Chief Executive Officer - #195485

Company Description Community Foundation for Calderdale exists to support charities, voluntary

organisations and community groups across Calderdale.

We help people and organisations give effectively, ensuring that funding reaches local causes where it can make a meaningful difference. Through our grantmaking, donor relationships, partnerships and local knowledge, we play a central role in strengthening communities and supporting those responding to local need.

Our work is rooted in Calderdale. We understand the area, its strengths, its challenges and the many people and organisations working hard to make it a better place.

We are proud of our history, but we are also focused on the future.

The Foundation has an investment portfolio exceeding £10m and distributes grants in excess of £2m annually. This brings both opportunity and responsibility. We must continue to grow philanthropy, manage resources wisely, maintain strong governance and ensure our systems, processes and people are ready

for the future.

Role Description The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is a full-time, onsite role based in Halifax, responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership to the Community Foundation for Calderdale. The CEO will oversee the charity’s overall direction, ensuring that activities align with its mission to tackle social injustices and improve local lives through effective grantmaking and community engagement. Day-to-day responsibilities include leading and supporting the senior management team, managing budgets and financial performance, developing and implementing business and strategic plans, and maintaining robust governance and compliance. The CEO will build and maintain strong relationships with donors, partners, community groups, and other stakeholders, representing the foundation at events and in the media. The role also involves identifying opportunities for growth in income and impact, driving innovation in grantmaking, and fostering a collaborative, inclusive culture across the organization.

Essential experience

The successful candidate will have:

·   Senior leadership experience in a charity, foundation, philanthropy, business, public sector, social enterprise or related environment.

·   A strong track record of building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, funders, donors, partners or clients.

·   Experience of income generation, fundraising, philanthropy, business development or partnership development.

·   Experience of working with or reporting to a Board, committee or senior governance structure.

·   Strong financial awareness and the ability to understand budgets, management accounts, risk, reserves, investments and sustainability.

·   Experience of leading people, managing teams and creating a positive organisational culture.

·   Evidence of strategic planning and delivery.

·   Experience of representing an organisation externally and building its reputation.

·   Experience of working with formal systems, procedures, policies and compliance frameworks.

·   Experience of ensuring good governance in a fast-moving operational environment.

·   Strong IT skills, including confidence using computerised systems and digital platforms.

Essential skills and qualities

The successful candidate will be:

·   A credible and confident relationship-builder.

·   A persuasive communicator, able to engage different audiences.

·   Strategic in outlook, but practical and hands-on in approach.

·   Comfortable operating in a small organisation where flexibility and personal responsibility matter.

·   Able to inspire trust among donors, trustees, staff and community partners.

·   Commercially aware, while remaining values-led and community-focused.

·   Organised, resilient and able to manage competing priorities.

·   Comfortable with accountability, governance and transparent reporting.

·   Able to understand and oversee legal, financial, HR, H&S, IT, data protection and compliance responsibilities.

·   Emotionally intelligent, collaborative and calm under pressure.

·   Personally committed to fairness, inclusion and local community impact.

·   Able to lead both people and processes with clarity, consistency and care.

Desirable experience

It would be helpful for the candidate to have:

·   Knowledge of Calderdale and its communities.

·   Experience of community foundations, place-based giving or local philanthropy.

·   Experience of major donor development, legacy giving or corporate partnerships.

·   Understanding of charity governance, Charity Commission requirements and trustee responsibilities.

·   Experience of organisational change, succession planning or leadership transition.

·   Understanding of grant-making, impact measurement and community development.

·   Experience of working with investment managers, fund managers or professional advisers.

·   Experience of overseeing investment portfolios, investment policy reviews or property-related matters.

·   Experience of working with external HR, IT, finance, legal or property advisers.

·   Experience of managing or overseeing grant-making activity at scale.

·   Experience of working within an organisation using digital grant management, CRM, finance or donor management systems.