Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Employer: UK Men’s Sheds Association

Location: Working from home, with travel to meetings and events which may involve overnight stays

Salary: £65,000 - £70,000 pa

Hours: Full time 37.5 hours (a minimum of 30 hours would be considered). Flexible working arrangements (e.g. 10 days in 9 etc) will be considered.

Benefits: 33 days annual leave (including 8 Bank Holidays); 5% employer pension contribution.

Contract: Permanent (after six-month probation period)

Closing Date: Friday 15 November 2024

The UK Men’s Sheds Association (UKMSA) is seeking a skilled and inspirational CEO to lead our charity through the next stage of its development and the continued delivery of our core mission of improving the lives and wellbeing of men (and women) through the Men’s Shed movement across the UK.

About us:

UKMSA was founded in 2013 when there were fewer than 50 Men’s Sheds across the country. There are now over 1000 open Sheds in the UK. UKMSA has grown in parallel, starting our second decade as a medium-sized national charity with 13 employees (all working remotely), significantly increased funding over the next three-year period, a strong cadre of volunteers, member Sheds across all four home nations, and wide and growing public recognition of what Men’s Sheds do for both individuals and communities.

About the Role:

Reports to: Chair of the Board of Trustees

Direct Reports: Four - Senior Leadership Team (Head of Ops, Head of Development, Head of Trusts & Foundations) and Partnerships Manager.

We are looking for a Chief Executive with the energy, vision and experience to take on the strategic leadership and direction of our well-respected and fast-growing national charity, which brings tangible benefits to men’s health, mental health and suicide prevention across the UK. Our strategy is one of ambitious targets to support the expansion, reach, diversity and sustainability of the Men’s Shed movement, in line with our vision of happier and healthier men by virtue of reduced loneliness, anxiety and depression, improved wellbeing, and saved lives.

Our new CEO will be a proven and exemplary strategic leader, who will head our mission, guide the team, represent our charity with partners, funders and politicians, and support the Shed Movement we exist to serve. Your track record of inspirational leadership and excellent communications skills will be a key part of building and diversifying our funding (including developing sustainable income growth strategies and bringing in commercial sponsorship), broadening and deepening our partnerships and our relationships with government, and driving our future success. Your experience in executive leadership in the nonprofit sectors will ensure the good management and statutory compliance of UKMSA. We recognise that you may not have a background in the Men’s Shed movement, but your strong emotional intelligence will enable you to quickly develop a good understanding of the community we serve.

How to apply:

Interested individuals should submit a CV with a covering letter explaining their suitability for the role (including addressing each of the key skills and experiences listed in the detailed job description below) by an email via the button below.

UKMSA actively promotes equality, diversity and inclusion. Our policy affirms that all staff should be afforded equality of treatment and opportunity in employment. We want to ensure you have every opportunity to show us your potential and ability, so please let us know if you require any adjustment or support to ensure that the application process works for you and that enables you to attend interview if invited.

References:

Personal and employment references, as well as proof of residence and the right to work in the UK will be required at the point of offer.

Detailed Job Description

Core Role

Lead the successful implementation of UKMSA’s strategy, measuring and reporting on delivery against targets and making recommendations to the Board regarding any corrective or alternative action required. Establish and monitor key indicators of UKMSA’s impact and financial health. Prepare (and subsequently deliver) the annual business plan and annual budget in conjunction with the staff (and relevant volunteers) for approval by the Board. Maintain awareness of risks and changes in the external environment that might impact UKMSA.

Working with the Board:

• Build an effective working relationship with the Chair of the Board.
• Attend Board meetings, provide regular reports, and bring relevant new business to the Board in a timely fashion.
• Attend the Audit & Risk Committee (and any other sub-committee created in future) if required.

External Representation:

• Be the public face of UKMSA, representing the organisation at external events and publicity opportunities.
• Build productive relationships with politicians, relevant parliamentary bodies, the media and government officials in order to champion the work of Men’s Sheds in the UK and to advance UKMSA’s aims.
• Build links to like-minded charities, researchers, and other bodies working in areas linked to the aims of Men’s Sheds (such as broader men’s health issues, suicide prevention etc).
• Actively lead on corporate sponsorships and other significant funding streams, and on senior partnerships.
• Be able to navigate the complexities of relationships within the health sector and with potentially conflicting industries (e.g. gaming).

Leadership:

• Motivating, supporting, empowering and developing the staff team and volunteers, and ensuring their focus is concentrated on achieving UKMSA’s aims and objectives.
• Ensuring that there are good mechanisms in place for obtaining and understanding the views of the Shedder community, our members, our volunteers and our staff.

Championing & Role Modelling:

• Actively foster a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and collaboration, nurturing a positive and supportive working environment for both staff and volunteers.
• Live our values (deliver a positive culture to inspire people, be inclusive and act with integrity).

Governance:

• A good understanding of the governance of charities and working with the Charity Commission and other statutory bodies.
• Ensure UKMSA meets its statutory, legal and regulatory responsibilities, and its reporting obligations to external bodies, including funders.
• Work with the Head of Operations and the Chair and Treasurer to prepare the Annual Report.
• Ensure the AGM takes place in a timely and effective manner, as set out in the UKMSA governing document.

Finance:

• With the Head of Trusts & Foundations, devise and deliver an income strategy to ensure sustainable income from a diverse range of sources.
• Work with the Head of Trusts & Foundations to develop contacts with key potential new funders.
• Lead on corporate sponsorships and other significant funding streams. Deliver UKMSA’s budgets.

Key Skills:

• Leadership – the ability to motivate, develop, and deliver through a team of staff and volunteers such that the organisation meets its goals.
• Interpersonal & Communication Skills – these will need to be excellent (including written communication) in order to build rapport and effective relationships across a range of people, from our members to the general public, political figures and senior executives in other organisations. As UKMSA’s public face, the CEO must also be adept at showcasing our work, including in the media and to parliamentary and other government bodies.
• Financial Acumen – the CEO will be expected to operate the budget and develop our new strategy for ensuring sustainable income, actively leading the development of corporate sponsorships and other significant income streams.
• Flexibility & Adaptability – the new CEO will be expected to learn about the world of Men’s Sheds quickly, to be able confidently to represent UKMSA and to build strong relationships within the Men’s Shed community (both within the UK and internationally). And as we only have a staff team of 13 (geographically dispersed), it is expected that the CEO will actively engage in some of the more tactical work, including being ‘hands on’ at events.

Experience:

• Experience in a senior executive level post is essential, preferably in the nonprofit sector, with particular emphasis on successful leadership at a strategic level, including working to organisational budgets.
• Experience of relationship development and management at senior level (e.g. politicians and Government Ministers, C-Suite) is essential.
• Experience of developing funding streams and funding strategies, and of working with major donors and government funders is desirable.
• Experience of working in the Third Sector is essential; previous experience in a charity is desirable, including experience of working with volunteers and membership organisations.
• Experience of working with Boards or Committees in the charity sector is desirable, as the CEO will need to work closely with the (volunteer) non-executive trustees of UKMSA.
• Experience of working in the area of wellbeing is desirable: experience of working in the charity sub-sector experience men’s health, mental health or loneliness would be helpful but not essential.
• Experience of running campaigns would be desirable.

Background Information

About UK Men’s Sheds Association

The UK Men’s Sheds Association exists to support the growth and development of Men’s Sheds across the United Kingdom, and champions men’s health and the Men’s Sheds movement.

Men’s Sheds come in all shapes and sizes, from just a few members to ‘super-sheds’ of over 100. UKMSA is a membership organisation, and every Shed is autonomous in its governance, although they all have a strong feeling of connection to the Men’s Shed movement and to each other. Through our programmes we facilitate the growth of new Sheds and support existing Sheds with resources, promotion and facilitating networks, discounts with major suppliers, and connecting the health and third sector to Sheds and campaigns such as the Charter for Wellbeing in Craft and DIY. UKMSA plays a leading role in Shed advocacy and in the world of men’s health through its links with other charities, organisations such as the National Academy for Social Prescribing, and parliamentary bodies such as All-Party Parliamentary Groups alongside links to Ministers and MPs.

Men’s Sheds have an extraordinary impact on individual lives and on communities, whether it is through having a place for someone to make new connections and feel less lonely over a cup of tea or to help make eighteen xylophones for a local school. Men’s Sheds are growing rapidly in both their number and presence in UK communities. The Shed provides a safe place for people to construct, mend or simply find company. Shedders make everything from spoons and bird boxes to bowls and coracles, and even a river crossing ferry dock or building a pre-war era car from scratch. At the same time, the Shedders are making connections and conversing. Men’s Sheds are primarily a place of enjoyment, but the ‘health by stealth’ is a key benefit – Sheds are sometimes described as a place that ‘adds years to life and life to years’ (or, more light-heartedly, as ‘soft play for men’). Many Shedder stories are showcased in our ‘1000 Faces of Sheds’ and elsewhere, but the following is a quote from Bill, who was introduced to Men’s Sheds by his daughter following spousal bereavement, and who sums up the movement brilliantly by saying: “I come to the Shed and can forget about being lonely, I’ve found another reason to exist”.

Men’s Sheds in the UK

The number of Men’s Sheds is growing at an incredible rate with over 1,000 now open in the UK (compared to less than 50 a decade ago).

UKMSA has developed alongside this, both responding to greater demand and pro-actively expanding our own ability to grow, sustain and champion Men’s Sheds in the UK (and support other international partners). This is an especially exciting time, just into our second decade and with a growing wave of public and government interest not just of issues around loneliness, suicide and mental health but of the key role Men’s Sheds play in countering all of these, on top of the wider benefit to the health of individuals and communities.

Whilst many Sheds include women, our primary purpose is to support the health and wellbeing of Men, a group often disadvantaged because of challenges which see a disproportionate number of suicides in men, mortality rates and those accessing the health care system.

UKMSA currently have a small number of generous benefactors in the Charitable Trusts we have worked with but seek to expand this portfolio and build a much broader and sustainable income strategy and streams for the future.

Structure

As a CIO, UKMSA has a Board of 11 trustees who are responsible for governance and the effective running of the charity. The Board members, all volunteers, are a mix of Shed Leaders/Shed Ambassadors and those drawn from other walks of life, with the overall mix ensuring a broad range of skills and experience. The current Chair is Rob Lloyd, who has been in post for 18 months.

The trustees delegate operational responsibility to the Chief Executive Officer and, through that post, to a Senior Leadership Team (SLT) of three. Currently, there are 11 employees and 1 contractor overall, but that will grow further in the near future with the addition of at least one or two more roles, potentially more. There is a mixture of full and part-time roles. All staff work remotely and are geographically dispersed across the UK. This staffing and trustee structure is underpinned by a network of Volunteer Ambassadors and Advocates who support networks and individual Sheds.

While some UK Sheds are run by third-party charities or other bodies, and some have paid leadership, the majority are self-run with a Shed Leader, Management Committee/Trustees and other volunteers (who are usually Shed members). Many Sheds are registered with the Charities Commission.

Membership of UKMSA

Membership of UKMSA is open to any Shed. We do not offer membership to individuals.