Chief Executive Officer

Polly Symondson Recruitment Ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 95,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Harlington Hospice is seeking a Chief Executive to provide visible leadership, set strategic direction and ensure high-quality, compassionate care across the organisation. The post-holder will report to the Chair and Board of Trustees, guiding a small, close-knit team and strengthening financial stability across sites.

The role requires building on a strong foundation, growing services, income and impact while preserving the organisation's culture and values in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Proven senior executive leadership in a CQC-regulated healthcare, hospice or not-for-profit.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Board of Trustees to finalise and deliver the Hospice's current draft strategy developing and agreeing plans for delivery, adapting to changing healthcare, funding and regulatory environments.
• Provide visible, credible leadership in setting and achieving the organisation's strategic goals, policies and objectives, and in embedding our values across everything we do.
• Ensure the effective, efficient and safe day-to-day operation of Harlington Hospice and Michael Sobbell House, across clinical, non-clinical, commercial and retail activity.
• Be responsible to the Board for the overall financial health of the Hospice, ensuring financial stability and an adequate level of reserves is maintained.
• Continue to develop and sustain diverse, structured and repeatable income streams including NHS/ statutory funding, fundraising, trading and commercial activity to support sustainable, long-term growth rather than short-term peaks.
• Lead, inspire and develop the Executive Team and, through them, all staff and volunteers, fostering a culture of continuous learning, professional growth and shared ownership of our mission.
• Protect and evolve our culture as we grow ensuring that fundraising, care and community engagement remain everybody's responsibility, not just a function of one team.
• Act as the principal ambassador for Harlington Hospice, building and maintaining relationships with commissioners, NHS and ICB partners, donors, corporate partners and the wider community.

Job description

• Position: Chief Executive Officer
• Charity: Harlington Hospice
• Location: Michael Sobell House (at Mount Vernon Hospital)/Harlington, with regular travel across sites.
• Hours: 37.5 hours (full time, permanent) - flexible working options can be discussed with the successful candidate.
• Salary: £95,000-£110,000 d.o.e

About Harlington Hospice

Harlington Hospice and inpatient hospice Michael Sobbell House, are here to support people living with serious or terminal illness in the London Borough of Hillingdon and surrounding areas.

Harlington Hospice and Michael Sobbell Hospice merged operations in 2023. Merging has allowed us to join up the expertise previously spread between the two teams, and to build a more resilient organisation for the future.

About the role

This is a pivotal leadership role for Harlington Hospice. Reporting to the Chair and Board of Trustees, the Chief Executive will provide visible leadership across the organisation, setting strategic direction, ensuring high-quality, compassionate care, and maintaining the financial stability we have worked hard to rebuild.

We are looking for a leader who is equally comfortable setting strategy at Board level and staying close to the day-to-day realities of a small, close-knit organisation. You will inherit a hospice in a stronger position than many of our peers, and your task will be to build on that foundation, growing our services, our income and our impact sustainably, without losing the culture that got us here.

Role responsibilities to include:

• Work with the Board of Trustees to finalise and deliver the Hospice's current draft strategy developing and agreeing plans for delivery, adapting to changing healthcare, funding and regulatory environments.
• Provide visible, credible leadership in setting and achieving the organisation's strategic goals, policies and objectives, and in embedding our values across everything we do.
• Ensure the effective, efficient and safe day-to-day operation of Harlington Hospice and Michael Sobbell House, across clinical, non-clinical, commercial and retail activity.
• Be responsible to the Board for the overall financial health of the Hospice, ensuring financial stability and an adequate level of reserves is maintained.
• Continue to develop and sustain diverse, structured and repeatable income streams including NHS/ statutory funding, fundraising, trading and commercial activity to support sustainable, long-term growth rather than short-term peaks.
• Lead, inspire and develop the Executive Team and, through them, all staff and volunteers, fostering a culture of continuous learning, professional growth and shared ownership of our mission.
• Protect and evolve our culture as we grow ensuring that fundraising, care and community engagement remain everybody's responsibility, not just a function of one team.
• Act as the principal ambassador for Harlington Hospice, building and maintaining relationships with commissioners, NHS and ICB partners, donors, corporate partners and the wider community.

Person specification to include:

• Proven senior executive leadership experience within a CQC-regulated healthcare, hospice or not-for-profit organisation.
• Strong financial acumen and a demonstrable track record of building sustainable income and commercial activity.
• Commercially and politically astute, with strong problem-solving and risk-based decision-making skills.
• Outstanding communication and relationship-building skills, able to engage and influence Trustees, donors, regulators, staff, volunteers and the wider community.
• A deep, genuine commitment to compassionate, person-centred, end-of-life care.
• Committed to Harlington Hospice's values: Collaborative, Responsive, Thoughtful and Courageous.
• A true team player who values shared ownership and can inspire that same spirit across the
• organisation.

• Key dates: application deadline - 16th October
• PSR inital interivews: 19th and 20th October
• Harlington Hospice interviews: 4th November