Job Description
HRH THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S
COMMONWEALTH STUDY CONFERENCES
Job Title: Director
Location: London
Reports to: Board of Trustees
Place of work: (Office available at Coutts)
Date: Immediate
About CSC UK:
Since 1956, CSC has been bringing together leaders from across the Commonwealth to study major economic and social challenges. In a moment when global institutions face unprecedented upheaval the long heritage of the CSC in bringing influencers together has never been more valuable.
History: In 1956 HRH the Duke of Edinburgh led the organisation of a conference in the UK entitled: “His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh’s Study Conference on the Human Problems of Industrial Communities within the Commonwealth and Empire”. The Conference was judged a great success. 281 men and 6 women spent five days together in Oxford, then four days in London before spreading out across the country for four days in 20 Study Groups. They then reconvened in Oxford to report back to HRH the Duke of Edinburgh what they had learned. It was evidently a powerful experience for those involved, with many assumptions and barriers being challenged including those of race and the management-labour divide.
Further Commonwealth Study Conferences (CSCs) followed up to 2007. Conferences based on a similar format have continued at a national or regional level to this day, led mainly by Australia, Canada, Malaysia and New Zealand. The UK hosted full Conferences in 1956, 1974 and 1992 and shorter conferences up to 1995. These were organised by the predecessor to CSC UK, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh's Commonwealth Study Conferences [UK Fund] (the “Trust”), which was established as a charitable trust in 1963.
In 2013, the Trust returned to the organisation of Commonwealth-wide conferences through a partnership with Common Purpose. The result was the CSCLeaders programme. This ran successfully from 2013 to 2019 on an annual basis with a total of 593 participants. It typically involved a week in the UK and a week elsewhere in the Commonwealth, for example India or Kenya. The Trust ended its partnership with Common Purpose with the completion of the 2019 CSCLeaders programme. To develop a new programme and to form closer links with other CSC organisations worldwide, the Trust established CSC UK as a new charity.
Developments since March 2020: CSC UK began work on a new programme with a new partner, the Association of Commonwealth Universities. Progress led to plans for a launch event at Coutts on 17 March 2020 at which HRH was to be present. A first programme was envisaged in 2021. Sadly, the covid-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of the event.
Emerging from the pandemic we have refreshed our strategy, pivoting to embrace the opportunities provided by digital connectivity. We have now launched a new series of quarterly virtual seminars to create a more regular touchpoint for alumni and grow our online presence.
This series of webinars focused on CSC alumni jointly hosted by CSC UK and CSC Global Alumni under the broad theme of sustainability:
- September 2021: Mr Bernard Looney of bp with HRH Princess Royal
- October 2021: Nairobi: Amb Amina Mohamed, Kenyan Minister
- March 2022: Mr Bill Winters of StanChart and Ms Jennifer Jordan-Saifi of Sustainable Markets Initiative
- June 2022: Ms Jan Paterson of NEOM and formerly British Olympic Foundation with HRH Princess Royal
- September 2022: Ms Julia Gillard of Wellcome Trust and former Australian PM and Dr Ilka Dunne, Vice Chair of CSC Global Alumni and Rand Merchant Bank
- February 2023: Sir Nico Bacon and the Next Generation Farmers of the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth with HRH Princess Royal
Purpose of the role:
The core purpose of this role is to provide leadership for CSC UK to help the charity implement its strategy and fulfil its potential, enabling it to have the greatest impact it can on future leaders and alumni across the commonwealth.
We are seeking an exceptional and inspirational leader, with charity experience, who is ready to accept the challenge of taking CSC UK into its next stage of development. You will be an expert at leading and developing an effective organisation. You will have a track record of organisational leadership, developing strategy, building key strategic relationships, delivering strong communications, helping to build organisational capability, whilst generating significant financial growth and delivering measurable results.
The Director will work closely with the Board of Trustees to develop strategies, to grow fundraising, develop and monitor high quality Programmes both domestically and globally. The Director will ensure effective implementation of the strategy, drive implementation and report on results. This is a broad and varied role, combining strategic planning, fundraising and leadership with operational delivery.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategic
Further develop the strategic vision for the charity, in consultation with the Board of Trustees, and deliver it effectively, including:
- Work on behalf, and with the Board of Trustees to develop a strategic plan for the next five years to ensure the ongoing sustainability, growth, and success of CSC UK.
- Lead the planning of a 2024 study conference, manage the development of a programme, drive fundraising and partnership efforts and be responsible for the delivery and execution of the event.
- Build the charity’s network of partnerships both within Commonwealth organisations and charities and more broadly with global businesses and institutions.
- Lead marketing and communications, driving outreach and engagement with past and future CSC Alumni, building out the digital footprint of the organisation via the new website and social media pages.
- Report regularly on progress to the Trustee Board.
- Mobilise and support the development of the newly established CSC UK Advisory Board.
- Represent the organisation to the media and at public events, giving talks and presentations as appropriate.
- Deputise for the Chair or Vice-Chair occasionally in their absence.
Fundraising
Design, develop and implement a new fundraising strategy for the charity including:
- A dedicated fundraising strategy for the 2024 CSC conference.
- A 5-year fundraising strategy which increases donations and improves donor acquisition to support the organisation’s strategic goals, meeting agreed income targets based on long term financial forecasts.
- Build sustainable and predictable funding sources, ensuring that prospects are well researched, risk is identified, analysed and mitigated.
- Develop and manage ongoing relationships with patrons and sponsors.
- Prepare accurate and timely reports that capture and communicate fundraising results, variances, and performance trends.
Operational
Manage the operational processes necessary for the governance of the charity alongside the Board Secretary including:
- Reviewing and updating policies and procedures.
- Preparing accurate financial reports for the Board of Trustees and leading annual budget reviews
- Updating and maintaining financial systems and records for use for budgetary purposes including invoicing, contractor/supplier expenditure and grant reporting.
Management
- Recruit and retain a diverse, highly qualified small team of staff and volunteers.
- Provide leadership, direction, support and line management to the team.
General
- Carry out administration and implementation of the duties outline above.
- Ensure policies and procedures are in place to meet legal regulations and reflect
- fundraising best practice.
- Any other duties commensurate with the post, as agreed with Trustees.
Person Specification
The Charity Director will have a strong commitment to helping members of the community get involved with CSC UK. They will need to be self-reliant, energetic, able to work on their own initiative and to prioritise activities. The continued success of the charity will depend heavily on the organisational skills of the Charity Director and their ability to communicate effectively with all members of the CSC community and work alongside colleagues, partners and Trustees.
Our ideal candidate will have the following experience and skills –
- Proven experience in or strong commitment to community engagement or the voluntary sector.
- Proven ability to work independently and use initiative.
- Highly organised and able to balance multiple priorities and manage time effectively.
- Ability to think strategically and to communicate the strategic vision.
- Good leadership skills and the ability to build, motivate and develop a small team to deliver results.
- Excellent communication and relationship management skills. Able to work with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
- Experience of income generation, ideally with proven success in fundraising.
- Good understanding of venue management and health and safety in the workplace.
- Experience of managing staff and/or volunteers.
- Flexible attitude and willingness to develop in role.
Application Process
To apply for the vacancy, please email your CV and a covering letter (no more than two pages) to [aparker@brunswickgroup.com], outlining your interest in the role and how your skills and experience meet the job description and person specification. Please include ‘Charity Director’ in the subject line.
Deadline for applications is: 15th July 2023
Initial interviews will take place in Late July 2023.
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £92,216.00-£101,147.00 per year
Benefits:
Schedule:
- Flexitime
- Monday to Friday
Supplemental pay types:
Work Location: Hybrid remote in London
Application deadline: 15/07/2023
Reference ID: CSC-Director 15.07.23
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