Chief Executive Officer

Our organisation is the only UK charity dedicated solely to the welfare of songbirds.

There has been a crash in our rural and urban songbird population over the last 50 years. Wild birds are bio-indicators, meaning that their numbers are a good reflection of the health of wildlife in the wider countryside. This rapid decline in songbird numbers shows that our wildlife, as a whole, is suffering.

The principle objective of the charity is to halt the decline of song and other small bird populations across the British Isles, and then sustain and grow their numbers. With our 1,700 members, we are the voice for songbirds. We fund rigorous, scientific research that advances our objective, and we raise awareness of songbirds’ plight.

We want to accelerate and expand our work, and so we are now recruiting our first Chief Executive Officer to take the charity to the next level – raising more income, increasing our membership, funding more research and driving attention to the decline of songbirds.

Our CEO must be a charismatic, energetic and astute team player with proven vision, leadership qualities, drive and creative flair.

Key details

Role: CEO – conservation charity dedicated to songbirds' survival

Salary: £50,000 - £55,000, plus travel expenses

Contract: Permanent, full time, with occasional and weekend work

Location: Home-working, with regular travel to attend events and meetings

Amongst other criteria, the successful candidate will have:

• A track record of successfully spotting opportunities, developing vision and strategy, translating it into operational plans and then implementing
• Commercial acumen, with a track record in successful income generation / fundraising
• Demonstrable track record of success at a senior level within an organisation (ideally a charity)
• Experience of staff management and development, financial management and planning, and strategic planning
• Experience of negotiating and influencing at a strategic level, building collaborative relationships and effective partnerships
• Excellent verbal, written and digital communication skills – experience of public speaking experience, producing articles and press releases and dealing with the media

If you would like to receive an Information Pack for this role with details on how to apply, please send an expression of interest and (optional but appreciated) a CV or professional profile in confidence to our consultant, Jenny Hills at executive@harrishill.co.uk

For an informal and confidential conversation about this position, please contact Jenny at the above address with your number and suitable times to speak. You can also call her on 0207 820 7321 but please be aware the line can be busy so a pre-arranged call is the best way to ensure availability.

Please note: responding to this advertisement will not in itself be considered an application. We will need a CV and a supporting statement addressing the full person specification in the information pack.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 9^th November 2020