You are this sort of person:
- You are a low ego and effective leader: You have a track record of building and leading effective teams to get remarkable things done at a very high standard. You know how to set expectations and how to support people to meet them. You would describe yourself as low-ego and high-standards and you’ve built high-performing teams that meet this description. You like managing people brighter and better than you at their roles. You address poor performance. You work very well in a team. You like taking responsibility for things. You can balance the task, the individual and the team. You create a culture where respectful conflict between colleagues is natural and positive, leading to better decisions.
- You deeply understand government decision-making and can drive change. You really know how Westminster and Whitehall work — the formal processes and the informal realities. You know how to get things done across departments and with Ministers. You’re good at spotting the simplest way to make something hard happen. You think deeply about how systems, incentives and people work. You communicate complex ideas simply and persuasively. You win people over and feel at ease talking to nearly anyone — a Secretary of State, a headteacher, a senior civil servant, a youth worker, a 15-year-old.
- You think strategically. You’ve got experience in working up a strategy. You’re good at coming back to the strategy and ensuring that the whole organisation or team you are leading is focused on what matters most. You are good at bringing decisions and organisations back to their main purpose. You’re able to hold the big picture in mind while keeping a clear eye on detail. You’re comfortable reading financial reports, discussing budgets and making sound, evidence-based investment decisions.
- You understand the world of vulnerable children and care deeply about good quality evidence. You have knowledge of at least one essential sector that vulnerable children rely upon (education, policing, children’s services, health, youth justice, youth sector) and real passion and empathy for the challenges young people face. You want decisions about children’s lives to be based on what works, not on assumptions or simply compelling stories (must though you know the value of a story). You believe in the value of really rigorous evaluation (for example, using randomised controlled trials).
- You’re committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. There is significant racial disproportionality in the criminal justice system – especially for Black children. It makes sense to you therefore that for YEF to deliver its mission (to find what works to prevent violence and to put this into practice) it will have to understand this racial disproportionality and work to address it. You would come at this thoughtfully – listening to diverse views and wrestling with data and lived experience. You feel excited about leading an organisation that is committed to understanding and addressing this racial disproportionality through all of its work including research, funding, partnerships and internal culture. For you, this wouldn’t be about abstract ideas and grand words, but evidence-based serious ways to deliver our mission.
You have this sort of experience:
- Leading a complex organisation or large department to deliver clear, measurable results.
- Building and leading a high-performing team of 50+ people and positive culture.
- Making change happen in or across government.
- Working with Boards, Trustees or senior governance bodies.
While it’s not a criterion, we are especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of violence affecting young people.
It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.