Director

The Birth Partner Project is looking for its first Director.

This is an exciting time for our charity as we are moving into a new phase. We’d love to hear from you if you're an experienced third sector professional who wants to grow and develop along with us. We are seeking someone who can set a clear strategic direction, maintain a detailed grasp on good governance, expand our reach and impact, and operate with real integrity and care.

Our vision is that no woman or birthing person should face birth alone.We are committed to offering non-medical, culturally safe and trauma-informed support to women and birthing people seeking sanctuary during their pregnancies and into early motherhood.

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To apply: Please submit a CV and a covering letter of no more than 2 sides of A4. Please note your covering letter should provide evidence of how your skills and experience meet the key points of the Job Description and Person Specification (see below)

Application deadline: 12 noon Friday 19 July 2024 | Interview date TBC

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The successful candidate will:

• Work hand-in-hand with the Board of Trustees to take TBPP to its next phase, securing sustainable funding, growing our volunteer base, and building strong governance
• Manage and support our small team in a respectful and motivational way, engaging their skills and expertise successfully so the team is more than the sum of its parts
• Forge strong links with all our partners, creating opportunities, including with our main referral partner, Cardiff & Vale University Health Board
• Make significant strides in measuring impact, with a view to using our evidence for improvement and growth

Main tasks

• Consistently put the women and birthing people we work with at the heart of our charity, seeking their views, staying connected to our service offering, monitoring impact, and seeking to improve what we do.
• Oversee the operational delivery of our services on a day-to-day basis, keeping our team members and volunteers on track towards a shared aim.
• Manage and motivate our small team (and by extension our team of volunteers) in a respectful and engaging way, in line with all policy and procedure, to enable them to fulfil and expand into their roles.
• Proactively work with the Trustee Board to deliver excellent governance: building a strong relationship between the Board and the day-to-day operations, making sure the right systems and processes are in place and are adhered to.
• Support the Board to ensure the charity complies with its legal responsibilities, and delivers its activities in line with all relevant regulation and guidance.
• Manage the charity's finances: working directly with the Finance Officer and the treasurer to set financial aspirations, build effective fundraising pipelines, and then robustly manage daily financial activities with real attention to detail.
• Report effectively to the Board, and communicate clearly with the team, to keep everyone on track and in the loop, including robust and regular financial reporting.
• Develop realistic but aspirational plans for the charity in line with its objects, balancing risk and opportunity, and seeking a long-term sustainable future for The Birth Partner Project.
• Demonstrate a continuous and strong focus on delivery, taking the initiative to act decisively and intentionally to drive the work of The Birth Partner Project forward in line with its plans.
• Represent The Birth Partner Project externally, and seek to grow its network of partners in ways which strengthen its service offering and/or sustainability into the future.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

• A range of experience working in the statutory or third sector
• A thorough understanding of what makes for good charity governance, including setting up and operating effective processes for managing risk, finance, HR, data and information
• Skilled and personable manager and leader, able to motivate and manage team members and volunteers
• Excellent communication skills, able to liaise with a diverse range of stakeholders
• Superb organisational skills, able to work with a very high degree of personal motivation and autonomous problem-solving
• Experience of working with volunteers and overseeing volunteer management
• Understanding of the UK asylum system

Desirable Criteria

• Previous experience leading a small charity
• Experience of working with/to a board of trustees
• Lived experience of the asylum system in the UK
• Understanding of maternal health systems in the UK, particularly in Wales
• Experience of taking organisations through change