Chief Executive Officer

All We Can/Y Care International is seeking a Chief Executive Officer to lead the charities into the next 5-year strategy of doing development differently. 

All We Can is an international development and relief organisation, working to see every person’s potential fulfilled. It was founded by the Methodist Church in the 1930s. 

Y Care International supports local opportunities for vulnerable young people and their communities across the globe, to change lives for the better. It was founded by Sir Terry Waite in collaboration with the YMCA movement in the 1980s.

From 1 September 2021, All We Can and Y Care International began a formal, strategic partnership – combining efforts to tackle poverty, inequality and injustice in some of the world’s most marginalised communities. We work as one organisational team, presenting as two unique brands, fulfilling two separate, but symbiotic, strategies.

At All We Can/Y Care International we want to see every person's potential fulfilled. We work through partnership alongside our global neighbours most impacted by disasters, poverty and injustice to enable flourishing and resilient communities. We are known for doing development uniquely, which means we steer away from traditional models of development.

Instead, we understand that overcoming the challenges of poverty, crises and social injustice are complex, and can only be achieved by working with local organisations who are rooted within their communities. They are best placed to unlock the potential in their own communities. We don’t lift people out of poverty, we tackle the systemic issues of poverty to support individuals in lifting themselves. We believe this to be the greatest way because listening to the lived experiences of communities improves equality, builds capacity, enhances shared ownership and sustainability.

In all we do, we're guided by values of: Love, Collaboration and Integrity. 

• Love is the oxygen of our movement, and enables meaningful relationships and actions.
• Collaboration is working together in solidarity and partnership, not control.
• Integrity is personifying honesty, transparency, and accountability.

We're looking for our next CEO to lead us in this life-changing work and into the next phase of our growth and development.

Our ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate deep practical understanding of and commitment to our partnership model in locally led development. They’ll combine a creative vision and inspiration with the ability to translate it into practical steps and lead the team with trust and accountability.

They’ll have experience of different aspects of charity work with an emphasis on income generation, finance and tracking performance against KPIs. They’ll need to work collaboratively with trustees, the staff team and key stakeholders in the Methodist Church and the YMCA movement.

As our next CEO, they’ll be joining a team of 22 colleagues in the UK and 6 Country Representatives in Ethiopia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Malawi, and together, work towards embedding a culture that is people-centred, mutually accountable, open, inclusive and caring in everything we do.

The Chief Executive Officer will be accountable for:

• Strategic leadership of the organisation
• Relationship management and external representation
• Supporting income generation
• Elements of operations and governance
• Supporting the development of an effective staff team

To be successful in the role, successful candidate will need:

• Thorough practical understanding and experience of working within the context of locally led partnership model in international development.
• Understanding of what decolonisation of aid looks like in practice.
• Passion for and interest in the work of our partners and in all you do, be led by their needs and the needs of the communities they serve.
• Practical understanding of and demonstrating our organisational values: Love, Collaboration and Integrity.
• Experience in a senior leadership role within a third sector organisation or proven transferrable experience from other sectors.
• Ability to communicate the vision and direction that the organisation is moving towards, but also the ability to translate them into practical steps, communicate them and any changes with clarity.
• Due to the history of both organisations and the relationships with key stakeholders and partners, it would be desirable for the CEO to be an active Christian; however it is not an essential requirement.

Please see the application pack for full description of responsibilities and skills required for the role. To encourage candidates from diverse background to apply, we're applying anonymisation to the 1st stage applications of this recruitment process. 

Location: This role is contractually based in Central London; however, we currently operate a hybrid working model with regular whole team face to face meetings once a month. Board meetings are held quarterly and are normally in-person; this role will also require attending meetings across the UK and internationally to represent both charities, sometimes involving weekends and/or evenings.