Head of Community Programmes

Essential Experience

The successful candidate will have:

• Significant senior leadership experience within the third sector, charity or community sector.
• Direct experience of leadership within a professional football club charity, community trust or similar organisation.
• A strong track record of developing and implementing high-quality community programmes.
• Significant experience of leading youth work and/or youth development programmes.
• Demonstrable experience of developing and implementing full youth work curriculums.
• Experience of leading and managing teams.
• Proven experience of managing programme KPIs and contractual performance.
• Experience of developing and maintaining strategic stakeholder relationships.
• Demonstrable experience of successful partnership development.
• Experience of identifying and securing external funding.
• Strong report-writing and communication skills.
• Experience of undertaking community consultation and using findings to shape provision.
• Experience of representing an organisation professionally at external meetings and events.

Desirable Experience

• A recognised Youth Work qualification or significant equivalent professional experience.
• Experience of working within a professional football environment.
• Experience of alternative education provision.
• Experience of disability and inclusive community provision.
• Experience of social inclusion programmes.
• Experience of heritage or cultural programmes.
• Experience of working with local authorities, education providers, statutory agencies and funders.
• Experience of commissioning and/or managing externally funded programmes.

Skills & Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Exceptional leadership and people management skills.
• Excellent programme and project management capability.
• Strong strategic thinking combined with the ability to deliver operationally.
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills.
• Excellent written communication and report-writing ability.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to develop compelling programmes and funding propositions.
• Strong understanding of youth work principles and practice.
• Ability to analyse performance data and translate insight into action.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Ability to work confidently with senior stakeholders, partners, funders and community representatives.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach.
• High levels of integrity, professionalism and accountability.

Personal Qualities

We are looking for an individual who is:

• Passionate about improving outcomes for local communities.
• Inspirational in their leadership of people and programmes.
• Ambitious for the Trust and the communities it serves.
• Highly credible with partners, funders and external stakeholders.
• Community-focused and committed to listening to local people.
• Commercially aware and able to identify opportunities for sustainable growth.
• Accountable for delivering high-quality outcomes and meeting agreed targets.
• Collaborative and able to work effectively across a football club environment.
• Resilient, organised and proactive in a demanding senior leadership role.