

“Relieve North West Police Benevolent Fund members of Cheshire Constabulary, Greater Manchester Police, Merseyside Police, Lancashire Constabulary, National Crime Agency, Cumbria Constabulary and previous police forces amalgamated with the constituent forces, together with their dependants, who are in a condition of need and hardship. To provide for the relief of sickness or injury through the provision of facilities for convalescence and rehabilitation.”

The Fund provides a range of services across the North West to member officers and their dependents, including convalescence (through convalescence breaks and holiday lodges), grants and interest free loans, physiotherapy, a counselling service and a wheelchair loan service. The Fund’s flagship new facility at Langho, Lancashire, which was opened in 2017, provides a base for the Fund and its clinical services. The Chief Executive will be based at Langho.

The Fund has a sound financial platform providing a consistent annual surplus, but demand for its services is increasing at the same time as its income is declining (down 36% between 2012 and 2016). Income for 2017 was £1.43m and total expenditure £1.18m

An independent review of the Fund was carried out during August-October 2018. This identified 19 recommendations in relation to all aspects of the Fund’s work. The recruitment of a Chief Executive is one of the Review’s priority recommendations, with the expectation that they will then lead the implementation of the remaining recommendations. The Review report and recommendations will be made available to candidates prior to interview.

Role Specification:

Purpose:

The Chief Executive is to take the Fund forward through the successful implementation of a major strategic change programme – including implementing the remaining eighteen recommendations from the independent review – to ensure that the Fund is maximally effective and fit for the future.

Strategy and change:

• Lead strategic programmes to allow the Fund to respond to the changing challenges of policing, including increasing both Fund membership and the range of services it provides.
• Lead a programme to build the Fund’s fundraising capability, including diversifying its sources of income.
• Work closely with the Chair and Board of Trustees to oversee an ambitious programme of reform to how the Board operates. This includes overhauling Board governance structures and processes, formalising the Board’s approach to risk, and reforming the membership of the Board including the introduction of ‘lay’ Trustees (currently all Trustees are either serving or former police officers). Taken together, these processes are intended to ensure that the Fund follows best practice in relation to governance, accountability and the role of Trustees.
• Review – and if required re-shape, the organisation to support the implementation of the above changes

Leadership and management (including finance):

• Provide dynamic, effective leadership to the Fund’s staff in a way which allows them to realise their ambitions for improving the service they provide to members.
• Lead the development of a rigorous, data-driven reporting infrastructure in relation to all of the Fund’s work (both income and service provided). This will involve bringing together different data systems and operational processes used to manage different Fund services.
• Maintain robust financial controls over the Fund, linked to an appropriate risk management approach.
• To ensure that the Fund continues to meet its obligations to the Charities Commission and other external parties.

External Relations:

• Ensure that the Fund engages proactively with a range of partners, including member forces (including at the most senior levels), partner charities and members.
• Ensure that the Fund’s external communications are effective in supporting its overall objectives.
• Represent the Fund in discussions with local and national leaders across the public, private and charitable sectors, and to act as ambassador for the Fund.

For more information, please see the attached document.

To apply, please upload your CV along with a covering letter by the 10th December 2018.