Job Title: Chief Executive Officer
Reporting to: Chair of Trustees
Department: CEO Office
Location: London with UK-wide travel (3 days in London office)
Salary: circa £110,000
Purpose of the Role
UK Youth is a leading national youth charity dedicated to ensuring all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. Our focus is on unlocking the power of youth work—proven to be life-changing and life-saving—as a catalyst for meaningful change. With a vast network of over 9,000 youth organisations and national partners, we impact more than four million young people across the UK annually, including 20,000 who access outdoor learning at flagship Avon Tyrrell outdoor centre.
As CEO, you will provide dynamic leadership, driving financial sustainability, operational resilience, and national impact. You will lead a high-performing executive team, advocate with and for young people at a policy level, and foster strategic partnerships within and across sectors to strengthen the youth sector and influence systemic change.
Key Responsibilities
- Organisational Leadership & Governance
- Provide strategic, visionary leadership, fostering a high-performance culture across staff and volunteers.
- Develop and lead a senior executive team, ensuring strong succession planning, professional development and support.
- Supporting the Board on organisational governance, ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory, and funding agreements.
- Implement robust risk management frameworks, ensuring resilience and accountability across all activities.
- Drive an inclusive, thriving organisational culture, ensuring alignment with UK Youth’s mission and values.
- Strategic Planning & Performance Management
- Lead the development and execution of UK Youth’s long-term strategy, ensuring alignment with its vision and mission.
- Establish clear KPIs, performance targets, and evaluation frameworks to measure impact and effectiveness.
- Ensure UK Youth has efficient systems, structures, and skills to support strategy delivery.
- Financial Oversight & Sustainability
- Lead and ensure financial sustainability, including meeting income targets, maintaining reserves, and securing diversified income streams.
- Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and financial risk management, ensuring sound financial governance.
- Champion an entrepreneurial approach to fundraising and revenue generation opportunities, leading on key income generation approaches.
- Oversee the consolidation of Ambition /National Association of Clubs for Young People (NACYP) into UK Youth, managing asset integration and ensuring due diligence in any property divestments.
- Lead on the Capital Appeal for the new experiential learning and sports centre at Avon Tyrrell.
- Advocacy, Policy Influence & Public Engagement
- Act as a UK-wide advocate with and for young people, ensuring their voices are represented in policy and decision-making spaces.
- Engage with government bodies, policymakers, and regulators, influencing youth policy and securing national support.
- Represent UK Youth as a thought leader in public forums, including media, parliamentary inquiries, and industry events.
- Strengthen UK Youth’s reputation and public awareness, leveraging media engagement and digital opportunities.
- Cross-Sector Partnerships & Network Building
- Develop and sustain strategic partnerships across corporate, public, and voluntary sectors to drive impact and innovation.
- Lead UK Youth’s role in building a strong UK-wide network, supporting and collaborating with youth organisations across the UK.
- Work closely with business leaders, philanthropists, funders and policymakers to advance the youth sector’s priorities, leading our strongly relationship-based approach to external engagement.
- Operational & Asset Management Oversight
- Ensure UK Youth’s programmes and initiatives are delivered efficiently, safely, and effectively, adhering to best practice standards.
- Oversee the management of UK Youth’s assets, including the Avon Tyrrell outdoor centre social enterprise and Ambition properties, ensuring their long-term sustainability.
- Ensure that safeguarding and youth welfare policies remain at the heart of all operations.