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Head of Association

Employer
Birtley Community Association
Location
North East England
Salary
Up to £31,187.11 per annum (four point scale)
Closing date
26 Jul 2021

Birtley Community Association Head of Association Job Application Pack

Dear Applicant

I am delighted that you have shown an interest in the Head of Association role at this exciting and pivotal time for Birtley Community Association, located within the Birtley Community Centre. 

The Trustees are ambitious for the future of the organisation and have recently invested time and resources in the development of a new 3-Year Strategic Plan.

This has created an exciting and exceptional opportunity for the charity, as we now look to recruit a talented leader, with a successful track record of project management, generating income and building partnerships, to grow and expand our services, and ultimately support a wider reach of beneficiaries within the community and surrounding areas.

A charity background is desirable but not essential, we are open to high quality leaders who are looking for a new direction. Over the next 6 months, the priority for the Trustees, Management Committee and Head of Association will be to determine the future strategy as we emerge from the Covid crisis and look to the future. The Head of Association will help shape that strategy and be responsible for its implementation.

Our beneficiaries come from all generations across Birtley, and beyond, but we are particularly keen to invest in our future and will be keen to hear how you might lead the Association in supporting and empowering young people and to be at the heart of our vision and plans.

This is a great role for someone eager to make a significant difference to an amazing community charity, using the resources we have, and the new ones that we’ll be creating, whilst bringing your own skills, experience and passion to make your own mark. 

If you are that person, we believe that we can offer you an outstanding opportunity to develop your career whilst making Birtley Community Association and Centre a beacon of excellence and ensuring a better, brighter and more prosperous future for all those in Birtley.

I look forward to receiving your application.

B. Price

Brenda Price

Trustee and Management Committee Chair

Birtley Community Association

July 2021

HOW TO APPLY

To request an application pack, please email Wendy Taylor-Dodd at wendy@neyouth.org.uk

Applicants should send a copy of their completed application form along with their supporting statement, clearly addressing the person specification (maximum two-sides of A4) to Wendy Taylor-Dodd at wendy@neyouth.org.uk     

Deadline for applications: 12 Noon on Monday 26th July.

Interviews will be held on Tuesday, 3rd August at Birtley Community Centre 

Only shortlisted applicants will be notified.

Job Title:                  Head of Association

Responsible To:      Trustee and Management Committee Chair

Hours:                      37.5 hours per week (Some evening and weekend work)

DBS Status:             Enhanced Disclosure

Salary:                     £28,872.36 - £31,187.11 per annum (four point scale)

Benefits:                 Birtley Community Association operate an auto enrolment pension scheme

Annual Leave:        25 days per year (plus Bank Holidays)

Place of Work:        Birtley Community Centre, Ravensworth Rd, Birtley, Chester-le-Street DH3 1EN

APPLICATION PROCESS

  • Completed application form 
  • Supporting Statement - maximum two sides of A4
  • Applications close - 12 Noon on Monday, 26th July.
  • Interviews to be held - Tuesday, 3rd August at Birtley Community Centre

ABOUT THE ROLE OF OUR NEW HEAD OF ASSOCIATION

We are looking for an inspirational leader to be our new Head of Association to manage day-to-day operations of our organisation. The right candidate must be ready to build and model a great organisational culture, provide inspired leadership to our team, establish a great working relationship with both the Trustees and Management Committee to build on our track record and set a course for the Birtley Community Association and Community Centre’s forward strategy.

Demand for our services continues to grow. We know, especially following the onset and impact of the Covid 19 pandemic that many more children, young people, families and older generations are yet to be aware of the support they could receive and the opportunities they could engage with.

We have ambitious plans to put people, especially young people and families at the heart of everything we do; tackle inequality, so people have a fair chance; support our community to support themselves and each other; invest in our local community to provide sustainable opportunities for employment, innovation and growth and work together and fight for a better future for our local community.

We will build on the outcomes we have achieved to date, by providing more services, particularly for individuals and families affected most recently by the Covid Pandemic and, in general, by disadvantage. We will continue addressing barriers to social mobility, inclusion and diversity affording both individual and families access to existing and emerging support, including developing the opportunities offered by technology and the digital age. 

While our track record is extensive, the landscape we operate in is complex. Funding from central to local government has been progressively reduced, competition for trust, foundation and donor funding has increased while public trust in charities has been challenged. 

While there may be challenges, there are also opportunities aplenty. Our Head of Association will have the vision to lead us through these challenges combined with the planning skills and pragmatism to turn the vision into action, and deliver. 

  • You’ll have a track record in income generation, to ensure we continue to diversify our income sources; 
  • You’ll build on our partnerships locally, regionally and nationally, using your proven networking, negotiating and influencing skills;
  • You’ll be shrewd in balancing quality service delivery and organisational effectiveness, with the acumen to extract meaning from financial reports and ensure value for money in a resource constrained environment;
  • Your outlook will be rooted in the evidence for what works; you’ll be equally happy scrutinising activity and assessing qualitative feedback from our beneficiaries to inform service development;
  • You’ll have an eye for innovation and opportunity, inspired by the prospect of working with the team to identify practices elsewhere and applying them appropriately to our work, including using digital and other technologies;
  • You’ll understand the importance of maintaining a safe, legally compliant working environment, with up-to-date, fit-for-purpose policy and guidance documentation;
  • You’ll be a trusted, proven leader, modifying how you work to enable your highly experienced team to deliver their best, learning and developing their practice along the way;
  • You’ll be adept in promoting a culture of open communication and continuous improvement, in which staff and volunteers’ work is as important as what they do. 


For the successful candidate we offer the opportunity to help shape an even better future for this highly regarded, effective local charity, operating in a friendly, supportive working environment. As an employer, we are as flexible as we can to support all aspects of our staff’s wellbeing. 


Key Areas of Responsibility

Strategic Direction 

  • Supporting the Trustees and Management Committee in their role and responsibilities;
  • Ensuring that the Trustees and Management Committee are kept aware of the changing external environment and the needs of beneficiaries;
  • Preparing, implementing, monitoring and updating strategic and operational plans;
  • Identifying opportunities for providing innovative, relevant and effective services for beneficiaries via a broad range of funding sources and income generation mechanisms. 


Leadership 

  • Providing leadership in the management of change to ensure that the Birtley Community Association (BCA) develops and is well prepared to meet future needs and challenges;
  • Ensuring that staff and volunteers understand and focus on the vision, mission, values and strategy of the BCA; 

  • Providing leadership to encourage, motivate, support and inspire staff and volunteers to enable them to be the best they can be for beneficiaries;
  • Leading the staff team to enable them to be effective and creative;
  • Ensuring good communication and sharing of good practice across the organisation, maintaining an environment that continues to attract and motivate committed and effective staff and volunteers. 

Management

  • Line managing and supporting the members of the staff team;
  • Ensuring staff and volunteers are effectively led, supervised, supported and motivated; 
  • Ensuring that effective procedures exist throughout the organisation for the recruitment, selection, appraisal, training, development and line management of staff whilst ensuring operational plans and objectives are implemented; 
  • Ensuring that the organisation has effective systems for compliance with the requirements of statutory and other regulatory bodies. 


Governance

  • Advising the Trustees and Management Committee and any sub-committees on their legal responsibilities, policy issues related to the work of the organisation and its management; 

  • Ensuring the publication of an Annual Report and Review and financial returns; 
  • Working with the Chair within the Association’s constitution, to recruit, or elect, additional Trustees and Management Committee members, and ensure that all Trustees and Management Committee members are aware of their roles and responsibilities; 

  • Liaising with the Trustees and Management Committee to review regularly the significant risks faced by the organisation - both internal and external - and ensure that systems and policies are put into place to mitigate and lessen identified risks;
  • Ensuring that the Trustees and Management Committee receives relevant and appropriate advice, information and recommendations on strategy, service delivery, development and funding of existing and new services, financial management and human resource issues. 

Finance and Income Generation 

  • Working closely with the Trustees and Management Committee and relevant sub-committees to develop and implement a financial strategy for the organisation in accordance with the Association’s constitution and relevant charity legislation with the aim of achieving long-term sustainability. This will include: 
  • An effective income generation and fundraising strategy, including identifying markets for new services / products and negotiating / winning contracts for services. 
  • Management of financial resources (budget preparation for Board approval, financial reporting and monitoring, including of service contracts). 
  • Appropriate management of reserves within the strategy set by the Trustees and Management Committee;
  • Financial risk management.
  • Maximising income from fundraising, ensuring compliance with best fundraising practice.
  • Actively pursuing new and alternative sources of income for the development of new projects and services and the maintenance of existing services; 
  • Working closely with any relevant finance sub-committee and administration staff to ensure that BCA fulfills all relevant requirements of the Charities Commission, Companies House, HMRC and other relevant bodies;
  • Overseeing the management of premises and other assets. 

PR and Communications 

  • Ensuring that BCA maintains and develops its high public profile and positive reputation;
  • Working to identify, represent and campaign for the rights and aspirations of disadvantaged children, young people, families and individuals across Birtley;
  • Enabling BCA to participate in appropriate local/regional/national campaigns;
  • Working with the staff team to build on, develop and implement effective external and internal communications strategies;
  • Building on and developing a strong, positive public profile;
  • Utilising a broad range of mediums, including digital, to strengthen and amplify the organisation’s message.

Partnerships and Collaboration 

  • Maintaining and developing existing working partnerships with public, private and voluntary/community sector organisations to benefit the lives of beneficiaries;
  • Identifying and building new working partnerships and collaborations to benefit the lives of beneficiaries;
  • Ensuring that BCA remains an active and influential member of relevant local/ regional/national organisations serving children, young people and families and contributes to relevant local partnerships. 


Services 

  • Ensuring systems are in place to support, monitor and evaluate current and potential services and activities;
  • Ensuring that BCA continues to provide high quality services and that all appropriate quality assurance standards are achieved;
  • Ensuring that contracts and agreements for the provision of services are effectively negotiated, secured and monitored;
  • Reviewing the service needs of beneficiaries across Birtley on a regular basis to ensure that our current services remain relevant and to enable us to develop new ones, making optimal use of the available funding and resources. 


Professional and Personal Development

  • Together with the Trustee and Management Committee Chair, be responsible for maintaining their own personal and professional development, including training;
  • To be subject to an annual appraisal and regular supervision; 
  • The post is subject to an enhanced DBS check. 


Additional Tasks 

  • Any other duties as required by the Trustees and Management Committee, which are commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of the post;
  • To undertake all duties in line with BCA’s constitution, policies and procedures.

This job description is intended as a summary of the main elements of the job described and
it may be amended from time to time in consultation with the post holder. 


Working Hours and Location

This position is a 37.5-hour a week full time post primarily based at Birtley Community Centre,Ravensworth Rd, Birtley, Chester-le-Street DH3 1EN. The hours of work are those necessary to fulfill the requirements of the role. This will involve occasional working unsocial hours in evenings and at weekends as well as during the day. 

Organisational Standards

The worker will be expected to work within the principles of Birtley Community Association’s organisational standards and to implement all aspects of its policy. The post will be subject to an enhanced DBS check. 


PERSON SPECIFICATION

The Head of Association is the key leadership role in the organisation. The Head of Association leads the continued development of the Birtley Community Association and is responsible for the management and operation of the organisation, including the services managed; effective and efficient financial control of existing income streams and the development of new income streams; enhancing public profile, including representing the charity across a wide range of external contacts; managing partnerships and collaborations with supporters, customers and funders; ensuring that the organisation continues to be an advocate for carers and a voice for positive change; and further developing and delivering our strategy and aims and objectives. 

You will be an experienced organisational senior manager, experienced in working in a leadership role with evidence of successful results. Experience of the charitable sector supporting children, young people and families is highly desirable, however, for the right candidate, we are open to applications from the wider charitable sector.

You will have both experience and a successful track record in strategic planning, income generation, project management and line management. The role requires you to be an excellent communicator, presenter and team worker, equally capable of working with a high level of independence with a high level of self-motivation and drive, as well as being able to be part of the every day delivery team. You will also be creative, highly organised and resilient, able to juggle multiple organisational priorities and ensure high quality delivery of programmes.

Factor

Essential

Desirable

Assessment

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

  • Educated to degree level or equivalent, or equivalent senior professional experience
  • GCSE or equivalent English Language and Mathematics
  • Evidence of continuous professional development
  • Higher level qualification in a relevant subject
  • Youth Work Qualification (Level 3 or equivalent)

Certificates

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE

  • Senior level experience of organisational and project management with some responsibility to report direct to Trustees or Management Committee
  • Track record of achieving improved service delivery and/or organisational performance
  • Experience of building and maintaining relationships with statutory and/or voluntary commissioners and providers; accountability for public sector contract delivery and compliance 
  • Understanding of youth, childcare provision and wellbeing legal context and issues relating to children, young people and families with needs of all ages, nationally and locally
  • Understanding of charity governance and regulatory context including Charity and/or Company reporting, risk oversight, safeguarding, data management requirements, etc.
  • Knowledge of charity budgeting and principles of financial and management accounting; understanding of accounting principles for different funding sources 
  • Knowledge of business development including tendering, grant and foundation funding, community fundraising; knowledge of good fundraising practice 
  • Knowledge of performance monitoring and evaluation tools including the quantitative and qualitative measurement of outcomes and client feedback techniques 
  • Experience of organisational profile raising 
  • Knowledge of HR practices including around flexible working and staff wellbeing, including mental wellbeing 
  • Leading organisational change in a people focused environment
  • Knowledge of Gateshead and North East youth and childcare and/or voluntary sector landscape

Application

Interview

References

SKILLS & ABILITIES

  • Ability to think strategically combined with proven ability to devise and deliver against short, medium and long-term action plans to achieve objectives 
  • Leadership qualities, evidenced through a track record of successfully motivating staff and/or volunteer workforce, ideally through a period of change or challenge 
  • Proven project management and income generation skills
  • High competence writing and producing complex information for a non-expert audience 
  • Outstanding communication skills, both oral and written to both internal and external audiences 
  • Proven influencing and networking skills that have delivered organisational benefits and which inspire trust and involvement from diverse stakeholders; a proven ambassador 
  • Highly computer literate with an understanding of digital systems/databases 
  • Awareness of social media; understanding of how they can be used to promote audience engagement 
  • A track record of building strong, collaborative relationships 
  • Ability to manage workloads and competing priorities 
  • Ability to work on own initiative as well as part of a team 
  • Enthusiastic, credible, able to motivate and engage people in a professional and enthusiastic way 
  • Skilled negotiator; proven experience negotiating with public sector bodies 
  • Sets and adheres to high standards for self and others; a role model, secure in their own ability 
  • Ability to adopt varied communication and negotiation techniques to achieve desired outcomes
  • Ability to listen actively
  • Commitment to equal opportunities 
  • Strong sense of social purpose 
  • Proven record of staff coaching and development

Application

Interview

References

ATTRIBUTES

  • Willingness to take up relevant training
  • Flexible and adaptable
  • Ability to work in a fast changing environment
  • Open and non-judgmental
  • Innovative and creative with a ‘can do’ approach
  • Friendly, outgoing and confident

 

Application

Interview

References

MOTIVATION

  • An understanding of, and empathy with, the core values of BCA
  • Commitment to providing high quality services to children, young people, families and the wider community
  • Commitment to working with children, young people, families and community groups in a way, which is empowering, enabling and actively enhances accessibility and equality of opportunity

Application

Interview

References

HEALTH

  • Being in general good health and able to meet the requirements of the post

Application

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Ability and willingness to travel around the locality and region to build excellent relationships with regional funders, stakeholders and new business leads
  • Willingness to work flexible hours
  • Required to undertake and satisfactorily complete an enhanced DBS disclosure
  • Clean driving license

Application

Interview

Key Relationships

Board and Governance

  • Brenda Price – Trustee & Management Committee Chair
  • Trustees
  • Damian Adams – Treasurer
  • Members of elected Management Committee

   

Staff Team

  • Office/Finance Administrator
  • Employed Youth Workers
  • Caretaker
  • Volunteers
  • Cleaner

   

Partners

  • External Consultants
  • External Partnership Organisations and Agencies
  • Beneficiaries
  • Childcare & Activities/Club Partners

 

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