Director

 FAITH Christian Group are looking for a Director to take on responsibility for the oversight of the organisation, leading operations, setting direction, promoting its Christian ethos and representing the charity externally at senior level.

Reporting into the Board of Trustees, this role is central to setting vision and ensuring execution of the charity’s objectives through ownership of the day-to-day operations and being responsible for the staff team of 8-10 (seasonal) and additional temporary staff.

Critical to this role is the skillset to bring leadership to the organisation and instil operational excellence, providing oversight of the staff team and line management to the managers; alongside a passion to deliver the charity’s objectives to protect the vulnerable and see their needs met.

Charity Description

Faith Christian Group is a charity which exists to demonstrate the gospel of Jesus Christ by alleviating poverty. The charity works in three main areas:

 1.     Running Reading’s main food bank.

2.     Distributing food to homeless people.

3.     Providing a drop-in service for people who would be homeless if not housed in hotels or B&Bs by local government.

Each of these three main work areas are supported by a large number of dedicated volunteers 

Job Details

• Location: Reading. Local travel required to projects and meetings.
• Hours: 37.5 hours per week, including some evenings and weekends. Would consider other working arrangements.
• Salary: Dependent on experience (+ up to 5% matched Pension).
• Application Closure Date: 9th December 2022 (will close early if a large number of applications are received)
• How to Apply: Email your covering letter and CV to applications.faith@outlook.com

Core Responsibilities

• Leadership and Oversight of the charity: ultimately responsible for the execution of all operations and projects, accountable to the Trustees. Lead and motivate staff and volunteers, bring passion and set the tone and culture. Find and explore new opportunities for projects or ways of doing things. Foreseeing and mitigating risks.
• Staff management: Set, review and revise organisational structure, roles and responsibilities. Delegate responsibility across the management structure to deliver the charity projects and objectives. Provide effective line management, coaching and mentoring to direct reports and support wider staff. Responsible for HR processes of recruitment, disciplinary and performance management
• Representing the charity, promotion and advocacy: Advocate for the cause of the charitable objectives, raising awareness and fundraising. Deal with communications and media requests and attend external meetings e.g. statutory bodies, churches, private sector organisations and supporting organisations. Negotiate with public bodies such as Government Departments, Local Authorities and local commissioned organisations. Attend regular forum meetings e.g. Transform Reading, Narrowing the Gap, Housing Justice and Reading Street Homeless Network meetings
• Volunteer-base: Overall responsibility for volunteer safety, recruitment, maintaining, training and support for volunteers, including dispute resolution or performance management
• Policy, safeguarding, Health & Safety and best-practice: Set and support governance, alongside the Trustees. Ensure policies are up-to-date. Ensure staff and volunteer training is appropriate and delivered. Ensure safeguarding maintained e.g. DBS checks
• Stewardship: Responsibility for robust financial planning, setting the annual budget and mid/long-term plan with support from the Treasurer. Monitor spending and ensure effective use of charity’s resources.
• Attend projects: regularly visit and participate in the works of the charity, to maintain visibility and keep up to date.

Qualifications

• Skills, experience and competence required:
• Be a practicing Christian comfortable with leading an overtly Christian organisation
• Experience of running an organisation of same/similar nature, or demonstrate exposure; with an understanding of operations and Finances
• People management experience essential. Ability to lead a team and motivate
• Professional, organised and self-motivated to bring leadership without day-to-day support
• Ability to build and maintain good relationships across numerous stakeholders, internal, external and with volunteer-base
• Strong communication skills and awareness of promoting charity image
• Experience and prior involvement in charitable works of same/similar nature and working with people in need and vulnerable adults
• Experience or awareness of safeguarding, health & safety and setting policy
• Experience of working with volunteers
• Demonstrable written and verbal skills
• Comfortable with Microsoft Office applications