Executive Director

Ambitious candidates are invited to apply to become the Balfour Project’s Executive Director.

Overview

This prestigious post is new and will be central to the management of all aspects of the charity’s activity, including management of all staff, acting as the principal point of accountability to the Board of Trustees and playing a significant role in being the face of the charity to the outside world. The remit spans all areas of operations, policy and communication, as well as fundraising. You can expect to be working at the highest level on these matters, as well as the other day-to-day activities of the charity, involving exposure to a wide range of counterparties, and helping take the charity to the next level of its institutional development, public profile, and impact.

The Executive Director will take over line-management of all other (contracted, part-time) staff on appointment, which currently consists of an Events Manager, a Peace Advocacy Fellowship Coordinator and Education and Programmes Officers. The Balfour Project also has an Executive Committee, consisting of 5 members, which has been successfully overseeing the charity’s day-to-day work since its foundation in 2017, as well as a notable roster of Patrons and an Advisory Forum. However, once in post the new Executive Director will be invited to work with the Trustees to ensure the optimum structure.

This rich history means the ethos of the charity is and will remain very much volunteer-led, and so character and depth of commitment are going to be vital in successfully taking on this role. The Balfour Project supports our people’s development. This is a career accelerator role designed for a motivated and aspirational professional who punches above their weight.

Responsibilities

The Executive Director will provide strong leadership and have overall responsibility for the delivery of the charity’s work, in line with an annual work programme and budget developed with and approved by the Board of Trustees
Support the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer in the preparation of quarterly Board of Trustees meetings, attending on an ex officio basis, and further supporting follow up
Develop and deliver the charity’s strategies, theory of change and plans to achieve its objectives, as set out by the Chair and Board of Trustees
Utilising the Trustees, Patrons and others, by playing a leading and pro-active executive role in developing and implementing effective fundraising strategies, both reliable stewardship of existing donors and building relationships with new ones, short and long-term
Provide strategic advice to the Chair and Board of Trustees
Prepare and manage the Charity’s annual Budget, together with the Treasurer
Take overall responsibility for all the charity’s operations, policy development and other activities, including building long term, trusting relationships with key stakeholders, and strengthening links with partner organisations in the UK and the region
Oversee/manage communications and, together with the Chair and other Trustees, be the public face of the Balfour Project, including publishing op-eds and other public commentary, speaking at public events, ensuring effective use is made of social media and managing the Balfour Project website
Direct and indirect line-management of all Balfour project staff, supervising all work, providing guidance and motivation to maximise performance, appraisal, training and professional development activities, and acting as the overall point of accountability for all employee and contractual staff to the Board of Trustees
Support the Treasurer with the management of the Fundraising and Finance Committee
Establish and maintain appropriate policies and legal guidelines and a positive work environment
Represent the Balfour Project as appropriate and in co-ordination with the Chair and Board of Trustees with key stakeholders, potential funders and outwardly-facing

Person Specification

Person Specification	Essential (E)	Desirable (D)
A clear personal and public commitment to the aims and values of the Balfour Project	E
An understanding of the history and current situation between Palestine and Israel, a passionate commitment to change, and the ability to represent this in writing, other media and public engagement		D
Senior management experience, ideally with public or private sector policy development, external affairs or charity sector, including line-management.	E	D
Experience of managing or developing communication strategies and messaging that influences and shapes organisational and external narratives, together with public-facing expertise. Cutting-edge knowledge of multiple media distribution channels an advantage	E
Experience of substantial and effective fundraising, both management of existing donors and bringing in new ones	E
Capability to develop reasoned, evidence-based analytical positions, with concrete examples of impacting policy agendas	E
Experience of building and maintaining stakeholder relations and networks, of stewarding donors and developing partnerships, collaborations and proposals. Experience of Xero and Salesforce an advantage	E
Confidence in speaking publicly about the Balfour Project, including addressing hostile media and other questioning
Ability to manage social media, expanding its use and guarding against risks		D
Collaborative team player, self-motivated and results-oriented, who demonstrates the ability to deliver clear objectives and excel in a strategically ambiguous, multi-stakeholder environment, delivering quality outcomes within agreed timetables	E
Experience of working with, and through, volunteers	E
Legally able to work in the UK	E
Preferably some direct experience of being in the region		D

Interested in finding out more?

For further information on the role of Executive Director, contact our Leadership & Governance team here.

Further information