Executive Director Information for applicants

Transcription

1 Executive Director Information for applicants Contact for enquiries Shivani Smith Principal Consultant M E shivani.smith@nfpconsulting.co.uk

2 Welcome Thank you for your interest in the role of Executive Director of OxFizz. It s a critical role at an exciting time for the organisation as we gear up for a period of growth. We exist to bridge gaps in the UK s education system, ensuring all students have fair access to top universities. We do this because we know that even when disadvantaged students achieve the same grades as their peers, they are still less likely to win places at top universities. Not only is this a major barrier to social mobility but it deprives universities (and the institutions that recruit from them) of a key pool of talent. We want to help level the playing field ensuring that students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds can freely access a programme of support to build the knowledge, confidence and skills to make successful applications to top universities. We are unique in the model of how we do this by working on a cross-subsidy model across the education sector. We deliver exceptional quality educational services through our two brands Oxbridge Interviews and Oxbridge International Summer School. Where families and schools are fortunate enough to be able to pay for these services, we charge a fee. This work in the private education sector allows us to generate profits, and crucially expertise, to make the same services available free of charge to students from much less advantaged backgrounds. Our services are delivered by our network of 150+ graduate volunteers. Through giving their time we enable them to raise funds for charitable causes (by donating the profits generated from paying clients) and develop philanthropic behaviours in them. Since being founded by a group of students in 2007, we have supported over 3000 students with their university applications, donated over 900,000 to education programmes and other good causes, and engaged over 500 graduates in volunteering to support our students. This is a challenging and rewarding role as there is huge variety within it and enormous scope for growth. The next phase in the organisation s development will be focused on increasing summer school sales, further developing our access programme, piloting new e-learning products for use with both paying and access clients, building and developing our team and tracking and communicating outcomes of our new access programme. We are looking for someone who is passionate about supporting young people to succeed, and energised by the prospect of coming into an organisation with the aim to grow its work, reach and impact primarily through driving sales. This is a role for an individual who wants to make their mark on an organisation that does interesting and important work. The right candidate will be someone who can build a strategic vision, drive sales and go on to raise investment while also focusing on the nuts and bolts of running a small organisation. The Executive Director we hope to appoint will be someone who lives our values of being entrepreneurial, determined, dynamic and resilient. If this challenge sounds like something that excites you, then I look forward to receiving your application. Good luck! Sanjay Lobo Chair of Non-Executive Directors

3 About OxFizz OxFizz is a not-for-profit social enterprise, existing to bridge gaps in the UK s education system, ensuring all students have fair access to top universities. Our model is unique, and though it could be applied to many sectors, our focus is on education: 1. We recruit graduates from top universities to volunteer their time with us 2. These volunteers deliver educational services to students through our two brands Oxbridge Interviews and Oxbridge International Summer School. a. Where a student s family or school is fortunate enough to pay for these services we charge a fee and the volunteer donates the profit to the charity of their choice. b. Where students are from much less advantaged backgrounds, we offer the service pro-bono. 3. We work to ensure this volunteering catalyses wider philanthropic behaviours amongst our volunteers, and that they will go on to give their skills and resources to the third sector and education in particular further. We believe that this model offers a huge number of benefits: We transfer financial resource from the UK s growing private education sector directly back into the schools and communities where it is needed most We transfer skills and expertise at the same time through working with some of the highest performing schools in the country, our volunteers become expert in supporting our access students We offer our paying clients the chance to support fair access to universities whilst also supporting their own children Earning all of our own revenue gives us the freedom and flexibility to adapt and grow our programmes Performance Now almost 12 years old, OxFizz is in a very strong position: we have almost doubled our 10-year goal of donating 500,000 to charities (the current total stands at 943,000) and have increased our access provision by 400% in the last three years. We are very proud to have hit the milestone of providing our pro-bono services on a one-to-one model one free hour of support for every paid hour. What marks us out in the social enterprise sector is that we have never taken any grants or donations to supplement trading income 100% of our costs are covered by the profits from our sales. We know that not only is this critical in giving us the flexibility to grow and adapt to circumstance but We have experienced growth in our year-on-year sales of both brands, and the Board is clear that there is much opportunity still yet to be captured. The board is looking for a new Executive Director to lead OxFizz in the next stage of its evolution: to develop and grow the business, and to accelerate the positive impact that the organisation is able to have on society. Impact

4 We believe the quality of our access programme is reflected in the quality of our brilliant partners groups including IntoUniversity, The Access Project, Target Oxbridge, Ark Schools, Harris Schools and many others. We know that widening participation is a crowded space and impact can be hard to come by. We choose to focus on our area of expertise equipping academically strong students from the most disadvantaged quintile with the skills, knowledge and confidence to apply to the most selective UK universities. Rather than adding another vertically integrated programme into this sector, we work in partnership providing modules of specialist support that WP charities can incorporate into their existing programmes. This specialist support focuses on applicants to courses with the early UCAS deadline Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Vet Med, as these students have to complete admissions tests and interviews unlike the majority of university applicants. We measure our impact based on the eventual university destinations of our students but also in terms of the time and resource we save our partner charities by providing this in-kind support probono. We have recently partnered with UCAS to track our outcomes - they can provide us with control group data so we can be very precise about outcomes - not just outputs - of our interventions. To further expand our programme we are starting build e-learning products (online courses to support students with university admissions tests) to scale across the country and create toolkits for state schools so that staff can better support their students. We aim to double our amount of access support in 2019 and in 2020 should see much higher growth again through indirect support once we roll out teacher training. We are also looking long term at how we scale impact through catalysing further voluntary behaviours amongst our network of 500+ high achieving graduates, particularly by supporting them to move into leadership roles in education and the third sector.

5 To facilitate this growth in impact, we are also restructuring - creating a charity to which the trading company will gift its profits. Our volunteers may still donate profits they generate by delivering service to our paying clients to charities of their choice, but we anticipate that most will opt to support our new charity. More information on the summer school programme - How to apply Application is by way of CV and a Supporting Statement. For an informal discussion about the role, please contact: Shivani Smith, Principal Consultant on or shivani.smith@nfpconsulting.co.uk Closing date: 12pm Friday 29th March 1st round interviews - 3rd/4th April 2nd round interviews - 10th/11th April

6 Job description Job Title: Salary 50,000 Hours: Location: Contract Reports to: Responsible for: Role Purpose Executive Director 37.5 hours Monday - Friday London Full-time, permanent Chair of Non-Executive Directors TBC The organisation seeks to address inequality in access to education by providing direct support to pupils experiencing a level of disadvantage that could adversely impact their academic achievement and live chances. The Executive Director will work with the Board to build on the success to date and explore the potential to scale the operation. Aims of the Executive Director Role 1. To provide leadership and direction to the organisation and its stakeholders. 2. With the board of directors, to develop and deliver business strategy to meet the organisation s goals. 3. To deliver day-to-day impact with our clients and partners. 4. To maintain relationships and develop new ones that will benefit the organisation. 5. To take responsibility for financial stability, compliance, and risk management of the organisation. Key External Contacts Client independent schools in the UK Client educational agents and international schools Strategic partner organisations in the widening participation sector Volunteers Suppliers digital agency, accountants etc Key Internal Contacts Staff Board of directors Volunteers

7 Financial Responsible for setting budgets, creating management accounts, overseeing bookkeeping, reporting to HMRC and Companies House Key areas of responsibility 1. Strategy development Leading the development and implementation of the organisation s business strategy in alignment with the direction and ambition set by the Directors and with the meaningful involvement of all stakeholders. This will involve: Work with the Board to maintain a sustainable forward business plan that enables OxFizz to grow and achieve maximum impact in pursuit of its charitable objectives and mission; Lead the implementation of the strategy, including reviewing progress against the plan and set appropriate targets; Oversee the translation of strategic objectives into achievable operational plans and individual work programmes; Define and secure the resources (human, material and financial) needed to operate effectively; Keep abreast of developments affecting the context we operate in, including policy, regulation and changes in the sector 2. Programme development To oversee the continual evolution of OxFizz s expertise in high impact programming around access to top universities Ensuring that OxFizz is able to evidence the value of the services provided, and the impact of its work to partners and beneficiaries, identifying on a range of outputs and outcomes Communicating outcomes effectively to stakeholders Developing and maintaining relationships in the sector to stay abreast of best practice 3. Business development To take overall responsibility for developing the forward sales strategy and the commercial trading of products and services Developing commercial strategies to increase sales across OxFizz s customer facing brands Maintain strong client relationships safeguarding these relationships and looking for ways to increase per client spend Oversee marketing and client communication strategies Oversee new product development, particularly in e-learning space supporting students with Oxbridge admissions tests

8 4. Networks and profile To position and represent OxFizz in the markets and networks where having profile aids the delivery of business and impact objectives. This will involve: Overseeing the production of appropriate marketing collateral, including the website, that is accessible to the intended audience; Maintaining effective relationships with partners Seeking opportunities to expand and promote the role of the organisation; Maintaining effective relationships with relevant media publications and digital platforms; Representing OxFizz in public forums such as conferences and policy forums; producing written material for the organisation s own publications/promotional material and relevant external channels such as trade press etc. 5. Governance To ensure that the Board of Directors is enabled to deliver on their responsibilities and that the organisation operates in compliance with relevant legislation and statutory reporting requirements. This includes: Supporting the Directors in the performance of their duties through timely and accurate reporting; Writing concise and timely Board papers and reporting on agreed objectives and performance; Making decisions within the authority delegated by the Board, taking account of legal duties; Overseeing the preparation of the annual Board report, statutory accounts and returns to regulators 6. Finance, administration and performance management To maintain and develop the business operation that enables OxFizz to utilise its resources to best effect and ensures Directors are in compliance with relevant regulation. Monitoring and reviewing performance across all aspects of the operation, e.g. research programme and project delivery, financial management and performance management of staff; Preparing and managing the organisation s annual financial budget, expenditure forecasts and income generation targets; Ensure that the orgsanisation has the appropriate policies, procedures, systems and processes in place and that they are understood and adhered to. 7. People management and team working To lead and maintain the open, collaborative and high-performance working culture that enables OxFizz to achieve its business objectives. This will involve: Championing and modelling the professional integrity of OxFizz; Manage and support direct reports to maximise their personal contributions; Provide clear vision and direction for all staff and volunteers about their role, objectives and how each strand contributes to business strategy; Co-ordinate the annual staff appraisal programme and ensure clear and effective staff development plans are in place; To marinating and evolve a forward workforce development plan.

9 Person Specification Essential experience Leadership or senior-level management responsibility for a business, social enterprise or other not-for-profit organisation; Strong track record of growing commercial revenues for an organisation, both through B2B and B2C sales, ideally in the education sector Lead responsibility for, or substantial involvement in, business development and external relationship management in pursuit of business objectives and income targets; Responsibility for managing standard financial and operational management practices and processes, e.g. project planning; staff management; performance management; managing financial information; Operating in compliance with legislation and reporting within standard performance management frameworks; Experience leading and managing teams to deliver against ambitious targets; Understanding of factors which influence staff development and motivation including why individuals volunteer and how to manage them (volunteer management experience desirable); Extremely strong communication skills (both written and verbal) Desirable experience Understanding of UK university application processes, particularly the Oxbridge application process Understanding of the private education market in the UK, particularly with reference to international students Experience building and managing relationships with a range of stakeholders, including senior leadership in independent and state schools Good understanding of budgeting and financial management Strong analytical skills with the ability to approach problems in a systematic and logical fashion Working knowledge of child protection legislation and best practice How to apply Application is by way of CV and a Supporting Statement. For an informal discussion about the role, please contact: Shivani Smith, Principal Consultant on or shivani.smith@nfpconsulting.co.uk Closing date 12pm Friday 29th March 1st round interviews 3rd/4th April 2nd round interviews 10th/11th April Skills and abilities Leadership and people-management ability that inspires and motivates others Ability to provide strategic vision and translate this to operational objectives Planning and organising skills in order to produce operational plans, manage projects and establish appropriate organisational business processes; Empathy and social skills in order to build effective working relationships with others;

10 Effective negotiating, influencing and persuasion skills at the highest level; Excellent oral, written communication and presentation skills including the ability to present in public with gravitas; Effective team-working and collaboration skills; Financial and business acumen (assessing opportunities and applying resources effectively) Innovation in the development of responses to challenges and opportunities. Special conditions Willingness to undertake work outside normal office hours and to travel as required within the UK; Undertake other duties as may be required from time to time.

11 Organisational Chart Executive Director