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Chief Executive
Appointment Brief
May 2015
Introduction
Dear Prospective Candidate,
Thank you for your interest in the Chief Executive position
with Winston’s Wish.
Winston’s Wish is the largest provider of in depth therapeutic
services to bereaved children and their families in the UK.
Every day more than 100 children lose a parent. Our aim is
to reach as many of these children as possible.
We have grown organically as an organisation and through our
range of services now support over 30,000 bereaved children
and young people each year. We have grown from being a single
county based service operating in Gloucestershire to now
delivering services across the UK, with teams located in South
East and the North West. Building on our previous successes
we are now strategically focussed on further developing the
geographical reach of our services to help many more
thousands of children begin to live with their loss.
As we continue to extend our services and reach, the need
to generate increased and sustainable funding is, of course,
ever more critical. Going forward there is plenty of opportunity
for growth, but there is also a need to consolidate the
organisation - ensuring that the infrastructure, reporting
and impact measurement tools are all fit for purpose.
The appointment of a new Chief Executive comes at a critical
time for us as we seek to enhance the sustainability of our
existing activities, whilst navigating what has historically been
a regionally focused operation into a national charity. We are
looking for an individual that not only has the required experience
but is also committed to providing solid and stable leadership
throughout this period of growth and change.
We’re on a really exciting journey and we’re looking for someone
who will find the challenge of leading Winston’s Wish an appealing
proposition. If you do, you are guaranteed an exciting and
rewarding experience with a growing, progressive and forward
thinking organisation.
Barbara Want
Chair
May 2015
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Who we are
Winston’s Wish was set up in 1992 to
meet the needs of bereaved children,
young people and their families.
The idea took root when clinical
psychologist, Julie Stokes, visited
the USA and Canada on a Winston
Churchill Travelling Fellowship.
Inspired by the services she saw there, she returned
to the UK and set up Winston’s Wish. ‘Churchill’
quickly metamorphosed into ‘Winston’ – a bear –
who became our mascot. We say it is Winston’s
‘wish’ that every bereaved child should receive the
help they need to cope with the death of someone
important in their lives.
We offer practical and therapeutic face to face
support in individual and group settings and via
our national Helpline, website and extensive range
of publications. Our expertise is also sought by
many professionals and organisations throughout
the UK and overseas.
We know from experience that providing the right
support at the right time can have a life-changing
impact on bereaved children and young people.
Studies show that if childhood grief is not dealt with
appropriately it can have a deep and lasting effect
on a child’s emotional well-being later in life, often
resulting in anger, depression, sleeping difficulties,
relationship problems and mental health issues.
We believe that children need support to make sense
of death so that they can rebuild their lives and look
forward to a hopeful future.
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Our services
Helpline
Our national Helpline offers support, information
and guidance to anyone caring for or supporting
a bereaved child or young person.
Face to face support
We offer a range of face to face support services and
are always working hard to extend the programmes
we have on offer to children and families, whether in
an individual or group based setting.
Our face to face support is offered in each of our 3
localities, through our ‘drop-in’ service and through
one to one support with our trained practitioners.
In addition through our partnerships with Victim
Support, Help for Heroes and Ellipse we offer face
to face support for our specialist programmes
supporting bereavement through suicide, murder &
manslaughter and in military families across the UK.
Our face to face programmes help a child and their
family to understand the impact of the death of
someone close on their lives and their relationships.
At the same time we help them to recognise and
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manage difficult feelings and behaviours in relation
to their grief and give them coping strategies for
the future. We also help to reduce the feelings of
isolation by providing the opportunity to meet with
other children and families who have similar
shared experiences.
Fundamentally we support the re-building of
confidence and resilience in young lives shattered by
bereavement helping to bring a more hopeful future.
Training and publications
We offer a range of resources and training
opportunities for those involved in the support
of bereaved children and young people such
as teachers and social workers.
For more information on Winston’s Wish
and the services we provide please visit
www.winstonswish.org.uk
Income
In 2013/14 Winston’s Wish received £1.9 million of incoming resources (an increase
of 5%on last year) and also spent £1.9 million delivering services. We remain
focused on managing our funds astutely to enable us to provide secure and
sustainable services for families in need of support after experiencing life-changing
bereavement.
Expenditure £1,915,129
Charitable and
support services:
For every £1 we spend, 73p
goes on direct delivery – an
increase of 4p on last year
Cost of generating
funds:
73%
£1,389,580
24%
3%
£463,377
Income £1,915,556
Voluntary
donations:
£62,172
For every £1 we spend on
fundraising, we raise £4.11 –
an increase of 10p on last year
Clinical services &
publications:
92%
£1,756,972
7%
£132,765
Governance
costs:
Other income &
investment gains:
1%
£25,819
comprising:
• Trust & grants £767,045
• Individual donations £584,349
• Corporate donations £242,829
• Events £162,749
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DID YOU KNOW?
We rely almost entirely on voluntary
donations to provide our range of
childhood bereavement services.
Organagram
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Role description
Position Title: Chief Executive
Role Summary:
Location: Flexible location with strong presence
in Cheltenham required and frequent travel
across the UK
• Building on our substantial achievements, we are
Reporting to: Chair of the Board of Trustees
• With overall accountability for all areas of our
Direct Reports: Head of Clinical Services,
Head of Fundraising, Communications &
Marketing Manager, Finance Manager,
Executive Office Manager
seeking an inspiring and committed new Chief
Executive to further develop our impact and reach
work you will provide inspirational leadership
in a period of growth and lead, manage and
inspire employees and volunteers across the
organisation
• You will devise and deliver a strategic plan that
will enable Winston’s Wish to achieve its agreed
objectives and its aim to become an organisation
that effectively influences child bereavement
support nationally
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Role description
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Main Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
• Working with the Board of Trustees to design and
implement the strategic plan for Winston’s Wish
• Lead the development and promotion of our
strategic vision, ensuring that the necessary
organisational development and operational
systems are in place to turn strategy into reality
• To provide sound leadership to the organisation
at all levels, ensuring all staff and volunteers
are inspired, motivated, valued and performing
to their full potential
• Ensure that Winston’s Wish is able to innovate
and respond quickly and effectively to external
initiatives and potential partnership opportunities
Income Generation
• To ensure Winston’s Wish has an ambitious,
qualified and long term fundraising strategy
to secure income from trusts, foundations,
statutory sources and individuals
• To develop and grow our sustainable income
capacity and ensure financial targets are met
• Represent Winston’s Wish at appropriate events,
developing links and partnerships that will
generate income for the charity and help raise
our profile
• To maintain robust financial controls over the
charity, develop and implement appropriate risk
management systems and sound administrative
processes
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Governance and Team Leadership
• To provide inspirational leadership that will enable
Winston’s Wish to grow as an organisation
• To lead the Senior Management Team,
and manage all operational activities, monitoring
and reporting to the Board on performance
against objectives
• To attend contribute and participate in Trustee
meetings and keep the Board abreast of any
matters which are considered to present
significant opportunities, risks or on which
further guidance is required
• To provide, commission and oversee any training
and development for all staff in support of the
vision, values and priorities of Winston’s Wish
External Relationships
• To have overall responsibility for developing an
effective marketing and communications strategy
including an advocacy role for the organisation
• To enable Winston’s Wish to clearly articulate
and package their offer and services internally
and externally
• To identify and build partnerships that will enable
Winston’s Wish to influence child bereavement
support on a national level
• To represent the interests of Winston’s Wish
externally, developing the charity’s public and
media profile, as well as its reputation with
Government, stakeholders and other partner
organisations
Person specification
Experience and Skills Required
Skills/Attitudes
Experience
• Outstanding communication, interpersonal and
networking skills
• Experience of strategic leadership in an
organisation where growth and income generation
are key features
• Senior management experience within a
not for profit organisation or comparable SME
• Strong commercial acumen
• Goal orientated, entrepreneurial and enthusiastic
• High energy levels, resilience and tenacity
• Ability to balance inward and outward focus
• Experience of identifying and securing new
income streams to enable strategic growth
• Intellectual curiosity
• Experience of developing/achieving strategic
plans whilst managing a wide range of shorter
term operational demands
• Stature and presence, with the ability to engender
the respect of others
• Experience of identifying and building partnerships
with external stakeholders
• Evidence of ability to drive and grow organisational
performance
• Confident public speaker with good presentation
and networking skills
• Able to provide and articulate a clear direction.
• Genuine empathy and commitment to the vision
and mission of Winston’s Wish
Salary and Benefits
• Circa £75,000 per annum
• 30 days holiday
• Stakeholder pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Childcare vouchers
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How to apply
To apply, please forward a comprehensive CV
together with a supporting statement (maximum
two pages of A4).
You should give the names, positions, organisations
and telephone contact numbers of two referees,
relevant to this role. References will only be taken
once your express permission has been granted.
Finally please ensure that you have included mobile,
work and home telephone numbers, as well as any
dates when you will not be available or might have
difficulty with the recruitment timetable.
Applications should be made via the Prospectus
website at: www.prospect-us.co.uk/executive/job/
HQ00156757
Applications can also be posted to:
Sarah Hill, Prospectus, 20-22 Stukeley Street,
London, WC2B 5LR
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Recruitment Timetable
Deadline for applications: Friday 29th May 2015
Interviews with Prospectus: Tuesday 3rd June –
Friday 5th June
Interviews with Winston’s Wish: w/c 15th June
and w/c 22nd June
Queries
If you wish to have an informal discussion about the
opportunity, have any queries on any aspect of the
appointment process, or need additional information
please contact our retained advisors Linda Griffiths
or Stella Pedersen at Prospectus on 020 7691 1920,
or e-mail linda.griffiths@prospect-us.co.uk or
stella.pedersen@prospect-us.co.uk
Prospectus Ltd
20-22 Stukeley Street
London, WC2B 5LR
020 7691 1925
www.prospect-us.co.uk
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