Director Of Community And Culture

Director of Community and Culture
up to £80k

Young people are at the sharp end of a mental health crisis that gets worse every day. With the lasting effects of a global pandemic, political instability, cultural shifts and global crises, life for young people has become more unpredictable and difficult. It’s no exaggeration to say that we’re experiencing a young people’s mental health emergency.

YoungMinds stands alongside young people, facing that emergency together; and, despite the challenges, we’re doing so with hope and optimism. Our passionate team of around 120 cares deeply about making a difference for and with young people. We believe in young people and their ability to change things for themselves and for each other. We want all young people to get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what; and our aim is to stop young people's mental health reaching crisis point.

We’re building a powerful coalition of change with incredible partners and supporters who share our vision. For example, our new charity partnership with Marks & Spencer (their biggest ever) aims to raise at least £5m and double our reach. This steady growth in influence and impact is underpinned by an extensive programme of organisational development, designed to ensure that we’re fit for the future and able to continue delivering our ambitious objectives in the coming years.

And that’s where you come in.

YoungMinds originated in a strong and positive culture of empathy, generosity and commitment to others, and we’re an amazing place to work. But we believe we can go even further: we have an ambitious vision of becoming an exemplar organisation in our field and beyond, and we need an outstanding professional to help us build on our strong foundations. We want to foster a collective hunger for continuous improvement that’s open to innovation, which listens, and which embraces a genuinely progressive and anti-racist mindset. We want staff, young people and volunteers to feel engaged, motivated, included and able to participate. And we want to be sure that we’re consistently providing the best possible support to the young people and adults who come to us.

We’re looking for someone who can shape, articulate, and roll out an accessible and inclusive path towards this destination. You’ll be open, calm and inspiring, with an exceptional track record of working collaboratively with people who are passionate about social change and mental health, and a nuanced grasp of how organisations like ours can keep getting better. There’s not much low-hanging fruit, so we’re looking for someone who understands the concept of marginal gains and coaching for high performance. You’ll be familiar with the techniques needed to lead change in busy demand-led environments, and will bring the personal resilience to persevere when it’s difficult.

We are committed to ensuring that we better represent the young people who need us most at all levels within the organisation and actively encourage applications from Black and minoritised applicants. We also warmly welcome job share applications and are open to discussions about flexible working arrangements.

Please visit https://ym-communityculture.co.uk/ to find out more. For a confidential, informal conversation, please contact our advisers at Cadence Partners by email ym-communityculture@cadencepartners.co.uk

Closing date: midnight, 11 February 2024.