Job Type: Full-time

Salary: £60,000 – £75,000 depending on experience

Reporting to: Board of Trustees

Background/Context
iheart, the mental health education charity, was started six years ago by Terry and Brian Rubenstein (founding CEO). In that short time, it has become it has grown into an organisation making a significant difference to the lives of thousands of young people through its highly innovative and unique approach to mental health education. Evolving from past work in the field, research and books she had authored, Terry developed the Resilience Framework. Based on this overarching educational approach and set of principles, the charity has developed a range of in-person and digital wellbeing and resilience programmes supporting young people aged 9-18, and those who work with and support young people (parents, teachers, youth workers, etc). It also built up its fundraising infrastructure, brand, strong relationships with several CVS partners and developed a training academy which has certified approximately 700 individuals from 23 countries to deliver the iheart Curriculum for young people.
The founders are now exiting the charity at a day-to-day operational level in order to launch a new, standalone entity to scale the core teaching of the Framework via a technology platform beyond the youth and educational sectors. We therefore require a new CEO to lead the charity beyond this key transition phase. This highly motivated, experienced, passionate, values-driven and highly skilled individual will take on primary fundraising responsibilities to ensure the charity’s financial future, and will be responsible for implementing the strategic plan as determined by the Board of Trustees and the founders.

Overview: About the Role

iheart’s vision is to create a shift in the way we understand and address mental health and wellbeing amongst young people. Delivering the Resilience Framework in educational and youth settings is the way in which this shift will occur and is the operational mission of the charity.

Following the success of the past six years the Board of Trustees has determined that the next phase of the charity’s development will be underpinned by a ‘narrow and deep’ strategic approach. This approach will be characterised by a focus on establishing the critical success factors and further developing a robust evidence base for iheart’s work with young people, as well as delivery of the current iheart suite of programmes to a targeted number of young people in schools and teachers over the short-term (12-24 months). This strategy is intended to generate the necessary research and impact data to gain the increased support of significant mainstream funders in the space.

We require somebody with a very strong leadership background in the non-profit sector who combines expertise in management of teams and individuals with fundraising skills and evidence of successful income generation. With the support of the Board of Trustees, and the charity’s founders, you will be responsible for:

    Strategy and execution of the charity’s Strategic Plan with a focus on a ‘narrow and deep’ strategic approach over the next 12-24 months.

    Establishing critical success factors in terms of delivering change and improving the lives of young people.

    Developing and supporting the research necessary for that strategy.

    Shaping our fundraising strategy, establishing relationships with key funders and executing on this strategy to meet the charity’s income objectives.

    Delivery and on-going development of the charity’s services.

     Managing a small team and ensuring all members of the team achieve their deliverables and targets.

Key Responsibilities

In addition to the key strategic responsibilities as outline above, key areas of responsibility include:

Fundraising:

    Develop and implement the charity’s fundraising strategy in order to grow income and achieve the fundraising target.

    Identify and cultivate major donor relationships including setting up meetings, securing donations, and informing supporters of key charity activities and progress.

    Oversee the Annual Fundraising campaign including identifying and reaching out to major donors, managing a team of ‘Champions’, and ensuring the charity reaches and surpasses the campaign’s financial target.

    Identify, develop and implement fundraising challenges and other new ideas to generate charitable donations.

    Work closely with the grant-writer to identify new partnerships with trusts, family foundations and corporate giving programmes.

    Manage and oversee all donor communications.

Management & Operations:

    Manage a small team, including the Schools Partnership Manager and Youth Influencer to ensure the charity’s Strategic Plan is implemented and identified objectives are met and exceeded.

    Manage the grant-writer and any future fundraising/communication support hires.

    Manage the operations, finance and web/technical support personnel to ensure all operational functions of the organisation are working effectively.

   Ensure effective data collation of all programmes/projects being delivered and that outcomes are being monitored and evaluated.

    Ensure all key policies are up to date and being implemented according to Charity Commission and other regulatory requirements/guidelines.

Reporting & Stakeholder Management:

    Establish close working relationship with the Board of Trustees and its Chair.

    Managing the relationship with Resilimy, the commercial ‘sister’ organisation

    Convene and attend regular Board meetings during which you will present summary financial, operational and personnel updates, and report on progress / obstacles in implementing and achieving the Strategic Plan.

    Provide timely financial and operational reporting as required by the Board.

    Contribute to strategic discussions at Board Level and identify and resolve any operational or resource barriers to successfully implementing the Strategic Plan.

    Fulfil all reporting requirements from successful grant applications and ensure delivery / project requirements are met.

    Initiate and manage other key external relationships and partnerships with organisations the charity seeks to collaborate with, and 3rd party suppliers.

Candidate Requirements:

    Passion for the sector and drive to make iheart a thought and industry leader in this space Values and purpose-driven leader who fits the organisational culture

    Unstintingly committed to the iheart vision and Framework methodology for improving the mental wellbeing and resilience of young people

    Minimum of 3 years in a leadership and fundraising role in the non-profit sector with a proven track record of income generation

    Demonstrable experience of growing fundraising income year on year

    Background and skills in helping to shape, develop, execute and maintain major donor relationships and implement a fundraising strategy

    An in-depth knowledge of the charity fundraising landscape and best practices

    Experience and skill in management teams and diverse functions

    Experience and expertise in upwards management to Board level and broader stakeholder relationships

    Experience and skill in working in and creating high-functioning, well-balanced, performance driven working environments with an emphasis on culture and values-driven leadership

    Collaborative working style whilst also being a self-starter

    Able to manage and plan a diverse workload and multiple priorities and relationships

    Experience and knowledge in the fields of education, youth, mental health and research will add significant weight to candidate’s application.