Appointment BriefAugust 2019

Chief Executive Officer

Contents Welcome letter 03

Who we are 04

Structure and governance 06

Strategy and ambition 08

Finances 11

Role description 12

Main responsibilities 13

Person specification 14

Staff structure 15

How to apply 17

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Welcome letter

Welcome and thank you for your interest in the role of CEO of The Wildlife Trusts.

Since becoming the Chair in 2017 I have had the privilege and joy of learning about and engaging with the federation of 46 Wildlife Trusts in the UK and the Central Charity, that together form the grassroots movement known as The Wildlife Trusts. The depth and breadth of knowledge, expertise, commitment and passion for the natural world, at local and national levels, is influential, highly respected and wholly compelling.

The Wildlife Trusts is driven by shared beliefs and with a vision of land and seas rich in wildlife and people close to nature. We believe that nature is valuable in its own right and that everyone should have the chance to experience the joy of wildlife; that we are part of nature and are wholly dependent upon it.

As you no doubt will be aware, this is a time of immense challenge; climate change is escalating, ecological degradation is continuing, the laws protecting our environment and wildlife are at risk and people are suffering more than ever from a lack of access to nature. At the same time there is an unprecedented growth in public awareness about the climate and ecological emergency, and about the benefits of nature to the well-being of people and communities.

Never has there been a more critical time to empower our supporters and the next generation to lead nature’s recovery and reconnect us to the natural world. The Wildlife Trusts has a pivotal role to play at this time and we have a clear understanding of the need for urgency.

We are looking for an experienced, inspirational and authentic leader to take The Wildlife Trusts into its next exciting phase, following over a decade of rapid development of the Central Charity, growth of individual Wildlife Trusts and successful public policy influence. Key to leading The Wildlife Trusts and its people forward is the ability to build trust, respect and excellent working relationships, both within the movement and as its high-profile advocate with external audiences.

Within the rest of this pack, you will find further information about our work, values, structure and our plans for the future. We hope this stimulates your interest and if you recognise yourself in our vision, beliefs, leadership description and person specification, we very much look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you.

Peta FoxallChair, The Wildlife Trusts

Dear Candidate,

3August 2019

Who we are

The Wildlife Trusts is a grassroots movement of people from a wide range of backgrounds and all walks of life, who share a set of common beliefs. It has more than 800,000 members, 40,000 volunteers, 2,000 staff and 600 trustees.

Each of the 46 independent Wildlife Trusts has been formed by groups of active and motivated people getting together to make a positive difference to wildlife and future generations, starting where they live and work.

We work in every part of the UK, on Alderney and the Isle of Man.

The movement’s central charity, the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) leads the development of the movement and works to build trust and to represent the interests of the movement whenever a strong united voice is required. Together, the 46 Trusts and the central charity are known as The Wildlife Trusts.

Whilst each Wildlife Trust is an independent charity, we share much in common and have worked as a close-knit family for many years, sharing knowledge and expertise, working together on issues and projects of mutual concern and establishing strong shared governance, joint strategy and effective internal communications.

Our work together is built on a deep understanding of why Wildlife Trusts exist, what they are trying to achieve (individually and together) and how we work to achieve our goals. It stems from a strong commitment to a small number of strongly held shared beliefs, which were agreed most recently in the movement’s Development Strategy (2015-2020).

Why we’re here We believe that...

• People are part of nature; everything we value ultimately comes from it and everything we do has an impact on it.

• The natural world is valuable in its own right, and is the foundation of our wellbeing and prosperity; we depend on it and it depends on us.

• Everyone deserves to live in a healthy, wildlife-rich natural world.

• Everyone should have the opportunity to experience the joy of wildlife in their daily lives.

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What we do

We work on land and sea, from mountain tops to the seabed, from hidden valleys and coves to city streets. Wherever you are there is a Wildlife Trust and its people, places and projects are never far away, improving life for wildlife and people together, within communities of which we are a part.

For more than a century, we have been saving, protecting and standing up for wildlife and wild places, increasing people’s awareness and understanding of the natural world, and deepening people’s relationship with it.

We look after more than 2,300 nature reserves, covering 98,500 hectares, and operate more than 100 visitor and education centres in every part of the UK, on Alderney and the Isle of Man.

We work closely with schools, colleges and universities; with farmers and landowners, fishermen and divers; with companies, big and small; with community groups and other environmental organisations; with lotteries, charitable trusts and foundations; with politicians from across the political spectrum; with local and national governments; and more.

To read more about how we work and our impact, visit our website at: www.wildlifetrusts.org

How we work

We believe that...• Working together, people can

change the natural world for the better; everyone has a part to play.

• People taking action in the places that are closest and most important to them is a powerful force for change.

• People achieve more by evaluating what they do, demonstrating what works and learning from others.

• We should all trust and respect one another, take responsibility and approach everything we do with courage and integrity.

So

• We look after wild places, establish common cause with others, build trusting relationships and lasting partnerships based on mutual respect and shared responsibility.

• We demonstrate what’s possible and inspire, empower and enable people to achieve our mission with us.

Our vision is…People close to nature, with land and seas

rich in wildlife.

Our mission is…To bring about living landscapes, living

seas and a society where nature matters.

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Silhouettes

Silhouette wildlife illustrations are used in the footer and are available as an optional background in some components like Hero and Spotlight. They can be used offline too.

5August 2019

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Structure andgovernance

The Wildlife Trusts’ federated structure allows us to maximise our impact across the whole of the UK, by growing relationships, building our reputation and delivering action that is tailored to the places where it happens and accountable to the people involved at the appropriate geographical scale.

There are thirty-seven Trusts in England, five in Wales, a Trust for Scotland and a Trust for Northern Ireland. There are also Trusts in Alderney and the Isle of Man. Each of the Wildlife Trusts is a registered charity with its own board of trustees and governance documents and falls within the charity laws of its own jurisdiction. The running of the day-to-day operations of each charity, including the central charity, is delegated to a Chief Executive, who is responsible for staff and oversight of operations.

Each Wildlife Trust is a member of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (the central charity) which is a registered charity in its own right, founded in 1912. Although a charity in its own right, the central charity acts as a department of The Wildlife Trusts with responsibilities for orchestrating our collective work at a UK and England-wide level. The

individual Wildlife Trusts jointly fund the majority of the work delivered on their collective behalf by the central charity and are very closely involved in its governance.

The Wildlife Trusts’ Council has direct governance responsibility for the central charity and is also the leadership group for the movement’s collective strategy.

The Wildlife Trusts’ Council has a Chair, Honorary Treasurer and Honorary Secretary, eight leaders from within the movement and two independent Trustees. Trustees are elected at a General Meeting in accordance with our Royal Charter and Bye Laws. As a registered charity, our activities are regulated by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

To help The Wildlife Trust Council to govern effectively, it has six Committees. Each of these is Chaired by a member of The Wildlife Trust Council and has members who are mostly senior staff and trustees from different Wildlife Trusts, with some external contributors who have specialist and particularly valuable contributions to make.

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7August 2019

This is a pivotal moment in our history; we are looking for someone who has courage, skills and passion to lead us in the next stage of our journey.

7August 2019

Strategy and ambition

The Wildlife Trust’s Development Strategy sets out The Wildlife Trusts’ jointly held beliefs, our shared vision and the common principles that underpin who we are and how we approach our work. It also sets out seven significant changes in the world around us that The Wildlife Trusts aim to achieve, in order to bring people close to nature with land and seas rich in wildlife.

We aim to:• ensure a wildlife-rich natural world

contributes to the health and wellbeing of our society;

• put a wildlife-rich natural world at the heart of education and learning for all;

• make it normal for housing, commercial and infrastructure development to contribute positively to nature’s recovery on land and at sea;

• make farming, forestry and fisheries management positive forces for nature’s recovery;

• place wildlife-rich catchments and ecological solutions centre stage in flood-risk and drought management, and in water purification;

• restore and maintain our soils as the foundation of sustainable food production and long-term carbon storage – particularly in peatlands; and

• shift the basis of the economy so that it fully reflects the true value of a healthy natural environment.

In The Wildlife Trust’s current Development Strategy the movement has also committed itself to make five key internal changes.

We need to:• become more relevant to more

people by increasing the diversity of our trustees and staff, growing our presence and profile in towns and cities, engaging with the full breadth of the communities where we work, and actively expressing this in our communications and imagery;

• secure more support and greater influence by telling more emotionally compelling true stories - drawn from a growing body of shared factual evidence and data;

• build our movement, our resilience and impact by reflecting our beliefs more clearly in everything we say and do;

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• establish deeply-rooted common cause with more of the organisations most fundamental to achieving our aims – particularly with charities in the social sector and corporate commercial businesses; and

• find new ways to create more value from our key assets by maximising their contribution to our mission; demonstrating their value to individuals, organisations and society; and generating income and other resources from them.

Between us, The Wildlife Trusts now have a combined annual income of more than £157m. We have 845,000 members, nearly 36,000 volunteers, more than 2,300 corporate supporters and more than 2,000 paid staff. We directly look after more than 100,000ha

of land. Last year, people made more than 13m visits to our sites – 5.9 million of them to our 120 centres; and we worked with more than 350,000 school children. We have more than 1.3m followers on social media and each year more than 10m people visit our web sites. All of these have increased – some of them remarkably – since 2015. Our combined unrestricted income has risen by more than 10% in real terms since 2015.

All of The Wildlife Trusts movement’s success have been achieved as a result of the powerful combination of independent organisations acting individually but in concert at different geographical scales. The central charity plays a pivotal role in enabling the movement to develop and implement combined strategies that achieve success in this way.

9August 2019

845,000 members 36,000 volunteers

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Leadership for 0ur movement

A key part of the role for our new Chief Executive Officer will be to listen to and engage our movement. When asked for the qualities they were looking for in our new Chief Executive Officer, The Wildlife Trusts had the following to say:

Finances

As an independent charity, each Wildlife Trust generates its own income, owns its own assets and is responsible for all aspects of managing its own finances. People bring their funds together through their Wildlife Trust to save wildlife and wild places and bring people closer to nature.

Our work relies on the financial support of our members, donors, and legators. The majority of our income comes from these supporters. We also receive vital support in the form of grants from local authorities, statutory agencies, governments, charitable trusts, lotteries, corporate partners and Funds like the Landfill Communities Fund that make many of our individual projects possible. Another sizeable part of our collective income comes from trading – either through visitor centres and other retail premises, or through the provision of consultancy and land management services. Many Trusts have trading subsidiaries.

As a movement our collective income in 2017/18 was £157m. 98% of our funds are spent by individual Wildlife Trusts in their area, with the remainder invested in collective activity at an all Wales, England or UK level.

Annual income for the central charity, the central charity, is around £19m. Around £12m of this income relates to the Grants Team, and is received from grant givers such as National Lottery Community Fund and Biffa. Most of this grant income is passed on as grants

to organisations outside of The Wildlife Trusts to deliver work that falls within our charitable remit.

More than half of the remaining £7m comes from individual Wildlife Trusts to support the central charity’s work on behalf of the movement and to pay for services delivered on the movement’s behalf. It is paid according to an agreed funding formula that is applied to distribute the cost of running the movement’s central charity fairly between Trusts. The remainder comes from a combination of sources including corporate and People’s Postcode Lottery income, a significant part of which is distributed directly to the movement.

Income and expenditure budgets are set for the central charity annually by The Wildlife Trust Council, and reviewed by them during the year. Negotiations with Trusts concerning the overall size of the central charity’s budget and the proportion to be covered from within the movement are carried out in multi-year periods (typically either three or five), linked to agreement of the central charity’s broad ambitions and work priorities (expressed as a multi-year plan) for the same period.

The current five year plan for the central charity, and its accompanying multi-year funding agreement with Trusts, will be renewed in April 2022.

Download our annual report here11

Role descriptionJob title: Chief Executive Officer

Working base: Newark or London, with regular UK wide travel

Responsible to: Council of Trustees

Responsible for: Director of OperationsDirector of Marketing & DevelopmentDirector of Campaigns & Policy Director of Public Affairs & Living SeasDirector of Strategy

Benefits: 28 days holiday plus bank holidaysPension scheme: employee contribution 4%, employer contribution 8%Life insurance 3x salaryFlexible workingEmployee Assistance Scheme

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Overall purpose of the job

To provide inspirational and authentic leadership, playing a central advocacy role in the promotion and representation of The Wildlife Trusts.

Bringing together the voice of the movement for maximum impact of collective goals; a visionary and collaborative leader who will take the movement and its people forward through strategic development and collective governance,

Ensuring that The Wildlife Trusts is recognised as a high-profile champion, steward and leader for the natural environment in the UK.

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Main responsibilitiesPromote and represent The Wildlife Trusts• Communicate The Wildlife Trusts’

beliefs, brand, vision and philosophy through external advocacy.

• Develop and maintain strong and positive relationships with key external stakeholders* so that opportunities to support nature’s recovery and protection are maximised.

*Across political parties, local, regional and central governments, policy makers, statutory bodies, strategic funders, partners and individuals.

• Ensure effective working across the devolved governments, harnessing the unique insights of the individual Wildlife Trusts in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

• Maximise the potential of The Wildlife Trusts as a policy influencing and campaigning movement.

• Clearly articulate the value and impact of The Wildlife Trusts to a wide range of audiences to make the most of diverse income opportunities for the movement.

Lead the development of the movement• Create trusting and meaningful

relationships with all 46 Wildlife Trusts, respecting strengths and differences.

• Champion equality, diversity and inclusion across The Wildlife Trusts.

• Lead strategic development and impact, working with the Council and the movement to create a clear and compelling vision for The Wildlife Trusts.

• Support the organisational effectiveness of all Wildlife Trusts through learning and knowledge sharing.

• Ensure agility for The Wildlife Trusts amidst political changes.

Leadership of the central charity (RSWT) • Ensure the organisation is fit for

purpose and that its functions, systems and processes support the agreed development plans and strategies of The Wildlife Trusts.

• Inspire and support the central team through delegation and personal development, supporting their wellbeing and championing their role within The Wildlife Trusts.

• Ensure that leadership, coaching, supervision and direction is available to all staff through the senior management team.

• Ensure strong financial management of the Charity, including generating budgets, preparation of annual accounts and overseeing all required reporting.

Governance and strategy • Develop open, trusting and respectful

relationships between the Executives and the Trustees.

• Ensure outstanding governance, compliance, financial and risk management, including timely reporting to the Council.

• Develop the long-term strategy of The Wildlife Trusts, agreeing this with the Council, ensuring it is appropriately resourced and delivered, reporting regularly to the Council on progress.

• Ensure full legal, regulatory and contractual compliance, including safeguarding.

13August 2019

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Silhouettes

Silhouette wildlife illustrations are used in the footer and are available as an optional background in some components like Hero and Spotlight. They can be used offline too.

Person specification

Experience• Demonstrable experience of

leading as a CEO, working across organisations and a wide range of sectors and stakeholders.

• Proven track record of engaging, supporting and motivating organisations, communities and people, to help achieve their full potential.

• Experience of advocacy, engaging with external stakeholders to influence social change or public policy.

• Strong understanding of environmental issues or the ability to evidence how knowledge is gained and credibility has been established quickly in a new field.

• Sound knowledge of fundraising with a successful track record of leading income growth from a range of sources and personally developing relationships with funders.

• Proven ability to plan resources appropriately and understand financial reports.

Skills• Excellent communications,

presentation and interpersonal skills.

• Excellent external representation skills and ability to act as a media spokesperson.

• Excellent negotiating skills and ability to influence others.

• Clear understanding of campaigning, including how to deliver campaigns that effect lasting change.

• Sound understanding of political environments and the ability to build new relationships at a senior level across civil servants, parliamentarians and local government leaders.

• Highly developed analytical, problem solving and report writing skills.

• Experience of operating at Board level and capable of working with and alongside the Board.

Attributes• Inspirational and authentic

leadership style.

• Flexible and collaborative, with a genuine desire help and support others.

• Displays and actively encourages a ‘can do’ attitude and celebrates success.

• Excellent listener, who is self-aware, reflective, and responsive to constructive feedback.

• Non-judgemental, respects the views and needs of others.

• Nurtures resilience in self and others, with a focus on wellbeing.

• Values and beliefs aligned with those of The Wildlife Trusts.

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Silhouettes

Silhouette wildlife illustrations are used in the footer and are available as an optional background in some components like Hero and Spotlight. They can be used offline too.

15August 2019

CEO

Director, Operations

Director, Strategy

Director, Marketing

& Development

Director, Campaigns & Policy

Director, Public Affairs and

Living Seas

Executive Assistant

Central charitystaff structure

Approx. 60 people

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16 Chief Executive Officer | The Wildlife Trusts

How to applyTo apply for the role, please forward a CV together with a supporting statement (maximum two pages of A4). 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 recruitment timetable.

As an inclusive employer, The Wildlife Trusts value diversity and we’re committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone is able to be themselves and to reach their full potential. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures. We believe that a diverse workforce will help us create our vision of people close to nature, with land and seas rich in wildlife.

At Prospectus we believe passionately

that a truly inclusive workplace leads to increased social impact. We are committed to supporting our clients build more inclusive teams. To understand how we are performing, we ask that you kindly complete the brief questionnaire when you submit your application via our website.

Please be assured that your responses are kept confidential, separate from your candidate record, are not part of any application you make, and that the consultants never see individual responses to the questionnaire. Full feedback is also available at any stage, to all candidates throughout the process.

Applications should be made via the Prospectus website at:

www.prospect-us.co.uk/executive/job/HQ00175607

Recruitment Timetable

Deadline for applications:

16 September

Interviews with Prospectus:

23 September – 3 October

Interviews with TWT:

17 and 18 October

Queries

If you wish to have an informal discussion about the opportunity, please contact our retained advisors Anna Gardet or Camille Revuelta at Prospectus on 020 7691 1920, or email: anna.gardet@prospect-us.co.uk camille.revuelta@prospect-us.co.uk

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Silhouettes

Silhouette wildlife illustrations are used in the footer and are available as an optional background in some components like Hero and Spotlight. They can be used offline too. 17August 2019

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