JOB TITLE: Chief Executive Officer
PLACE OF WORK: Remote
HOURS OF WORK: Full time
REPORTS TO: Chair of the Board of Directors
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Full responsibility for SWAP budget

Main Purpose of the Job

The Chief Executive, in partnership with the Executive Management Team and the Board of Directors, is responsible for the success of SWAP. Together, they assure the accomplishment of SWAP’s aims and objectives, and the accountability of SWAP to its partners.

The Board of Directors and the Owners Meeting, in conjunction with the deed and articles of the company, delegates responsibility for management and day-to-day operations to the Chief Executive, and they have the authority to carry out these responsibilities in accordance with the direction and policies established by the Board of Directors and the Owners. The Chief Executive provides direction and advice to the Board of Directors and the Owners Board as it carries out its governance functions.

The Chief Executive, in conjunction with the other Executive Directors, is responsible for providing services to the partners and clients of the company, the details of which are specified in the individual Service Agreements and contracts, as appropriate. The Chief Executive is also responsible for ensuring that all services provided by the company comply with the International Professional Practices Framework of the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards of CIPFA.

Summary of Responsibilities and Duties of the Job

Mission, policy and planning

• Assists the Owners Board in determining SWAP’s values, mission, vision, and short and long-term goals.
• Assists the Board of Directors in monitoring and evaluating SWAP’s effectiveness and its results.
• Keeps the Board of Directors fully informed on the condition of SWAP and of all the important factors influencing it.
• Identifies problems and opportunities and addresses them; brings those which are appropriate to the Board of Directors and facilitates discussion and deliberation.
• Informs the Owners Board about trends, issues, problems and activities to facilitate policymaking. Recommend policy positions.

Management and administration

• Provides general oversight of all SWAP activities, manages the day-to-day operations and assures a smoothly functioning, efficient organisation.
• Assures a work environment that recruits, retains and supports quality staff. Assures process for selecting, development, motivating, and evaluating staff.
• Is responsible for maintaining sufficient staff with the right skills and experience to meet the needs of the company’s partners and clients.
• Is accountable for the management of the company’s staff and ensuring proper evaluation and performance of staff.
• Ensures an effective continual training program is in place, individually targeted to meet company needs.

Governance

• Helps the Board of Directors focus on its own role and accountabilities and in conjunction with the Chair of the Board helps evaluate performance regularly.
• In conjunction with the Chair of the Board helps enable the Board of Directors to understand and fulfil its governance functions.
• With the Chair of the Board, focuses Board of Directors attention on long-range strategic issues.
• Manages the Board of Directors due diligence process to assure timely attention to core issues.
• Ensures that the activities of the company are lawful and in accordance with the Articles, Deed and directives from the Board of Directors and the Owners Board.

Financing

• Oversees and has overall responsibility for the fiscal activities of the company including budgeting, reporting and audit.
• Works with the Board to ensure financing to support short- and long-term goals.
• Is responsible for ensuring that the company operates within budget as directed by the Board of Directors and the Owners Board.
• In accordance with the Business Plan seeks new opportunities, both client and partner, that provide additional net income to the company.
• Is responsible for ensuring that company reserves are built up and maintained, as directed by the Board of Directors.

General

• Ensures that all aspects of internal audit activity are properly managed so that standards are maintained, and tasks are completed within agreed timescales.
• Ensures professional standards are adhered to and an effective continuous quality control process is in operation.
• Continuously review the service provided to each organisation and the Partnership, recommending improvements where appropriate.
• Grows the non-partner business, in accordance with the Business plan and as directed by the Owners Board, up to the maximum permitted by law. Ensures that all new business has a clear net benefit to the company.

For each Partner or Client

• Ensures that risk-based plans are devised annually, for each partner and client, in accordance with best practice and the wishes of the relevant partner/client.
• Maintains an effective counter-fraud team that is able to respond rapidly to requests for special investigations.
• Ensures that all audit work is conducted to a high standard and in accordance with professional standards and best practice. To further ensure that all audit work is properly supervised and monitored by appropriately qualified and skilled managers and supervisors.
• Ensures that each partner/client receives regular performance updates including reporting to the relevant client officer and Audit Committee, or equivalent.
• Liaises with each organisation’s external auditor to ensure that work is coordinated and that internal audit work, in support of the annual external audit opinion, is completed on time.

External and Internal Contacts

• International, national and regional contacts in the relevant services, including membership of the relevant organisations, where appropriate.
• Elected Members, senior members of staff partner agencies and commercial contacts. Face-to-face, telephone, written and electronic communication.

Working Environment

• Home based.

Health and Safety at Work

• All relevant Health and Safety at Work regulations and instructions are to be considered as part of this job description.

Data Protection Act 1998

• All SWAP employees who are involved in the processing or handling of computer data have an obligation to comply with the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the company’s Data Protection Policy.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Experience

• Consistent achievement at a Chief Executive level or substantial senior management experience in an organisation of comparable size and complexity, including managing large budgets and resources.
• Able to provide sound professional advice and guidance at senior management/director/elected member/board member level and significant experience of operating at Board level.
• A proven track record of effective decision making within a complex political/partnership environment.
• Experience of providing internal audit services to multiple clients in a diverse range of sectors.
• A proven track record of successful corporate management, leading the formulation and delivery of corporate vision, strategies, policies and objectives.
• A successful track record of building productive internal and external relationships and working across organisational and sector boundaries that embraces collaborative working with the statutory, voluntary and private sectors.
• A demonstrable track record of successfully designing, leading and implementing high-impact organisational and cultural change in a manner that inspires, motivates and engages all employees.
• A demonstrable record of establishing a strong performance culture, inspiring, motivating and empowering people to meet corporate objectives and deliver services that are responsive, customer-focused and achieve results.
• Extensive experience of successful people, budgetary and resource management within a similar sized organisation and commissioning environment.
• Experience of building personal and professional credibility with boards, management teams, employees, partners, the public and the media. Evidence of success in building and enhancing the reputation of an organisation; locally, regionally and nationally.
• Evidence of personal leadership in achieving equality of opportunity in employment and service delivery. Demonstrable evidence of linking diversity issues to policy and service development and delivery.
• Excellent communication and networking skills, with the ability to give articulate, comprehensive and persuasive presentations to a wide variety of audiences, including the media, on controversial and/or complex matters.
• Proven ability to organise and undertake a diverse workload, manage constant and often conflicting work demands whilst still achieving competing deadlines and targets.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• A chartered internal auditor (CMIIA) or qualified CCAB accountant.
• A comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of internal auditing, risk management, corporate governance and internal control.
• A clear understanding of internal control frameworks, such as COSO.
• A comprehensive understanding of the public sector environment, partnership working and the national and political context within which they operate and the current challenges and opportunities.
• Ability to bring commercial acumen to thinking and development of the Partnership.
• Well developed leadership skills that encourage commitment from others and promote a positive and motivated organisational culture.
• An ability to operate sensitively within a political environment and to develop relationships with all stakeholders that command respect, trust and confidence.
• An ability to maintain a clear overview of issues affecting the partnership and manage competing priorities within financial constraints.
• An ability to make difficult decisions in a challenging environment and to manage conflict and resistance positively.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills and an ability to influence outcomes through tact, diplomacy and effective reasoning and persuasion, together with the ability to write and present reports on complex issues.
• An ability to relate to and win the confidence and trust of Elected Members, employees, partners and the consumers/client groups/the public.
• An ability to develop and implement corporate strategies in pursuit of agreed goals.
• Financial and commercial awareness, with strong analytical skills and a creative approach to problem solving.
• An ability to provide clear, appropriate, balanced and unambiguous advice.
• An ability to manage corporate and individual performance in a manner that raises standards and delivers results.

Personal Qualities

• Sound business acumen and agile informed and objective decision making skills.
• Ambition, energy, drive and resilience: An ability to deliver under pressure.
• An empowering style, valuing the contributions of others and committed to employee development.
• A strong commitment to deliver results, service excellence, customer supremacy and continuous improvement.
• Lead from the front, an honest and straightforward style that is inspirational and gains the respect of others inside and outside of the organisation.
• A commitment to local democracy, social justice, equality of opportunity and accountability to the community.
• Personal conduct, integrity, and credibility that commands the confidence and respect of Elected Members, managers, staff, local communities, external partners and stakeholders.
• Self aware and emotionally intelligent.
• Forward thinking and visionary with the ability to express clearly what needs to be done and engage staff sufficiently to deliver the desired outcome.