HARNESSING SKILLS,
TRANSFORMING CHARITIES
Appointment of Chief Executive
November 2019
Welcome to Pilotlight.
I’m delighted that you are interested in becoming the next CEO of
Pilotlight. Pilotlight is committed to connecting businesses and
charities and harnessing the talent in both to achieve positive
social change.
Our award-winning organisation offers a unique service to
charities and social enterprises by giving them access to the
strategic business support they need to become more effective
and sustainable.
We are proud that to date we have helped over 800 charities and 1,800 business leaders to
improve the lives of disadvantaged people. However, there is still much more to do. We are
hugely ambitious to increase our reach and recruit more talented people to help more
great causes.
Our new CEO will be joining at a really exciting time as we develop a new strategic plan
and look at different ways to bring the Pilotlight experience to more organisations. We are
looking for a new leader who will help our organisation realise its ambition by innovating our
offer to reach more territories, charities and professionals.
I became Chair of Pilotlight at the beginning of 2019 and have been impressed by the
passion and diligence of our staff and board. We are a professional, well organised charity
with a strong values set. Our new CEO will share our ambition and drive to increase our
impact whilst appreciating the importance of nurturing and developing our amazing team.
If you feel that you have the ambition and talent we need to take Pilotlight forward then
we very much look forward to hearing from you.
Warm Regards
Sally Bailey
INTRODUCTION FROM OUR CHAIR
We are an award-winning social enterprise transforming communities across the UK. Our
mission is to help charities help more people more effectively. By connecting business
executives (our Pilotlighters) with charity leaders through our expertly managed
programmes, we provide the skills and support charities need to thrive. Earlier this year
Pilotlight was named one of the top 100 UK social enterprises in the NatWest SE100 Index.
We are a small organisation with a track record of achieving long term impact for our
charity partners. Our 20 members of staff work out of two offices in London and Edinburgh
and at any one time, we are working with 75 inspiring charities across the UK, supported
by some of the UK’s leading businesses.
Since 2003, we have worked with over 1,800 business leaders to support over 800 charities
and social enterprises.
HOW WE DO IT
Our flagship initiative, the Pilotlight Programme, has been effectively harnessing the skills of
our Pilotlighters for over 15 years, providing long-term strategic support for charity leaders
and their boards. We help our charities become more resilient and deliver more effective
and efficient services, resulting in better outcomes for disadvantaged people.
Handpicking teams of senior executives from the business community, we match them
with charities and social enterprises to help them plan for a sustainable future. We
manage the transfer of skills over a 10-month period through our unique managed model.
The Pilotlight Project Manager acts as a facilitator, coach and administrator, enabling us
to achieve outstanding results for our charity partners and our business members.
ABOUT PILOTLIGHT
HARNESSING SKILLS, TRANSFORMING CHARITIES
PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAMMES
Harnessing skills at different levels within companies, we create bespoke 2 – 6 month
programmes to offer tailored support to our charity partners, while providing a learning
and development opportunity for the Pilotlighters. Our Business Partners currently
working with us via Partnerships Programmes include Morgan Stanley and Barclays.
In 2013 we won the Lord Mayor of London’s prestigious Dragon Award for the Early
Careers programme we ran with RBS.
HOW WE ARE FUNDED
Our Pilotlighters pay an annual membership donation to take part, which allows us to
offer our programmes free to charities and social enterprises. There are two types of
Pilotlighters, those who make a personal donation to us and those who are sponsored
by their employer. The donation not only supports the charity projects Pilotlighters are
placed on, but also contributes towards our project work across the UK. We aim to
meet 80% of our operating costs through our members, with 20% coming from Trusts
and Foundations.
OUR IMPACT
Are you passionate about bringing together the business and charitable worlds to
make both more effective? Are you looking to join a professional organisation tackling
disadvantage across a range of social issues?
Having enjoyed a period of significant growth, Pilotlight is now looking to appoint a
new Chief Executive to succeed Gillian Murray, who steps down after six years of
outstanding leadership.
Purpose of the role
• Responsibility for staff leadership, management and administration of the
organisation in delivering against the mission and in the execution of the
strategy as agreed by the Board of Trustees.
• Work with the Chair to ensure that the Board of Trustees formulate and
regularly review the organisation's mission and strategic plan; ensure it is able
to monitor annual plans and targets.
Reports to: The Board of Trustees
1. Strategy and leadership
• Take accountability and stewardship of the organisation. Provide visible,
ambitious and focussed leadership to continue to build upon the strong
foundation of the organisation and ensure that the strategy and business
plan are delivered successfully
• Responsibility for working with the Chair and Board of Trustees to create,
implement and drive Pilotlight’s next strategic plan
• Diversify income streams by seeking new opportunities for funding and
developing new products
• Manage client contracts and produce service specifications for
partnership deals and negotiations
• Work closely with the leadership team to oversee the implementation,
performance and review of programmes and systems to ensure high
quality and relevant services and products are provided
2. Staff/Performance management
• Lead the organisation through inspirational leadership and maintain a
positive internal culture to maximise the contributions of all staff;
• Manage and motivate the leadership team to enable them and our staff
to achieve our outcomes while supporting their professional development
• Ensure the highest levels of performance, be accountable for the well-
JOINING PILOTLIGHT AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE
being and development of staff; a champion of equality, diversity and
inclusion
• Provide leadership for the staff team, maximising their contribution to
Pilotlight’s ensure the organisation meets all its legal obligations to
partners, volunteers and employees
3. Finance and operations
• Overall responsibility for financial management and income growth
• Agree and deliver to budget, maintain a healthy reserve level in line with
policy, and determine appropriate longer-term investment
• Ensure Pilotlight deploys resources to deliver maximum value for money
• Lead the team to implement the organisation’s strategic and operational
plans to deliver change, drive business growth, financial sustainability and
maintain highest quality levels
4. Promotion of Pilotlight
• Act as an ambassador for Pilotlight, championing its interests locally and
nationally at events, with stakeholders and in the media
• Engage, convene and influence multiple senior level stakeholders and
groups across sectors, including charities, corporates and major grant
giving institutions
• Further develop our approach to partnership working to enhance our
work and impact, convene diverse stakeholders and enable Pilotlight to
act as a catalyst for change in charitable organisations and the wider
sector
5. Working with the Board
• Work with the Chair to ensure the Board of Trustees receives appropriate
advice and information on all relevant matters and enable it to fulfil its
governance, fiduciary, regulatory, risk management responsibilities
• Support the Chair in ensuring the continued engagement/involvement of
all members of the Board.
The Person
Pilotlight is looking to appoint an exceptional Chief Executive to provide
outstanding leadership to the organisation as it enters its next strategic phase.
The successful candidate will bring the following skills and experience:
• A passion for supporting the third sector and making it more effective
• A record of achievement at a strategic level in an organisation or
directorate of comparable scale or larger
• An experienced and inspirational leader and manager with the ability to
motivate diverse teams, and drive an organisation to deliver excellent
outcomes
• Proven cross-sector relationships and a track record of building
partnerships
• Strong commercial and business acumen combined with experience of
financial management
• Ideally, a profile within the third sector
You will also bring the following personal qualities:
• Ambitious and visionary leader with the ability to lead and inspire a bright,
forward-thinking team
• A dynamic, proactive thinker, strategic in outlook and pragmatic in
approach
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the flexibility and
credibility to listen to and engage a wide range of stakeholders at all
levels - key players in the charity sector, senior business leaders, major
funders and more
• A collaborative style, combined with generosity of spirit; effective at
empowering and delivering through teams
• An effective ambassador and strong public speaker
• Confident with finances and financial forecasting
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills
THE PERSON
This is a senior position within the organisation and appropriate remuneration will be
negotiated accordingly.
The role is based at Pilotlight’s head office in Aldgate, London with frequent travel
anticipated across the UK.
TERMS OF APPOINTMENT
HOW TO APPLY Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to Pilotlight on this appointment.
Candidates should apply for this role through our website at www.saxbam.com/appointments, using
code UAHAT.
Click on the ‘apply’ button and follow the instructions to upload a CV and cover letter.
The closing date for applications is noon on Thursday 5th December 2019.
Saxton Bampfylde will meet candidates for initial face to face interviews between 12th December and
8th January.
Candidates should be available for informal one-to-one meetings on 21st /22nd January and for the
formal panel interview that will take place with the Selection Committee on 27th January.
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as part of the application process.