Academy Start-Up Director Job Description and Person Specification Contract
Open and flexible – resources are in your hands! This could develop into an advisory or MD position, once the Academy is up and running
Accountable to
MAC-UK Board of Trustees initially and then Academy Board once constituted
Salary
£47,000 - £55,000
Hours
Standard contracted hours of work are 37.5 hours per week but actual hours of work will be those necessary for the effective performance of your role. These hours may include evening and weekend work where necessary to meet the requirements of the Academy
Location
Monument/Old Street/Swiss Cottage, London
The Academy is a new start-up which will build on the success of MAC-UK and its work with its partners. It will take the approaches and thinking to scale by training others. The Academy will have young people at its heart, co-developing and co-delivering the training whilst also creating youth employment opportunities. It will lead a new social training movement which will continually evolve its materials on the basis of evidence. The principles of public and mental health, community development and authentic youth participation will be at the heart of the Academy’s ethos, values and approach. The role of Start-up Director is ideal for someone who has the right mix of leadership, passion, energy, experience, business savvy, entrepreneurial spirit, innovative nature, and a vast address book. The ideal candidate will have been successful in previous start-ups or social enterprises (or will have learned from previous failures). They will also be able to balance sales targets with the wider social responsibilities of the enterprise. The candidate will embody the ethos and values of the Academy and will demonstrate a track record for attracting, managing, and closing investment. The Start-up Director will have primary responsibility for co-creating and leading the Academy from its inception, working closely with Dr. Charlie Howard, Founding Director of MAC-UK, and Academy vision holder. You will bring commercial experience to compliment Charlie’s social and charitable expertise. Initial priorities will be the legal constitution of the Academy, production of a thorough business plan, the raising of social investment and recruitment of a staff team and young people. Essentially, you will be responsible all things start-up. Everything! This is a rare opportunity to build an organisation from scratch whilst also receiving a competitive salary. You will gain unique entrepreneurial experience whilst taking a new way of thinking to scale. Above all, you will be impacting the lives of some of the UK’s most vulnerable young people and having lasting impact on mental health service delivery. This job also has absolute potential to progress into an advisory or an MD role. The future is in your hands!
1.
Immediate Priorities 1.1. Creation of Academy business plan 1.2. Constitution of the Academy as an independent organisation 1.3. Recruiting a Board of Directors 1.4. Develop relationships with investors and donors, obtaining start-up financing on the best possible terms 1.5. Attracting, recruiting and managing an appropriate team of staff 1.6. Develop and lead the execution of training product development, ensuring that young people’s voices are heard and embedded in all that Academy does 1.7. Overseeing the development of a train the trainer accreditation for young people and supporting their involvement in the delivery of the training 1.8. Supporting the development of a brand recognised for quality and delivering real and innovative improvements to young people’s mental health 1.9. Designing and implementing the necessary operational systems including training resources, client databases, booking systems, quality assurance and service evaluation
2.
Responsibilities 2.1. Develop short/long term organisational strategy 2.2. Develop operating plan, budget, cash flow, and organisational finances 2.3. Oversee the preparation of a realistic financial and cash flow forecast, ensuring monthly variances are understood and managed and financial targets achieved 2.4. Secure and close high level relationships with local government, NHS, schools, sponsors, and other sector partners 2.5. Help build an excellent board of directors and board of advisors and report on milestones at regular board meetings 2.6. Ensure organisational objectives and standards of performance are not only understood but owned by all staff and young people 2.7. Ensure Academy complies with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements and, where appropriate, best practices
3.
Additional responsibilities 3.1. As a professional person, the post holder will abide by the legal requirements and statutory rules relating to practice, maintaining the confidentiality of children, young people and their families/carers at all times. He/she will maintain standards of conduct and dress to sustain public confidence, in accordance with the relevant Codes of Professional Conduct and policies, including Terms & Conditions of Employment and records of periodic registration.
4.
Confidentiality 4.1. All information concerning young people and staff must be treated as strictly confidential at all times.
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www.mac-uk.org
Copyright © 2014 MAC-UK. All rights reserved.MAC-UK Ltd is a registered charity (no 1126144) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England (no 6693712) Registered office: North House, 198 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1BE.
5.
Valuing diversity 5.1. It is the aim of MAC-UK to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, marital/partnership status, race, religion, age, creed, colour, ethnic origin, disability, part time working status and real or suspected HIV/AIDS status and is not placed at a disadvantage by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable. To this end MAC-UK has an Equal Opportunities Policy and it is for each employee to contribute to its success.
6.
Health and Safety 6.1. Employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed on them under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), and to ensure that agreed safety procedures are carried out to maintain a safe environment for employees, patients and visitors.
7.
Risk management 7.1. All MAC-UK employees are accountable, through the terms and conditions of their employment, professional regulations, clinical governance and statutory health and safety regulations, and are responsible for reporting incidents, being aware of the risk management strategy and emergency procedures and attendance at training as required. 7.2. All staff have a responsibility to manage risk within their sphere of responsibility. It is a statutory duty to take reasonable care of their own safety and the safety of others who may be affected by acts or omissions.
8.
Review of this job description 8.1. This job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of the changing needs of the organisation. To be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder on an annual basis.
9.
DBS Check 9.1.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
10. Person Specification: Essential Skills & Experience 10.1. Experience of working in a start-up and/or of developing a start-up company, social enterprise, or other organisation from scratch 10.2. 3+ years of senior level management experience 10.3. Excellent leadership, negotiation, management, problem solving, and interpersonal skills 10.4. Exceptional oral and written communication skills 10.5. Extensive and proven experience in fundraising through social investment, angels, super angels, and/or venture capitalists 10.6. Track record of building innovative, creative, and collaborative teams Page | 3
www.mac-uk.org
Copyright © 2014 MAC-UK. All rights reserved.MAC-UK Ltd is a registered charity (no 1126144) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England (no 6693712) Registered office: North House, 198 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1BE.
10.7. 10.8. 10.9. 10.10. 10.11. 10.12. 10.13. 10.14. 10.15. 10.16. 10.17. 10.18.
Strong undergraduate and/or graduate academic credentials preferred Experience of developing budgets and pricing structures Experience of supporting and inspiring individuals and teams to become brand champions Senior stakeholder and negotiation experience Experience of working with people from a diverse range of sectors, professional backgrounds and cultures Ability to creatively problem solve on own initiative without constantly needing to check with others Experience and understanding of collaborative leadership Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal Excellent attention to detail Excellent IT skills Ability to prioritise heavy workloads Excellent team player
11. Person Specification: Desirable Knowledge and Experience 11.1 Project management qualification 11.2 Track record of sales and marketing in the third sector 11.3 Track record in training development and/or training delivery 11.4 Experience of running a project and/or organisation in collaboration with service users 11.5 Experience of developing quality assurance systems 11.6 Excellent press and media networks 11.7 A working understanding of public mental health and how it relates to young people 11.8 Experience of developing and growing a brand from scratch 12. Person Specification: Personal Competencies 12.1 Combine commitment to the cause with a strong work ethic and a ‘can do’ attitude 12.2 An unfaltering passion for social change 12.3 The ability to think ahead and decide on courses of action, ensuring that the resources required to implement the action will be available, and scheduling work required to achieve an end result. 12.4 The ability to originate, introduce and be open to, new practices, concepts, ideas and change and to creatively solve problems 12.5 The ability to work co-operatively and flexibly with others, both within and outside the organisation, demonstrating an understanding of effective team working and partnerships 12.6 The capacity to inspire others to give of their best to achieve a desired result, whilst maintaining effective relationships with individuals and teams as a whole and allocating resources 12.7 A willingness to do everything from putting out the bins to meeting government ministers! Page | 4
www.mac-uk.org
Copyright © 2014 MAC-UK. All rights reserved.MAC-UK Ltd is a registered charity (no 1126144) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England (no 6693712) Registered office: North House, 198 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1BE.
The above skills and qualities will be assessed during the various stages of the recruitment process through the application form, interview and other processes as appropriate.
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www.mac-uk.org
Copyright © 2014 MAC-UK. All rights reserved.MAC-UK Ltd is a registered charity (no 1126144) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England (no 6693712) Registered office: North House, 198 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1BE.
