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Interim Chief Executive Officer

Job description

Interim Chief Executive Officer - Cycling UK

Guildford (working from home during Covid-19 social distancing measures, as per official advice)

5-6 months

Preferred start date: Monday 27th April

PAYE: 85,000 - 95,000 pro rata OR 500 - 600 per day (successful candidate's preference)


About Cycling UK


"Cycling UK's vision is of a healthier, happier and cleaner world, because more people cycle.

We want people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to be able to cycle safely, easily and enjoyably.

Cycling UK has championed the cause of cycling for more than 140 years. We promote all forms of cycling, protect the interests of existing and would-be cyclists, and inspire people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to discover the joys of cycling.

As an independent, democratic and expert organisation, our activities reflect the commitment of our members, volunteers and partners to make cycling mainstream, making a lasting difference to the lives of individuals and communities."

Cycling UK is a well-established charity with 100 staff around the UK, all currently working from home, and 68,000 members. The charity is currently in the middle of a five-year strategy for 2018-23, focusing on getting more people cycling. It plans to attract more members and provide more opportunities for members to get involved in the cycling movement.

Key strategic goals are:

  • Grow and diversify income across the organisation, in order to develop
  • Grow a bigger, more diverse volunteer network
  • Improve the way Cycling UK engages with groups
  • Expand the organisation's behaviour change programmes
  • Collaborate more
  • Influence a wider range of people
  • Be more responsive to the needs of different places

With the current CEO leaving at the end of April, there is a need for an interim CEO to make a quick start in the post and ensure smooth operations continue whilst the permanent CEO is appointed.

Key work areas for the interim CEO will be:

  • Leadership of the senior management team
  • Leading Cycling UK's response to Covid-19
  • With the SMT, revisiting the charity's business plan and drawing up an agreed list of priorities for the next 6 months
  • Digital strategy identify current position regarding key digital systems, decide on next steps and take the resulting strategy forward
  • Support the SMT with their current projects
  • Identifying any other key strengths and weaknesses in the organisation
  • Keeping an internal focus and ensuring that the other members of SMT continue to focus on external projects.

The successful interim candidate will have:

  • Track record of senior leadership experience, preferably at CEO level, in organisations of comparable scale and complexity, ideally in the charity or membership organisation sectors
  • Strong experience of developing and implementing organisation-wide business plans
  • Demonstrable expertise in developing and implementing effective systems, policies and procedures around HR, finance, corporate services, governance
  • Track record of senior team management and development
  • The resilience and flexibility to lead an organisation through unprecedented circumstances
  • Ideally, experience in leading remote teams

Requirements:

  • Ability to perform the role from home for as long as is required, and when official advice changes, to work from the office in Guildford.
  • Availability to start by end of April (preferred date: Monday 27th April).

Timeline:

  • Closing date for applications: 9am Tuesday 14th April
  • Remote preliminary interviews with Harris Hill: ongoing until midday Thursday 16th April
  • Shortlisting: afternoon of Thursday 16th April
  • Remote interviews with the appointment panel at Cycling UK: Saturday 18th April (or subsequent evenings with prior arrangement)


Whilst there will be a competitive process for the permanent CEO role (and the permanent role will be much more externally focused), the interim CEO will be welcome to apply for the permanent role, and successful performance in the interim role is likely to be advantageous.

For more details, including how to apply, please download the role profile and person specification here. 

The application form can be found here.

To arrange a conversation to discuss the position with the Search Consultant, please email Jenny Hills, Director at Harris Hill, at jenny.hills@harrishill.co.uk or call her on 0207 820 7321. CVs or professional bios / summaries are welcome in the first instance as a basis for discussion but not required at this stage. Your enquiry will be treated in the strictest confidence.