Chief Executive Officer

Chief Executive Officer

London | Hybrid with travel
£70,000 – £80,000 per annum
Permanent | Full Time

We are recruiting for an experienced Chief Executive Officer to lead a purpose-led organisation through its next stage of growth, sustainability and impact.

This is a hands-on Chief Executive Officer role for someone who can combine commercial thinking, social purpose, strong governance and external relationship-building.

The organisation supports people with convictions to rebuild their lives through employment, practical support and partnerships with employers, communities and the criminal justice system. It has already supported thousands of people and generated significant social value, and is now looking for a Chief Executive Officer who can build on those foundations while strengthening long-term financial and organisational sustainability. 

The Role

As Chief Executive Officer, you will:

• Lead the development of a sustainable and diversified income model
• Work closely with the Board to set strategy and translate it into practical delivery plans
• Strengthen the organisation’s financial performance and long-term sustainability
• Develop relationships with funders, employers, corporate partners, prisons, government and local authorities
• Represent the organisation externally with credibility and confidence
• Ensure programmes continue to deliver strong outcomes for the people they support
• Maintain high standards of governance, safeguarding, financial control, risk management and regulatory compliance
• Develop the team, systems and processes needed to support future growth
• Identify appropriate partnership and funding opportunities
• Support the development of new projects from concept through to delivery and evaluation
• Work closely with an associated social enterprise to identify opportunities for shared resources, commercial development and wider impact
• Lead a lean organisation where the CEO remains comfortable moving between strategy and hands-on implementation

The role will initially require someone willing to stay close to day-to-day delivery, while gradually building the management structure needed to allow the Chief Executive Officer to focus increasingly on strategy, growth, income, influence and leadership.

What We’re Looking For

We are open-minded about sector background and would welcome candidates from the charity, commercial, public or civic sectors.

The successful candidate will need:

• Experience managing budgets of at least £1 million
• Full responsibility for financial performance
• A strong track record of developing partnerships
• Proven experience generating income
• Experience developing organisational strategy
• Ability to turn strategy into practical implementation
• Experience influencing senior external stakeholders
• Credibility working with government, local authorities or equivalent senior bodies
• Strong commercial and financial awareness
• Excellent relationship-building skills
• Strong leadership and communication capability
• Sound judgement and governance awareness

Experience leading an organisation or programme of a similar scale would be advantageous, as would experience developing new projects from opportunity identification through to delivery and evaluation. 

Desirable Experience

Experience within any of the following would be particularly valuable:

• Criminal justice
• Employability
• Rehabilitation
• Social enterprise
• Charity leadership
• Public sector
• Workforce development
• Corporate partnerships
• Fundraising and income generation
• Social impact organisations

Direct criminal justice experience is desirable rather than essential; what matters most is the ability to understand the challenges faced by people rebuilding their lives after conviction and to lead with both commercial discipline and genuine social purpose. 

About You

You will be an entrepreneurial and credible leader who is comfortable operating with both head and heart.

You will be able to:

• Balance commercial sustainability with social impact
• Build trusted external relationships
• Inspire staff, trustees, partners and supporters
• Challenge constructively when required
• Make clear strategic decisions
• Remain hands-on where necessary
• Strengthen systems and organisational discipline
• Build partnerships that create both financial and social value

This opportunity would suit candidates currently working as:

Chief Executive Officer | CEO | Managing Director | Charity CEO | Executive Director | Managing Director – Social Enterprise | Chief Operating Officer

If you are an experienced senior leader looking for an opportunity where your commercial capability, leadership and ability to build partnerships can create genuine social impact, we would be keen to hear from you.