Job Title – Director of Services
Department – Senior Leadership
Reporting to – Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Line Manages – Head of Advice and Support Services, Head of Information, Training and Service Development (this is a temporary structure in place until end of April 2026)
DBS check requirement – Basic
Location – Avonmore Road, London W14 8RR (with hybrid working)
JOB PURPOSE
To ensure that our multi-channel services improve the lives of older people in financial hardship, including aiming to reach those groups who are most likely to be in poverty.
To be accountable and responsible for the strategic leadership and management of the Directorate, ensuring budgets, plans and activities align with Independent Age’s strategy and have maximum impact for older people in poverty.
As a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), to provide inspirational and transformational leadership, developing and executing the strategy to ensure we deliver our mission efficiently and effectively and with a strong focus upon increasing our impact and reach.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategy and Impact
- Work closely with the CEO and other senior colleagues to continue to develop how we deliver our overarching strategy and ensure the translation into operational plans;
- Collaborate and develop partnerships that reflect common goals and improve our offer to our beneficiaries;
- Ensure the development of a learning organisation through continual evaluation and review of activities, effective feedback loops, and focus on impact;
- Provide timely, accurate and appropriate management information to senior colleagues and our Board.
Leadership and Management
- As part of the Senior Leadership Team, provide inspiring, empowering and effective leadership, direction and oversight to Independent Age to maximise the impact for older people facing financial hardship;
- Lead and develop a high performing Services directorate with a collective sense of purpose, managing the Services Leadership Team to develop robust, efficient and cost effective departmental plans, budgets, objectives, key performance indicators (KPIs), risk logs, policies and protocols;
- Perform a leadership role in championing and delivering our equity, diversity and inclusions (EDI) priorities;
- Be accountable for the relevant directorate budgets, ensure compliance with financial regulations and maintain a focus on value for money;
- Lead the board approved changes to operational delivery identified in a recent review.
Operational delivery and impact
- Provide strategic direction and leadership for all of Independent Age’s services, (currently including helpline, advice and information, and training) ensuring that services align with our strategic focus and EDI priorities, are high quality, and deliver maximum impact for older people in financial difficulty;
- Ensure that Independent Age delivers significant impact now, and in the future, by setting SMART KPIs and monitoring and reporting against them;
- Support income generation colleagues, working with them to demonstrate the impact and significance of our work and to bid for resource to continue to enhance our services and ensure financial sustainability via commissioned, fundraised, philanthropic or commercial income;
- Oversee the development of strategic partnerships with local and national stakeholders, suppliers, ensuring efficient and cost-effective service, clear compliance and a commitment to Independent Age’s values and goals;
- Undertake regular horizon scanning to establish opportunities, risks, ways to improve effectiveness;
- Ensure that robust safeguarding policies, practices and processes are in place across Services;
- Represent Independent Age externally at a senior level, including acting as a media spokesperson to raise awareness, campaigning for policy change, building understanding and driving action;
- Be inclusive of all stakeholders, especially older people living in financial hardship, when reviewing or developing new services;
- Prepare proposals, reports and updates for the Board of Trustees and sub-committees on Services’ strategic direction, activity and KPIs;
- Take responsibility for how volunteers support our service delivery now and in the future;
- Design and deliver an external training offer that extends our reach, enhances our brand, and delivers commercial income.
General Responsibilities
- Embrace diversity and share our commitment to equality of opportunity and to eliminating discrimination;
- Model and embed Independent Age’s values and behaviours.;
- Share our commitment to promoting welfare and safeguarding adults at risk of harm and any children or young people connected with them that we may come into contact with through our work;
- Ensure that information is obtained, used and stored in accordance with our Data Protection and Confidentiality policy;
- Undertake any other duties commensurate with the level of the role.
How We Work
At Independent Age, we live by our values and EDI principles.
Our values are:
- Purpose-driven – the experience, needs and views of older people are central to everything we do;
- Compassionate – we listen, care and take action;
- Expert – our work is evidence-based and solution-focused;
- Collaborative – we work in partnership to maximise our impact;
- Accountable – we work with integrity and transparency;
- Inclusive – we value diversity and always treat everyone fairly with dignity and respect.
To put our EDI Principles into practice, we will:
- proactively challenge ageism and all other forms of inequality and discrimination throughout all our work;
- celebrate and champion diversity within and outside our charity;
- create a culture where everyone knows that they belong;
- ensure our leaders act as role models and champions;
- promote equity of opportunity for our staff, volunteers and the people who use our services;
- ensure our EDI plan is integral to our annual planning processes to ensure that we deliver our goals;
- collect data on diversity and inclusion to enable us to inform our work and review our progress and impact;
- be accountable and transparent about our progress;
- use our influence to proactively champion EDI internally and with external partners;
- continuously improve, adopt best practice and learn from and share with others.