current Special Days Director has moved on to new ventures, we are looking for ... recovery from a serious illness, boos
Message from the Chief Executive
Thank you for your interest in joining Willow Willow is special. We provide Special Days for seriously ill 16-40 year olds – that sounds simple enough, but every Special Day is unique and tailored to meet the particular circumstances and choices of each beneficiary. Add to that that we are the only charity providing this service across the UK for this age group and you start to get the picture of a special organisation making a very real and lasting difference to seriously ill young adults. Because Special Days happen every day there is a constant refresh of what we seek to do and a continual stream of stories, photos and thanks from these days. Willow’s office is therefore heavily connected with our outputs and the staff team are strongly united in their tasks of enabling and organising Special Days. Willow comes from a special beginning. The charity was founded in 1999 by the former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson and his wife, Megs, as a lasting memorial to their daughter, Anna, who died of cancer, aged 31. Anna’s love of life and the enriching experiences of her own Special Days are the charity’s inspiration that underpins everything which we strive to achieve. Bob and Megs remain very active Life Presidents, particularly in supporting major events and challenge events. It is their founding belief – we believe in quality of life and quality of time – that stirs a passion in all at Willow to provide as many Special Days as we can. We are now recruiting for what we believe is a most unique role, Special Days Director. As our current Special Days Director has moved on to new ventures, we are looking for someone who is as passionate about Special Days and the difference they can make, as we are. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone looking to lead a creative, innovative, caring and compassionate team, where you can see first hand the impact Willow has not only for our beneficiaries, but those that love and support them too. Thank you for your interest in this role. If it could be the right one for you, then I very much look forward to your application.
Jonathan Aves Chief Executive
1
About Us Our Belief: we believe in quality of life and quality of time. Our Vision: young adults with life threatening illness and those close to them are able to take full advantage of what life has to offer. Our Mission: to provide for young adults with life threatening illness and those close to them the motivation to take full advantage of life through memorable Special Days. Our Values:
We are caring; We are all about special relationships; We cherish people and time; they are our most precious resources; We have the courage to imagine otherwise
Willow is the only UK charity supporting seriously ill young adults to live their lives to the full by providing unique and positive Special Days. At a time of uncertainty, a Special Day provides the inspiration to make every moment count. For some people it is a positive focus away from diagnosis and treatment and may be a final chance to create lasting memories. For others, it can mark the recovery from a serious illness, boost confidence and provide motivation to move forward with their lives. Willow’s Special Days are so much more than just a day and their importance and impact cannot be overestimated. Indeed, independent research said that the results of Special Days were ‘astounding’ in their ability to provide ‘positive outcomes’. Every Special Day is unique as Willow tailors every one to meet the needs of the individual. The Special Day provides an uplifting and positive experience to be shared with a partner, parents, siblings, children or close friends. From the moment of application and the anticipation of the day to come, to the excitement of the day itself, a Special Day creates memories that are treasured forever. Willow has provided more than 14,500 Special Day for young adults living with life-threatening conditions such as cancer, motor neurone disease, cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s disease. Founded in 1999 by former Arsenal goalkeeper and TV presenter, Bob Wilson and his wife, Megs, Willow is totally reliant on the generosity of individuals, companies and trusts/foundations to fund its work. Bob and Megs Wilson remain thoroughly committed to and supportive of the charity as Life Presidents. ABOUT SPECIAL DAYS There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ Special Day. The whole ethos of our Special Days is that they are unique to the individual, so it could be anything from a weekend stay in a Shepherds Hut in Cornwall, to a group weekend away at Butlins; from a meet and greet with a politician, to an 18th Birthday party with family and friends; from a weekend in London to see a favourite show, to a day at an RAF airbase for a Chinook fanatic. The only question we ask is “What would you like to do on your Special Day”? Once our beneficiaries have answered that question, they really don’t have to think about anything else. Our Special Day Makers take care of every detail – from the moment a beneficiary sets foot outside their door on their Special Day, every detail is taken care of.
2
The majority of Special Day applications are as a result of a referral by a medical professional. Over the years we have built strong relationships with medical professionals across the country who see first hand and tell us what a difference, a Special Day can make: “For me, the best thing about Willow is that is supports the psychological needs of a patient, and is about the whole family, not just one person…… In the run up to the day I have seen renewed enthusiasm and excitement from my patients, and that’s something very special….. Once the Special Day is over, there’s still the lasting memory – a positive to come out of something horrible.”
We work closely with the medical professional to ensure that whatever each day entails, it is made as safe and as enjoyable as possible for the beneficiary. That is why we have medical professionals who have referred to us over and over again. We are proud to say that we do not have a waiting list – currently anyone who applies and meets our criteria, will be granted a Special Day. We think that is really special. Our only constraint on the number of Special Days we can provide is funding. We work with a wide variety and size of suppliers – from local taxi companies, to well known hotel chains, Football Clubs and multinational leisure companies. Our Special Days Director has been successful in developing partnerships with some of our key suppliers, resulting in reduced costs for our Special Days, as well as raising awareness of Willow. We believe there are even more opportunities out there and in particular, see the Special Days Director working very closely with our Major Partnerships team to drive this forward. This role also plays a key part in developing and engaging in our relationships with some of our major donors and supporters.
The Team
Special Days Director
Special Days Manager (maternity leave)
Special Days Assistant
Special Days Manager
Special Day Makers x 7
Special Day Beneficiary Liaison Officer
3
Medical & Support Manager
Nurse Advisor x 2
JOB DESCRIPTION Job Title:
Special Days Director
Reports To:
Chief Executive
Direct Reports:
Special Days Manager x 2, Special Days Medical & Support Manager
Indirect Reports:
Special Day Team (total of 11 people)
Location:
Welwyn Garden City
Salary:
£competitive
Hours:
Full-time, although would consider part-time of 4 days per week
Job purpose
To lead the strategic development of special days delivery ensuring support of management and staff colleagues and trustees.
To lead and manage the special days team to ensure special days are delivered efficiently, costeffectively to the highest standard and which maximises the benefit to beneficiaries.
To share in the executive leadership and management of the charity as a member of the leadership team.
To work alongside Fundraising teams to develop supplier relationships.
Key responsibilities
To develop the special days service through evidence based research and constant evaluation of feedback from beneficiaries and medical professionals.
To identify potential partnerships with organisations with similar or complementary objectives and develop opportunities for collaboration, income generation and service delivery.
To lead the development of standards for special day co-ordination and administration ensuring that these are met and that beneficiaries and referrers experience the highest quality customer care.
To ensure that short and medium term beneficiary and financial targets for special days are achieved through service delivery, marketing and promotion of the service and commercial partnerships.
To identify and manage risks associated with the provision of services to beneficiaries, specifically ensuring the medical requirements of beneficiaries are completely understood and managed, with particular focus on ensuring they are physically able for any service provided.
4
To work with the Special Days committee to develop and review policies and guidelines that underpin the work of the Special Days team.
To ensure that confidential information is appropriately handled and protected in line with data protection requirements.
To ensure the development of relationships with medical professionals and establishments and marketing of the special days service to potential beneficiaries and medical professionals.
To ensure the development of strategic relationships with suppliers and that good procurement management is practised including taking full advantage of opportunities for discounts and donations of goods and services.
To represent Willow at key promotional and medical events and to support fundraising events and activities.
To ensure that the special days team are engaged across Willow, supporting other departments, teams and activities and that special day stories and information are a constant theme throughout the charity.
To work with the income generation teams to support with the stewardship of donors through impact reporting and other activities.
To plan, control and monitor expenditure budgets as appropriate and to manage activity against targets, KPI’s and provide regular revised projections as required.
To keep up to date with relevant developments in healthcare, current competitor activity and sector specific learning.
To keep up to date and comply with communication, data protection and other relevant legislation and codes of practice and good standards.
To undertake any other tasks reasonably required.
5
PERSON SPECIFICATION Qualifications, knowledge and experience
Educated to degree level or equivalent
Experience in leading, coaching and motivating people and teams and of effective delegation
Experience of developing, negotiating, building and managing successful relationships with suppliers
Experience in planning and budgeting within a budget of £1m+
Experience in monitoring, analysing and reporting on activity and outcomes as well as working within a targeted setting
Experience as a confident presenter, able to act as an ambassador for Willow, and comfortable addressing and tailoring messages for different audiences, including major donor prospects and special day recipients
Skills and Abilities
Strong and confident networker capable of articulating and delivering a compelling case for support
Systematic in planning and executing strategies to engage and develop relationships with suppliers and partners
Ability to take responsibility for organisational strategy; ensuring that team strategies compliment one another to the benefit of the wider organisational strategy
Naturally innovative with a keen determination to learn from the experience of others and apply new ideas to intractable problems
Strong at prioritising and helping others to do so; providing mature and calm leadership in the context of a busy and dynamic environment
Strong commitment to personal development for team members
Well organised with high attention to detail and ability to lead others to achieve the same standards
Strongly resilient and confident at building long term relationships
Fully IT literate with passion for both discipline in recording and analysing data and creativity in using digital channels for communication and fundraising
Other
Willing and able to travel and to work evenings and weekends as required
How to Apply To apply for this position, please send a comprehensive CV and a supporting statement of no more than two pages of A4 to
[email protected]. Please ensure that your application fully addresses the appointment criteria in the person specification.
6
You should give the names, positions, organisations and telephone contact numbers of two referees, one of whom should be your current/most recent employer. References will only be taken once your express permission has been granted. We would also be grateful if you could let us know if you will require any special provision as a result of any disability should you be called for interview. Finally please ensure that you have included mobile, work and home telephone numbers, as well as any dates when you will not be available or might have difficulty with the indicative timetable. Applications can also be posted to: Jo Tredgett HR Manager, Willow, Gate House, Fretherne Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 6NS Timetable Closing date: Monday 26 February 2018 First interviews will be held: Monday 5 March 2018 Second interviews: w/c 12 March 2018 These dates may be subject to change and applicants will be advised in advance should this happen. Recruitment Process Should you decide to make a formal application, you will receive feedback within seven working days of the closing date. Shortlisted candidates may be required to undertake an additional assessment prior to the final interview. The successful appointment is subject to satisfactory written references.
7
