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Role Description

Overview

The Chief Operating Officer is a member of the Executive Team (with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO). The Executive Team collectively sets the strategic direction of the organisation and ensures that it has the operational resources to deliver on the strategy.

This role is responsible for:

The Finance team: Acting Head of Finance, Finance Officer

The Organisation Services team: Assistant Director for Organisation Services, Organisation Services Manager, EA to CEO and Governance Officer

The Strategy and Culture Team: Assistant Director for Strategy and Culture, Strategy and Culture Manager, Strategy and Culture Officer

Purpose

The purpose of the Chief Operating Officer role is to create and shape the conditions for Power to Change to thrive.

Specific Role Responsibilities

The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for working with his/her/their team to ensure that the following conditions for Power to Change are in place:

Strategy and Business Development

  • A strong vision and purpose that outline the kind of future we want to see that engages and inspires passion with all staff.
  • Ambitions that move us closer to our vision and achieving our purpose, with a clear theory of change that is understood by all in the organisation (against which progress can be tracked and reported on).
  • An approach to business development that delivers a sustainable income for Power to Change and captures the entrepreneurial nature of the organisation.
  • The conditions where we continually engage with community businesses to identify opportunities where Power to Change should act to achieve our vision, ensuring that we maintain our commitment to be grounded in community business.
  • The conditions where we can horizon scan for future trends, threats, and opportunities and ensure we have the infrastructure and behaviours to capture and act on the outputs.
  • An operating model that enables effective and appropriate ways of delivering on our ambitions.

People and Culture

  • An engaged and committed staff group that have the support, the knowledge, and the skills to deliver exceptional performance.
  • An enabling culture that is underpinned by our principles, ensuring that we continuously reflect on whether we live our values.
  • Behaviours and working practices that foster openness and empower decision-making across the organisation.

Organisation Services

  • Efficient financial, contractual, and legal systems, processes and behaviours that ensure we are sustainable and compliant, while remaining accessible and proportionate for the type of organisation we are.
  • Streamlined knowledge and information management processes that support and enhance how we work, using future-proofed digital technologies.
  • An approach to risk that enables creativity and innovation and ensures that the organisation is able to mitigate and control any risks that occur.
  • The ability for staff to be able to work collaboratively from home, Power to Change offices and community businesses.
  • A governance structure that enhances the organisation while meeting the fiduciary requirements.
  • Efficient and effective operational controls processes that adhere to regulations (including but not limited to Companies House, the Charity Commission and HMRC).

Strategic Leadership

  • Work with the Executive Team and Trustees to ensure effective governance of the organisation, ensuring that the internal oversight is efficiently and effectively managed with accurate, timely financial information and analysis.
  • Act as a member of the Executive Team, which collectively sets the strategic direction of the organisation, and ensure that we have the operational resources to deliver on our strategy and are able to track progress against our strategy.
  • Oversee, mentor, support, and develop the Strategy and Culture, Finance, and Organisation Services teams, including line management where appropriate, actively role modelling the behaviours expected, and reflecting the organisation’s values.
  • Provide thought leadership for the organisation internally and externally to ensure our organisational ways of working are sector leading.
  • Represent Power to Change by building and cultivating networks and collaborations across all relevant sectors to support the purpose of Power to Change.