Chief Officer – Halifax Society for the Blind
Closing date: Thursday 13 April 2023
Location: Halifax
Hours: Full time
Salary: £31,000-£35,000 per annum
Contract: Permanent
Interview date: Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 April 2023
We are looking for a Chief Officer to support us to continue on the next leg of our journey, helping the charity to develop the services we plan to offer from our new town centre premises, due to open in June. This is an exciting opportunity for the right candidate to build on the great work of this long established charity. The successful candidate will be a passionate person with good business acumen, capable of leading a great staff and volunteer team as well as developing good relationships with all our stakeholders, especially our service users.
Background information
Halifax Society for the Blind CIO provides a range of services to support people with sight loss living within the Calderdale area. Our aims include the provision of support, opportunity, learning, and friendship to people with a visual impairment. Working with partners we aim to maintain people’s independence as much as is possible. Our staff work alongside volunteers to ensure our members receive high quality services tailored to individual needs.
Main purpose of the role
To maintain and develop the delivery of outstanding services to the HSB Community, taking overall responsibility for the effective operation of the charity reporting to the Chair and Board of Trustees.
Responsible for ensuring financial control, supporting, and advising on good governance across all aspects of the charity. Development and delivery of successful fundraising strategies including applications to funding opportunities. Support and leadership for the staff team. Overseeing all functions of the organisation including the delivery of strategic and operational plans. Recording, developing and implementation of monitoring/evaluation systems. Support and advising the Board of Trustees. Developing positive relationships within statutory and voluntary sector organisations. Representing the organisation at virtual and face to face local, regional, and national events. Represent the views of the wider vision-impaired community in public consultations and engagements on matters that affect their lives and advocate for their needs to be met.
Any others duties deemed necessary in the changing needs or development of the Charity.
Main duties include:
- Work with, and for, the members of the HSB community.
- Take responsibility for all aspects of running the charity.
- Ensure the Charity complies with all health and safety requirements, including fire safety regulations and procedures.
- Ensure the café and social events are properly prepared, served and safeguarded in line with appropriate food hygiene and safety standards.
- Line manage the Operations Manager.
- Line manage the Facilities Manager.
- Attend internal and external committees and working groups.
Management of premises
- Work closely with the Facilities Manger to ensure the building is properly cleaned and maintained, both indoors and outdoors.
- To ensure that all work is undertaken in accordance with and safety legislation rules and regulations.
- Maintenance programmes are planned around Members needs.
- Nominated key holder.
Management of staff and volunteers
- Supervise and support staff and volunteers, empowering them to contribute, to the best of their ability, to the efficient running of the charity and the creation of the right atmosphere.
- To ensure staff appraisals, training and development activities take place appropriately.
- Take responsibility for the management of specific staffing matters.
- To lead on the organisation’s performance management processes including appraisals and work reviews.
Administration and Finance
- Management of the charity’s staffing, financial and material resources, including involvement in staff recruitment and selection. To ensure value for money and best use of resources.
- Maintain the administrative systems for keeping records, particularly those required to comply with current legislation including service level agreements.
- Produce and maintain the operational policies and procedures needed to run the charity effectively and efficiently, and to achieve legal compliance.
- Ensure compliance with Charity Commission and fiscal regulations.
- Research and apply for funding opportunities including development of partnerships which directly and indirectly affect positive provision for our members.
- Monitor and evaluate service provision with and for our members.
- Seek out, develop and maintain working relationships which will benefit the members of the HSB community.
- Adhere to and support HSB’s core values and carry out all responsibilities within accordance with our Equality and Diversity Policy.
Person Specification
E = Essential Requirement
D = Desirable Requirement
| Experience and Qualifications | |
| Previous management experience at a senior level | E |
| Educated to degree level or equivalent professional qualification | D |
| Experience of producing written and electronic based reports | E |
| Experience of business planning and major successful fundraising | E |
| Experience of networking and developing partnerships locally and nationally | E |
| Experience of working in the field of visual impairment | D |
| Experience in financial management | E |
| Experience in health & safety | E |
| Experience in employment law and related personnel matters | D |
| Proven presentation skills | D |
| Commitment to own, and Team, continuing professional development, attendance at further training and membership of peer networks | E |
| Skills and Abilities | |
| Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in a structured way with a range of individuals, both verbally and in writing | E |
| Ability to listen and empathise whilst remaining objective | E |
| Ability to write successful bids and applications | E |
| Ability to collate and record statistical information to meet monitoring requirements | E |
| IT literate across a number of platforms and willing to learn specialised software | E |
| Ability to work corporately and represent HSB at corporate and service level | E |
| Ability to prioritise and manage own workload | E |
| Qualities and Competencies | |
| Positive, pro-active, dynamic and self-motivated in order to drive HSB forward | E |
| Personal commitment to equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practices | E |
| Inclusive and flexible, with a consultative approach to leadership | E |
| A commitment to empowerment and empathy for others | E |
| Conscientious and thorough in record keeping, data collection and data protection to support service delivery and development | |
| Other Requirements | |
| Ability to travel for events such as training, forums etc | E |
| Appointment is subject to an Enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references, including a reference from your current/most recent employer | E |
| Due to the nature of our work, guide dogs will regularly be present. Hence, it is necessary that the successful applicant does not have any unmanageable allergies to dogs and does not object to them accompanying their owners around the building | E |
Apply
Please complete the Word application form and email to Jacqui Farmer by 5pm on 13 April.
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