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Join our team...

Chief Executive

£45,000 pro rata 2.5 days per week

South London

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“Leading Adventure Ashram is quite an honour, and this is a brilliant, brilliant job.” Fritha Vincent, current CEO

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Adventure Ashram is a charity with adventure at its heart that raises funds and offers volunteering opportunities to support educational, health and community projects in India that improve lives.

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Our vision is to create better lives for people in India through improving education, health and communities.

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Founded in 2006 we recently celebrated our 10th anniversary as our adventurers, volunteers and our staff team have raised over £1 million to improve health and education in some of India’s poorest communities.

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Click here to watch our 10 Years of Adventure Ashram film.

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We are now recruiting a new Chief Executive to work with the Board and our supporters to build on the achievements of our first 10 years.  If you share our values of adventuring with purpose, collaborative and focussed on achieving lasting change, then this could be the role for you.

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This is an excellent time for an energetic and driven Chief Executive to join the organisation to help develop and grow the organisation with lots of support from an active and dynamic board of trustees.

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To apply for this role please send an up-to-date CV along with a covering letter outlining your suitability to this role to recruitment@adventureashram.org

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Application deadline:  Friday 24th November - midday

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For an informal chat about this role please contact Fritha Vincent at fritha@adventureashram.org to arrange a time.

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Chief Executive

Job description and person specification

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Background

After a successful first 10 years, Adventure Ashram is now securing its foundations as it looks to build and develop its work to achieve its vision. Our long-term Chief Executive Fritha Vincent is stepping down, leaving the organisation in a healthy condition armed with a huge number of dedicated supporters and an active board of trustees.

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There is no shortage of work to be done and therefore seek a passionate and inspirational new leader to take Adventure Ashram to the next level of its development.  With the support of the trustees and a small staff team, this is an exciting and varied position.

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Our Vision:   To create better lives for people in India through improving education, health and communities.

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Objectives of the organisation:

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  • Maintain and increase Adventure Ashram's supporter base. Our supporters give or raise money and/or take part in our adventures.

  • Continue to aid currently supported charities and find new projects to support. We are currently supporting Odanadi Seva Trust, Grace Charitable Trust and Action for Community Transformation India Foundation. We would like to increase the number of charities we are supporting.

  • Develop Adventure Ashram volunteer programme. Launched in 2015, this successful programme will be developed to increase the numbers of individuals volunteering in UK and India.

  • Develop and increase ways individuals and businesses and other organisations can financially support our activities. We will focus our activities on the following: regular giving, major donors, corporate sponsorship, grant applications and running adventures.

  • Continue to be a financially secure, stable charity with a high standard of governance. We will ensure that we will have skilled and committed trustees who will ensure the organisation has appropriate resources to deliver on its objectives.

 

Responsible to: The Adventure Ashram Board of Trustees (Chair is Line Manager)

Responsible fo: Staff/Contractors

Purpose of job: To lead the work of Adventure Ashram and act as Company Secretary

 

Key responsibilities

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  • Develop the strategy and business plan with trustees and ensure they are implemented so that Adventure Ashram meets its aims and objectives

  • Fundraise to meet budgeted targets for supported projects and Adventure Ashram’s own running costs

  • Work closely with trustees to identify opportunities to develop the work of Adventure Ashram: further developing its supporter base and impact

  • Ensure arrangements are in place to enable Adventure Ashram and the trustees to fulfil their legal obligations

  • Actively seek opportunities to extend and better engage Adventure Ashram supporters.

 

Finance and resources

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  • Oversee management of income and expenditure, recommend an annual budget to trustees and monitor income and expenditure regularly throughout the year

  • Lead on all annual auditing and reporting obligations required by Companies House and the Charity Commission

  • Manage all external contracts

  • Manage and market income generation for Adventure Ashram including identifying new sources of funding for Adventure Ashram

  • Provide leadership and management of resources, including staff management, ICT and the website

 

Communication and promotion

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  • Represent and act as an ambassador for Adventure Ashram to raise the profile of the organisation, including making presentations and dealing with media as required

  • Manage and develop fundraising campaigns and events

  • Develop and maintain effective communication with Adventure Ashram’s Board, supporters, funders and other key partners

  • Undertake any other duties as may reasonably be requested by the Board.

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Person specification

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Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

  • Proven demonstrable experience of fundraising (donations, major gifts, community fundraising, trusts/foundations, corporate sponsorship/donation)

  • Experience of working in a senior leadership role and of defining and implementing strategy with trustees, members and other stakeholders

  • Pro-active, enthusiastic and driven

  • Excellent written and oral presentation and communication skills

  • Ability to influence and gain support from potential supporters

  • Experience of successfully developing and marketing an organisation

  • Experienced in managing and deploying funding raised

  • Experience and excellent understanding of the charity sector and funding in the UK

  • Experience of managing and deploying financial resources effectively

  • Experience of managing and supporting staff effectively

  • Well-organised, able to prioritise work for self and others

  • Excellent interpersonal skills; including the ability to deal in a helpful, friendly and professional way with people from a range of different backgrounds

  • An adventurous spirit

  • Very flexible with time, approach and expectation of a fast moving role in a changing environment

  • A commitment to and practical understanding of the aims of Adventure Ashram

 

Desirable skills

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  • Experience of supporting charity projects in India

  • A love and passion for India

  • Knowledge and understanding of the ‘adventure’ market

 

Terms and conditions

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The appointment is subject to a six month period of probation, during which performance will be regularly reviewed. On completion of the probationary period, notice will be three months on either side.

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Hours: flexible 17.5 hours per week. There is a requirement to attend some evening meetings and events as well as occasional weekends (events)

Holidays: 12.5 (pro-rata from 25 days) working days a year, plus public holidays

Salary: £22,250 a year (pro-rate from £45,000)

Pension: Adventure Ashram pension arrangements are currently under review

Offices: Adventure Ashram is currently based at Trident House, 89 Bickersteth Road, Tooting, London SW17 9SH.

 

October 2017

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