Chief executive Officer Candidate Briefing Pack

www.spinal.co.uk

Contents

Letter from the Chair of Trustees .......................................................................................................... 1

About the Spinal Injuries Association .................................................................................................... 2

Our Vision, Purpose and Values .................................................................................................... 3

Our Strategy and Strategic Objectives ........................................................................................... 4

Role Description .......................................................................................................................... 5

Person Specification ..................................................................................................................... 7

SIA Organogram by role ............................................................................................................... 9

Salary & Benefits….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..10

Application process .................................................................................................................... 10

Recruitment timetable………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..10

Candidate Brief | Spinal Injuries Association

Page 1

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR of trustees

Dear Candidate

Thank you for your interest in joining the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) and I hope that you will find this candidate pack informative and useful in supporting your decision to apply. This is a very exciting time for us as, whilst we have a forty-year track record, we have embarked on our ambitious five year strategy; an ambition built on experience. We are looking for a new Chief Executive Officer who is an energetic and enthusiastic leader, is forward thinking and who can realise our strategic ambitions for us. The Chief Executive Officer will play a critical role in strengthening our business, broadening our funder and sponsor base, growing our annual income and raising our public profile. Simply put, they will ensure we are a dynamic national charity of the future and take us through this next exciting phase of our development. Every year in the UK approximately 2,000 people sustain a spinal cord injury. The damage can result in partial or complete paralysis (paraplegia or tetraplegia), and leads to voluntary loss of muscle movement, sensation and control of bodily functions below the level of the injury. It can happen to anyone at any age and at any time, either through an accident or by specific diseases or as a consequence of treating other medical conditions. It is life-changing, but not life ending. With rehabilitation and support people can adapt to their condition and go on to live fulfilling lives – contributing to every facet of society. SIA is the expert voice and leading source of support and information for people with spinal cord injury and their families. From injury, through rehabilitation and beyond, we support people to lead fulfilled lives. Being a user-led organisation is important to us and we now have over 10,500 members, the majority of whom are spinal cord injured. SIA has credibility and expertise on spinal cord injury, an extensive network of contacts across the health and social care sectors, and support from a valuable range of individuals and corporate partners. We have the potential and the ambition to build further support and expand the reach and effectiveness of our services. I hope you will find the challenge of leading SIA one that really appeals to you. If it does, then we

would very much like you to apply.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Dr Rupert Earl Chair, Spinal Injuries Association

Candidate Brief | Spinal Injuries Association

2

About us

For over forty years, the Spinal Injuries Association has been at the forefront of providing advice and

support to spinal cord injured people following an injury or diagnosis and for the rest of their lives.

We passionately believe that those with spinal cord injury (SCI) have an absolute right to lead a fulfilled

and independent life, playing a role in society and contributing how they choose.

Today the need is as great as ever; in the UK approximately 2,000 people a year experience a spinal

cord injury and there are in excess of 40,000 people living with SCI. There is currently no cure for

paralysis, but we know that with appropriate support and advice, people with SCI can lead fulfilling

and independent lives. Living at home independently, being in work, and playing a full role in family

life are all possible. But for some that’s not easily achievable and advice and support are needed. For

others, discrimination and inequality still exist, and for yet others with complex care needs the fight

for an adequate care package is paramount. Many with new injuries don’t even get access to a NHS

Spinal Cord Injury Centre for specialist rehabilitation, or face barriers to fundamental care needs in

non-specialist hospitals.

We show people that they are not alone in their disability. Our Peer Support Officers – who all have

personal lived experience of SCI – provide inspiration and support to people with SCI as they adjust to

the new challenges of everyday life. Our website and Freephone Advice Line provides support on

issues such as bladder and bowel management, house adaptations, or accessible holidays, whilst our

Advocacy service and Nurse Specialists support proper access to care and services for our members.

Our Public Affairs team campaigns for change and fairness – such as ensuring that everyone injured

has access to a specialist NHS Spinal Cord Injury Centre, or protecting people’s rights to suitable care.

We currently have over 10,500 members, of which over 7,500 have a spinal cord injury. More than

50% of our staff and 80% of our trustees are spinal cord injured. The daily experiences of our members

– their concerns, challenges and aspirations – drive our vision for a fulfilled life for everyone affected

by SCI.

Activity highlights from our 2016-2017 annual report:

4,733 sessions of peer support provided to newly injured people and their families

140 spinal cord injured people supported by our SCI Specialist Nurse service

216 healthcare professionals attended clinical education/training days

169 telephone counselling support sessions provided to SCI people and family members

175 people received specialist support with NHS Continuing Healthcare or Social Care issues

1,655 calls made to our Advice Line and covered a range of topics

2,090 people used our SIA Healthcare home delivery service

A full copy of our 2016-2017 annual report can be viewed here

Candidate Brief | Spinal Injuries Association

3

Our Vision, PURPOSE, AND Values

Our Vision:

Is a fulfilled life for everyone affected by spinal cord injury

Our Purpose:

To be in partnership with the spinal cord injured community to create quality and equality of life by

campaigning, educating and supporting.

Our Values:

We will:

Work together in an environment built on RESPECT and mutual support

Always be USER LED in our decision making and development

EMPOWER SCI people as the experts in managing their lives

Be COMMITTED to the ever-changing needs of SCI people by campaigning for the best

treatment and care

CHALLENGE perceptions and behaviours towards SCI, ensuring a more INCLUSIVE society

Have INTEGRITY in our work, collaborating with others where a greater impact can be achieved

Candidate Brief | Spinal Injuries Association

4

Our strategy

The concept of ‘Fulfilled Lives’ has been central to our history and makes a fitting title for our five-year

strategy. It draws on the user-led passion of our membership, the expertise of the professionals we

work with and all the evidence we gather from spinal cord injured people and their families about

their everyday lives. It builds on the success of our existing services and focusses directly on the issues

that matter most to SCI people, so that we can deliver the greatest impact where it is needed most.

We recognise that successful delivery of our strategy does not depend solely on the design of our

services. We also need to build engagement with the SCI community and develop our own

organisational strength to deliver the strategy in a sustainable way.

Our strategic objectives are spread across four key themes:

Impact – making the biggest difference on the issues that matter most.

Delivery – focussed and effective services.

People – harnessing the enthusiasm and expertise of the wider SIA team.

Resources – modern and robust business practices and a long-term approach to sustainable income

generation.

The first two of these themes are externally focussed on making the right impact on the lives of SCI

people; the second two are the internal foundations SIA needs to ensure we can carry this ambition

through.

Our strategic objectives

The key objectives of our five-year strategy are to:

Influence the quality of health and care services receive by spinal cord injured people

Support the wellbeing of spinal cord injured people and their families

Enhance the inclusivity of spinal cord injured people in society

Build engagement with SIA to make our voice stronger

Deliver our existing and new high impact services to support spinal cord injured people

Work in partnership with key stakeholders in the spinal cord injured community

Harness the expertise and enthusiasm of the wider SIA team to deliver change

Grow SIA’s revenue streams to provide a robust and sustainable platform for success

The goals that will help us achieve these objectives are as set out in our Strategic Plan for 2017–2022

(entitled ‘Fulfilled Lives’), a copy of which can be viewed here. Please note that the figures quoted in

the Strategy document in relation to the incidence of those sustaining SCIs per annum have been

increased in this document to reflect more recently available data.

Candidate Brief | Spinal Injuries Association

5

ROLE DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Chief Executive Officer

Reporting to: Chair of the Spinal Injuries Association

Responsible to: SIA Board of Trustees (known as the Governing Council)

Location: Milton Keynes with some travel as required

Purpose of the Role:

Provide strategic leadership and direct operations of the organisation in accordance with its policies to achieve its objectives as expressed in our Strategic Plan.

Continue to grow and develop the organisation through ambitious service development which responds to the needs of SIA members.

Ensure the Charity’s financial sustainability is fit for the future through a strengthened portfolio of income.

Be the public face of the Charity, championing its purpose and activities and increasing its influence amongst key decision makers/stakeholders.

Be responsible for the management and administration of SIA in the execution of Board policies.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategy, Planning & Purpose Develop, implement and deliver strategic plans and programmes to ensure the Charity’s vision and purpose is successfully fulfilled. Develop innovative, evidence-based programmes and services that improve outcomes for those affected by spinal cord injury, keeping their ‘collective voice’ at the centre of everything we do.

Grow the Charity’s income streams and reserves to a sustainable scale and impact; ensure there is engagement across a wide range of relevant sectors so as to diversify and grow SIA’s supporter base. Be responsible for the overall financial health and business management of the organisation, employing sound financial discipline and strong risk management approaches to deliver balanced budgets. With the Executive and Wider Leadership teams, prepare annual business plans/budgets for review and approval by the Trustee board. Foster an open, transparent and values-driven culture, ensuring SIA acts with fairness and probity in all matters and champions diversity and inclusion – underpinned by a strong commitment to equalities.

Candidate Brief | Spinal Injuries Association

6

Leadership Employing a listening-collaborative leadership style you will provide clear, and inspirational support and guidance to SIA’s Executive and Leadership teams to drive the organisation’s priorities. Through motivation and empowerment of staff and volunteers you will engender a culture of devolved leadership and ownership – underpinned by collaborative and cross-team working. With coaching and mentoring at the heart of staff and volunteer development you will build on and enhance the skills of SIA’s Leadership team, ensuring they have the tools necessary to deliver excellent services based on proactive engagement. Through an embedded culture of high performance and risk management across the whole organisation, you will ensure a climate prevails that promotes creativity, innovation, accountability and continual learning.

Influencing & Relationships Act as the spokesperson of all those affected by spinal cord injury, advocating on their behalf and bringing strong influence to bear on relevant agencies/groups/public/private bodies to ensure their aspirations are fully realised.

Establish new, and strengthen existing, external relationships in order to promote SIA’s profile, influence and reputation, and aid income generation. Seek out and develop partnership opportunities with like-minded organisations and with other

relevant commercial or institutional bodies relevant to spinal cord injury.

Communicate the key expertise of the organisation to sector audiences via conferences, publications and other opportunities, presenting SIA as being the ‘go to’ organisation for all matters SCI.

Governance

Work with the Chair to maintain high standards of governance to ensure the Board fulfils its constitutional, regulatory and legal requirements.

Support and advise Trustees on the strategic direction of the Charity and develop policy proposals for Board discussion and decision.

Ensure appropriate reporting to Trustees on all aspects of financial and organisational activity against agreed performance indicators so as to facilitate informed decision making. Ensure SIA has excellent governance and risk management arrangements embedded across the organisation at all times. Ensure statutory and regulatory duties are observed and that strategic and operational objectives are timely, clear, relevant and robustly implemented.

Ensure an annual calendar of meetings of the Board and its principal sub-committees is in place.

Candidate Brief | Spinal Injuries Association

7

Management Ensure the organisation’s policies, systems and processes are up to date and relevant in the current business environment and that the organisation is managed in line with current best practice, including effective risk management. Provide leadership to five direct reports, ensuring their performance is proactively managed and that their roles are well defined and aligned with SIA’s Strategic and Delivery Plans at all times. Act as the principal advisor to the Trustees on matters relating to remuneration and appropriate

reward arrangements for these and other roles across the organisation.

Ensure all SIA staff and volunteers are appropriately trained, providing opportunities for their ongoing personal development in line with SIA’s Strategic and Delivery plans.

Maintain oversight of the quality and impact measures of the services provided by the charity to ensure maximum impact.

Plan and monitor resources to improve services and respond to new business opportunities.

Person specification

Essential Experience

Proven track record of leadership as CEO or as a senior director in a large organisation in the charitable, public or private sector.

An exceptional track record in driving and growing substantial income, including experience of commercial revenue generation in the voluntary sector and/or social enterprise.

Evidence of successful financial management and commercial astuteness and the ability to develop, manage and report upon budgets.

Experience of leading a diverse range of business functions and achieving positive results in delivering specialist programmes.

Experience and evidence of leading, inspiring, motivating and empowering teams (staff and volunteers) to achieve high performance.

Politically astute with a proven track record of operating in a high-profile role and demonstrable skills in influencing and motivating the thinking of political and commercial decision makers – including at Board level.

Proven experience of fostering excellent relationships at Board level and of providing professional advice and guidance on matters affecting the business, including compliance with all aspects of corporate governance, regulations and legislation.

Evidence of commitment to and promotion of diversity and inclusivity of opportunity.

Candidate Brief | Spinal Injuries Association

8

Skills & Abilities

Highly committed, with exceptional programme and project management, organisational planning and work prioritisation skills and the ability to successfully deliver on a full and varied workload.

Ability to contribute positively and effectively to organisational culture including staff and volunteer teams, driving them to work in a collaborative way to deliver improved business services.

Evidence of clear and creative strategic thinking and delivering the strategic vision and goals of organisations.

Excellent understanding of commercial issues facing charities in the current context of financial needs, fundraising regulation and business opportunities.

A track record and proven examples of first class interpersonal, communication, influencing and relationship management skills.

Ability to instil confidence and trust in others and demonstrably acts with determination, tact, diplomacy and integrity across the full range of business issues.

Proven ambassadorial and networking skills; displays gravitas in public speaking and can inspire and influence others through their presentations.

Personal Qualities

Has a values-driven leadership style, is resilient and copes well under pressure.

An inspiring and credible leader able to motivate and communicate passion and conviction to senior managers, the broader organisation and key stakeholders.

Commercial and political acumen with a good balance of strategic and operational focus.

Has a genuine empathy with and demonstrable understanding of the pressures and challenges faced by spinal cord injured people.

Candidate Brief | Spinal Injuries Association

9

CEO

Director of Services & Operations

Head of Peer Support

Peer Support Coordinators

Peer Support Officers

SCI Specialist Nurses

Education & Training

Coordinator

SCI Nurse Adviser

HR & Volunteer

Coordinator

Advocacy Manager

Advice Line Officer

CHC Caseworker

Social Care Caseworker

Telephone Counselling Consultant

IT Consultant

Head of Public Affairs & Policy

Campaigns Manager

CHC AdviserPublic Affairs

Officer

Head of Finance

Finance Assistants

Director of Fundraising &

Marketing

Corporate Fundraising

Manager

Events Coordinator

Corporate Fundraising Coordinator

Trusts Manager

Trusts Coordinator

Community Fundraising

Manager

Community Fundraising

Officer

Individual Giving

Manager

Data & Supporter Care Coordinators

Head of Marketing & Communications

Website & Digital Communications

Lead

Publications Manager

Communications & PR Officer

Governance & Facilities Manager

PA to CEO

National SCI Database

Project Consultant

SIA Organogram by role

Direct reports

Candidate Brief | Spinal Injuries Association

Spinal Injuries Association | SIA House | 2 Trueman Place, Oldbrook, Milton Keynes MK6 2HH T: 01908 604191 E: sia@spinal.co.uk Twitter: @spinal injuries Facebook: Spinal Injuries Association

Registered Charity No: 1054097 Registered Company No: 3175203

SALARY & BENEFITS

This post is based at SIA House in Milton Keynes however some travel will be required. This is a full time, permanent position offered at a salary of up to £75k per annum. A fixed-term contract can be considered where appropriate and provided that suits both parties. The contractual hours of work are 37.5 hours per week but given the seniority of the role this will need some flexibility; there will be some evening and weekend work involved, but as the CEO you will very much determine the extent of this. Benefits include 33 days annual leave (increasing incrementally to 38 days) including paid Bank Holidays, access to group Pension & Life Assurance schemes and free car parking.

application Process

If you would like to apply for this challenging but rewarding role please send your CV (no more than

three pages, including details of three referees) with a supporting statement (no more than two

pages), addressing how you meet the criteria and telling us why you are interested in the role.

Documents to be sent with a covering email to Helen Maxwell at h.maxwell@spinal.co.uk by

midnight on 30th September 2018.

If you would like to have an informal conversation before submitting your application, please

contact Helen Maxwell via email who will be happy to facilitate this for you.

Recruitment Timetable

Closing date Midnight 30th September 2018 Preliminary Interviews 22nd and 24th October 2018 Final Interviews 29th October 2018