SUMMARY JOB DESCRIPTION

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1 Director Information for Applicants North Kensington Law Centre is seeking a new Director to lead and develop the organisation. You will be our voice in the community, to our funders and to the legal and voluntary sector. You will be a champion for vulnerable clients and a leader to our awardwinning staff. Following government cuts to Legal Aid funding, the Law Centre has undergone a period of significant change in its sources of funding and its operational platform. Together with an engaged set of trustees, you will define the strategy for the organisation, develop our services and strengthen our solid financial platform. Title Main Purpose Salary Hours Accountable to Director SUMMARY JOB DESCRIPTION The Director is responsible for the overall management of the Law Centre, for fundraising, financial planning and communications and will work with the Management Committee (which comprises the trustees of the Law Centre) to develop the strategic plan. The Director s further responsibilities include implementing the Business Plan, staff supervision, office management and oversight of compliance and regulatory matters. 45,900 pro rata, plus matched pension contribution 4 days per week equivalent, but with flexibility in hours worked and requirement for occasional evening work The Management Committee BACKGROUND TO THE ROLE The present economic and political environment has created greater need than ever for high quality legal services to help poor and vulnerable members of the community to assert their legal rights in relation to housing, immigration, employment and welfare benefits, to challenge discrimination and to avoid homelessness, poverty and crisis. Recent cuts to government funding for legal services have led us to seek and sustain new sources of funding, to develop innovative methods of service provision and to seek greater ties within the community and charitable sector. In recent years we have maintained breadth and quality in a wide range of service areas while increasing the efficiency of our operations and building a sustainable funding model. Recent developments include: New sources of income, including additional grants and earned income from casework The introduction of a triage function which has doubled the number of clients we help each year Page 1 of 6

2 A restructuring of the staff team which has focused our resources on high quality complex case work An office move and new IT systems which have reduced overheads Our current director is leaving the organisation after two years in post with a specific remit to oversee a period of significant operational and strategic development. Now that this has been achieved, we are looking for an experienced professional to fill this vacancy who can help to sustain our current levels of service provision and to develop and grow the organisation in line with our strategic objectives (further described in our Business Plan) and who will play a central role, together with the Management Committee, in defining the Law Centre s future direction. ABOUT NORTH KENSINGTON LAW CENTRE North Kensington Law Centre was founded in 1970 and was the first law centre in England to provide access to justice for the local community through the provision of high quality legal advice and representation. Now located in new offices near Latimer Road station, the Law Centre continues to focus on meeting the needs of the most vulnerable members of the community in North Kensington and beyond while providing a broad range of legal services and advice in the areas of housing, immigration, employment and welfare benefits. Applicants are referred to the Law Centre s Business Plan 2015 to 2018 which is attached with this document. Further information is available on our website at HOW TO APPLY Applicants should complete the application form which can be downloaded from our website and send it by to raji@nklc.co.uk. It is not necessary to send a CV. The closing date for applications is 6pm on Friday 8 January Initial interviews will take place in the week commencing Monday 18 January. Candidates invited for interview will be asked to make a short presentation to the interview panel on a topic which will be communicated in advance and may be asked to complete a written exercise. We regret that we will be unable to consider applications received after the deadline. DETAILED JOB DESCRIPTION Accountability and management responsibilities The Director is accountable to the Management Committee (which comprises the trustees of the Law Centre), is directly supervised by the Chair and works closely with the Treasurer on all financial matters. The Director is expected to report to the Management Committee and the Finance and Personnel Subcommittee on a bi-monthly basis. The Director is responsible for the supervision of all staff and (together with the Senior Solicitor) for oversight of our caseworkers, volunteers, paralegals and trainees. The Director will be assisted by a Management Assistant and is further supported by a number of nonlegal staff, as detailed below under the heading Personnel matters. The Director is expected to manage the responsibilities of the job by delegation to other members of staff as appropriate. Page 2 of 6

3 Fundraising and partnerships The Director is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with new and existing grant funders and partners in the community and charitable sector. In particular this will involve: Applying for grants and other means of funding new and existing services and developing the organisation in accordance with the strategy and Business Plan Identifying gaps in service provision and new services which the Law Centre could offer, either alone or in partnership with other organisations and developing appropriate funding strategies Together with the Chair and other trustees, building relationships with external stakeholders and supporters Keeping abreast of national and local policy and practice and how this affects the Law Centre s work Communications, monitoring and evaluation The Director is responsible for devising and implementing a communications strategy, including: Maintaining and developing our website and social media presence Representing the organisation at external events and to the press and holding publicity and fundraising events Developing the organisation s membership and communicating with members Collecting qualitative and quantitative data to measure our performance and the outcomes of our work Governance The Director works with the Management Committee to set the strategic goals for the organisation and is responsible for implementing the strategy and Business Plan. In particular, this will involve: Preparing proposed business and strategic plans for discussion with and approval by the Management Committee Reporting to the Management Committee and other committees on a regular basis, and preparing agendas and papers for such meetings Maintaining the risk register and providing regular management financial information and non-financial key performance indicators to trustees Assisting the trustees in ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in relation to the Law Centre as a charity, a company limited by guarantee and an employer and in relation to the Law Centre s pension schemes Page 3 of 6

4 Working with the Senior Solicitor to ensure that the Law Centre is compliant with the regulations of the Solicitors Regulation Authority Organising and preparing for the Annual General Meeting Financial management The Director has overall responsibility for managing the income and expenditure of the Law Centre and for budgeting and financial reporting. In particular, this will involve: Preparing annual budgets and monitoring performance versus budget Preparing annual accounts for approval by the Law Centre s Independent Examiner and Management Committee Maintaining the Law Centre s contracts with the Legal Aid Agency, ensuring that work under these contracts is appropriately billed (with the assistance of individual case workers and the Law Centre s external costs draughtsman and Legal Aid billing clerk, where appropriate) Approving expenditure Preparing regular management accounts and cash-flow forecasts and working with the Senior Solicitor and caseworkers to monitor the value of work in progress Supervising external bookkeeping and payroll service providers Ensuring the Law Centre s pension schemes and other employee benefit arrangement are appropriately administered Working with and providing assistance to the Treasurer on other financial management and planning matters Personnel matters As the senior management employee, the Director is responsible for the management and oversight of all other employees. Specific responsibilities include: Ensuring a safe, pleasant and collegiate working environment for all staff Line management of all staff and, together with the Senior Solicitor, supervision of the caseload of legal staff and volunteers Holding regular staff meetings and annual away days Carrying out annual staff appraisals Management of contract staff, including payroll, bookkeeping and billing Implementing any HR policies the organisation may from time to time adopt Page 4 of 6

5 The following diagram illustrates the organisational structure of the Law Centre: The Management Committee (the trustees of the Charity) The Director Management Assistant 1 Senior Solicitor 2 External support 3 Welfare Benefits Caseworker Employment Caseworker Housing Solicitor Immigration Solicitor All have supervisory role for their own areas of law Triage Coordinator Trainee Solicitor Paralegal Immigration Caseworker Volunteers Notes: (1) Management Assistant will be hired once Director is in post. (2) Senior Solicitor position is currently held by the Immigration Solicitor (3) Includes bookkeeper, payroll and costs draughtsman Office management The Director is responsible for the general management of the office, including: Maintaining office contracts in relation to computers, databases and software, photocopying and printing, post and DX, and telephones, internet and fax Ensuring a safe working environment Maintaining appropriate insurances Legal casework management The Director is jointly responsible, together with the Senior Solicitor, for ensuring that the legal practice is compliant with the requirements of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and that all casework is compliant with the requirements of the Legal Aid Agency (if applicable) and capable of being billed and of recovering disbursements incurred. The Director is expected to monitor the financial and operational efficiency of the Law Centre s case work arrangements, to report to the trustees on such matters and to make appropriate proposals in relation to the development of the casework team. Other matters The Director will undertake, and/or supervise other employees and volunteers in undertaking, other general and administrative duties, as required, including: archiving and maintenance of case files, liaising with courts and the Legal Aid Agency, managing Page 5 of 6

6 disbursements, liaising with counsel, filing, managing payments and debtors, updating the website and other promotional material and collecting and analysing statistical data. PERSON SPECIFICATION The ideal candidate will possess the following qualities: Experience Experience of financial, operational and strategic leadership, preferably within the charitable sector, at senior management level Track record of successful fundraising in a comparable organisation Previous experience of managing partnership working between a range of different stakeholders, including voluntary sector organisations and the local authority. Some experience of organisational communications and publicity Please note that experience of legal services (charitable or otherwise) would be an advantage but is not required. Abilities Proven ability with figures and financial statements Excellent written and spoken communication skills A quick learner, able to develop new skills to meet the needs of the organisation Personal Problem solver, able to find new and innovative solutions to existing issues Strength in managing relationships with a wide variety of people from vulnerable clients to grant funders to members of the wider community A self-starter, able to work both under own initiative and in pursuit of an agreed strategy and plan Enterprising and able to identify potential funding opportunities A commitment to providing access to justice for all Sensitivity to the needs of our client base Page 6 of 6