Summary
In simple terms, as CEO it will be your job to make sure we always know where we’re going, what we need to do to get there, and that we’re inspired and motivated in doing it.
Our mission to deliver progressive impact through digital mobilisation is a broad one; it will be up to you to shape what this means over the next few years, setting our strategy and leading our team to put it into action.
As well as impact, you will be responsible for keeping the company financially sustainable for the long-term; sustainability, rather than growth, is our primary financial goal, although growth is certainly an option if it serves our goals. You’ll be responsible for balancing our financial and operational needs, ensuring we’re bringing in enough income while also protecting our culture and ensuring Forward Action is an inclusive, enjoyable and enriching place to work.
Your main avenue for affecting internal change will be your management of our Leadership Team, who you’ll work with closely. Externally, you’ll represent the organisation as a thought leader in the sector, helping build the understanding and demand for digital mobilisation as well raising Forward Action’s profile.
We are about to trial moving to a four day week; if it is a success this would apply to your role too, although if we decide to go back to a standard working week you will still be able to work part time. You have the flexibility to work wherever you want in the UK or in our office in London.
What you’ll do as part of our team
- Hold overall responsibility for delivering the organisation’s financial, impact and team wellbeing goals
- Be the guardian and driver of our kind, hardworking and high-integrity culture
- Line manage the four other members of our Leadership Team, which includes the heads of our Strategy, Creative, Technology and Partnerships teams
- Oversee our operations and resource management functions, line managing the member of staff responsible for delivering them
- Oversee delivery of our 2021 – 2023 organisational strategy, then lead the process to set a new strategy in the second half of 2023
- Lead our quarterly organisational goal-setting and monitor progress against those goals
- Lead internal projects to help deliver those goals where required
- Own Forward Action’s HR policies and lead processes to review them and/or set new ones where needed
- Set our annual budget and income targets
- Represent Forward Action as a thought leader for mobilisation in the sector, speaking at events, writing opinion pieces and raising our profile with prospective partners
- Where needed, join calls to support the work of our Partnerships team, helping build buy in for our work with partners and prospective partners
Benefits and location
- Salary: Assuming our four day week trial is a success, your salary for a four day working week will be £69,943 if you live in London, or £62,449 if you live outside London (plus up to £3,000 for travel expenses). Under our new Employee Ownership Trust model, all team members will also receive an equal share of the profits each year. The amount will depend on how much profit is made, but, as an illustration, at our current size you could expect £3,250 annually for the next few years while the trust is paying the founders back, then around £11,000 a year after that. The first £3,600 a year is income tax free.
- Contract term: This is a permanent contract, working four days a week.
- Location: You can work remotely from anywhere in the UK and/or use our office in London Fields, east London. Our workflow is built to be remote-first and most of our meetings are held via video conferencing.
- Other benefits and policies: We offer five weeks of holiday a year plus the week between Christmas and New Year, a generous parental leave policy, flexible working options and a good work-life balance.
Read more about our benefits – including working hours, period policy and sustainable travel allowance – in the jobs section of our website.
Governance
You’ll oversee our Leadership Team, weighing up key decisions collaboratively to try and reach consensus, although final decision making power will be yours. You will form the operational board of the company and report to the five trustees of the Employee Ownership Trust, which will be made up of the two co-founders, two members of Forward Action staff, and an external advisor. The trust will meet four times a year and exists to provide broad governance oversight; it will not play an active role in strategy setting or the day to day running of the organisation, both of which will be your remit.
Start date and onboarding
We are looking for someone to start as soon as possible, allowing for notice periods or other pre existing commitments. Once you start, you will be onboarded by the co-founders/current co-Executive Directors over the course of 2 – 3 months, after which they will leave their roles. The aim of this is to give you plenty of time to get to know the organisation, pick up the co-founders’ institutional knowledge and find your feet before they move on.