Charity Development Lead

Orange Recruitment; Aberdare; Hybrid; GBP 37,000; Full time

Job description

Based: 50/50 Hybrid – office base: Cynon Linc, Aberdare, CF44 7BD

Hours: 37hpw (Full-time)

Reports to: CEO

Responsible for: 3 x Programme Managers

Currently there are 36 members of staff and 95 volunteers who directly deliver our services.

Remuneration Package:

• £36,592 per annum (full time salary)
• 4% Non-contributory Pension
• 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 after 5 years’ service plus bank holidays and Birthday Booster Non-contractual

Benefits:

• Employee Assistance Programme
• 10% discount on Cynon Linc Hyb Menu
• Opportunity for flexible working
• Work issued mobile phone or contribution towards personal bill
• 45ppm Business Mileage Allowance
• Opportunities for personal development

The Big Picture

Age Connects Morgannwg is the leading charity working with older people living in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Bridgend and Merthyr Tydfil (the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board footprint). We have a strong history with over 45 years of supporting older people and their families through some of the most difficult times in their life. We also have a proven track record of listening to older people, learning what is important to them and caring about the way they are treated, perceived, and portrayed.

Are you a dynamic leader looking for your next career move and an exciting new challenge?

We are recruiting a talented Charity Development Lead, who will lead the growth and diversification of our Charity Development Department and the operational delivery of a highly skilled and qualified team. This role offers the autonomy and freedom to lead in your own way, to explore your entrepreneurial instincts and build sustainable support options for older people.

We are looking for someone with previous experience of managing multiple service areas as well as business growth using hybrid income sources, and is experienced in using data and market research to shape operational plans. You will be a motivational leader who inspires and supports through coaching for success. Importantly, you will be able to demonstrate clear impact and positive outcomes for people in your previous roles.

The Charity Development Lead will lead and develop the Charity Development Department with support from a team of Operational Managers to deliver the charity’s three-year Strategic Plan ‘Together for Older People’. Working alongside the senior leadership team and the Board of Trustees, you will ensure we deliver our strategic priorities sustainably, with compassion and a commitment to developing the charity’s workforce of paid staff and volunteers.

This role is pivotal to the charity’s success as a voice for older people, as a service provider, and as an employer of choice.

The current Charity Development portfolio consists of:

• Volunteering Matters – direct delivery of one to one and group activities led by volunteers for older people such as befriending, coffee mornings etc and volunteers providing office-based support across the organisation.
• Information Matters – providing accessible and quality information to older people in our Hub in Aberdare, other sessional venues, pop ups and in people’s homes if required. In addition, this service manages our Central Support Team, who deal with all initial enquiries for our services.
• Home Life Matters – these include coordination of activities in residential home settings, outreach work providing practical and emotional support to people aged 50+ who have a diagnosis of dementia or other functional mental health issue, hospital to home and preventative services that support people who have been discharged from hospital to resettle at home or to reduce their risk of admission/readmission.
• Dementia Matters – the development of a new work programme which explores how we can better support people living with dementia and the people who care for them.
• Simply Nails – provision of accessible toenail cutting services for anyone who would struggle to maintain neat, pain free toe and fingernails.
• Engage Programme – one of three strands delivered through our Leaving No-one Behind Programme, which aims to cultivate opportunities for people to co-produce and deliver community led activities.

We have big plans to develop our services ensuring that we meet the changing needs of older people, so you will need to be creative, entrepreneurial and agile.

Your Objectives

• Development and Growth: Work through the operational team to identify opportunities and areas of sustainable growth in line with the Strategic Plan. Shape and develop the charity’s service portfolio to meet the needs of older people and in support of local and national public health, wellbeing, and cultural improvement programmes. Develop an income generation plan that secures sustainable income to support our work, and which maintains our strategic goal of generating 60% of income from unrestricted and independent sources. Support wider organisational objectives including digital transformation and progress towards net zero through your work.
• Leadership and Management: Lead and develop a high quality, dynamic team of people to deliver support and services to older people, that reflect the charity’s values of listening, learning and caring. Be committed to the charity’s growth through volunteering opportunities and lifelong learning. Work alongside colleagues and Board to drive, influence, advise and support the cultural and people aspects of organisational change, design, workforce planning, people processes and business improvement initiatives.
• Impact and Reach: Work alongside the Operational Management and operational team to identify and understand the impact our services have on the lives of older people, putting in place performance monitoring and evaluation of services that demonstrates the difference we make. Working with the Public Affairs and Partnerships Manager and the Communications and Marketing Lead, to ensure the impact and quality of our work is communicated to key stakeholders so they have confidence in our work and want to support us.

Our Expectations

• Maintain your knowledge: Your team are our experts on the issues that affect older people, so it is important you maintain up-to-date knowledge on national and local policy issues that affect older people. We will expect you to ensure your team is up to date on changes in policy, legislation, and practice so a commitment to yours and their learning is essential.
• Deliver the goods: Your service area will be funded by several different sources, with a variety of monitoring requirements. We will expect you to put systems and processes in place to ensure you deliver what our funders expect and deliver it well. This will include setting and overseeing your department’s budgets through your team of Operational Managers, producing outcome-based reporting, and understanding where the gaps are (so we can find ways of filling them or influencing others to do it). You will also need to report all of this to the Charity’s Board of Trustees, so good story telling skills are essential.
• Put older people first: Your team are the shop window of the charity. When older people contact us for help, your team members are often the first people they see or talk to on the phone. Older people are our business, they are central to all that we do, so understanding the issues they face is essential. It is also important we respect their voice, we uphold their rights, and we give them a voice when they feel they are not being listened to. Your role is to ensure that your team understands the diversity of the communities we serve and responds positively to unfamiliar scenarios or challenging situations. In this regard, you will act as the charity’s Safeguarding Lead.
• Working with others: We cannot be all things to all people, so we need to work collaboratively with those that specialise in other fields. Working on the principles of co-production, collaboration and partnership, your role will support the Chief Executive Officer and other members of the senior leadership team to represent the charity externally; always striving to build positive, effective relationships with individuals and organisations involved in delivering outcomes for older people.
• Working with our people: We are proud to work with and develop opportunities for volunteers – without them, we could not do a lot of what we do (or want to do!) They give their time freely and bring a wide range of skills, experience, and knowledge to the charity. Your team includes paid staff and volunteers, so it is essential you are committed to nurturing a culture where volunteers are seen as team assets, and that they are encouraged to develop themselves personally, through the work they do.
• Leadership: Demonstrating leadership in all that you do is a key requirement of this role. Leadership skills are essential for supporting the charity’s culture and business objectives. We want our leaders to be bold, decisive, action focused, innovative and visionary. We expect our leaders to be compassionate and honest, to work with integrity and authenticity and to promote a culture of autonomy and trust throughout the organisation. You will be accountable for the performance of your department and for working collaboratively to achieve results. You will be expected to support and deputise for the Chief Executive Officer, where appropriate.

Please note: A full, valid driving licence is required for this position.

Why Work For Us?

• Hybrid working
• Family friendly employer
• Mileage allowance
• Discount at Cynon Linc
• Access to independent financial advice
• Workplace wellbeing scheme
• Employee assistance programme

All staff/volunteers working for Age Connects Morgannwg are expected to respond appropriately to any concerns that they may have regarding the abuse/inappropriate treatment of vulnerable adults.

This will usually mean alerting their line manager. The protection of vulnerable adults is always a core responsibility.

The above is a broad definition of the job responsibilities. It does not take into account every aspect of the job which the jobholder may be required to perform. Flexibility is essential since the jobholder’s working hours will be determined by the requirements of the business.

Closing date: Monday, 12 May 2025, 10.00am