Projects Officer, Enter & View

Background

ASPIE operates as a social, support and therapy group providing vital services and is a lifeline to adults who live with the complexities of Asperger’s. The purpose is to provide Asperger adults with an environment in which they are given the opportunity to: Understand and accept their difference, Gain confidence and improve communication skills, Build a network of support in the skills required for independent living and Access suitable education and training courses and develop employment application skills.

Our centre in Worcester is a safe haven where Asperger  adults  can drop the mask they wear in the outside world and find acceptance, friendship, support and therapy to reduce  isolation, depression, self-harm, sectioning and  suicidal tendencies and increase their self-worth and confidence through varied activities, workshops and mentoring overseen by a small dedicated team. Immediate in-house autism specific counselling, pre- and post-diagnosis and for a range of other debilitating issues help avert depression and crisis.

Aim

The role is to understudy the Chief Executive and assist in the overall management, ensuring we have a permanent autism friendly centre in which to open twice weekly, 52 weeks of the year, the engagement of autism specific qualified counsellors, sports coaches, mentors.  Responding and providing immediate advice and support to distressed Asperger adults, including members and parents. Being the fundraiser and the face of ASPIE, campaigning, promoting and networking with many local organisations including the NHS diagnostic service, Worcestershire County Council’s Autism Partnership Board, Worcester City Council, various voluntary organisations plus our MP, Robin Walker, local councillors and mayors. All these activities, plus the much more mundane, to keep the show on the road, essential because so many individuals rely and depend on ASPIE.

Duties and responsibilities

The Deputy Chief Executive will work with the Chief Executive of ASPIE to:

·         Prepare a strategic plan and annual budget for approval by the ASPIE Board of Trustees, including a review of current and future service provision in the light of the continuing increase in demand for ASPIE’s services

·         Operate within the annual budget and ensure management and HR policies are up-to-date and effective

·         Devise a Fundraising strategy that ensures a sustainable income from individual, corporate, legacy and trust donations

·         Ensure that the ASPIE service is provided to members (currently Wednesday and Saturday), be the responsible person, dealing with all necessary practical matters, from opening and closing the premises, ensuring a warm welcome to all, to managing the environment so that it is suitable and of an appropriate standard no matter how high the demand for ASPIE’s services

·         Recruit new staff and volunteers as needed

·         Build strong relationships with local politicians, the NHS in all its forms, other providers of care, Grant-giving Trusts and other benefactors, and the traditional and social media to advance the aims of ASPIE

·         Establish and monitor key indicators of ASPIE’s impact and financial health so as to demonstrate the value of the care provided, and to assist in Fundraising

·         Represent ASPIE to the media, and at external events and publicity opportunities

·         Maintain awareness of risks and changes in the external environment that affect ASPIE and brief the Trustee Board as needed

·         Supply regular reports to the Trustee Board and attend Trustee meetings

·         Ensure ASPIE’s staff and volunteers are focused on achieving its mission and aims

·         Ensure ASPIE fulfils its legal, statutory and regulatory responsibilities

·         Deliver ASPIE’s business plan and lead on winning contracts from public bodies

Key skills

·         Leadership skills: to motivate staff and volunteers, personal drive, persistence and energy is essential

·         Advocacy skills: be the public and private face of ASPIE and promote its aims with conviction

·         Excellent interpersonal skills: the capability to build relationships with a wide variety of people, starting with members, staff and volunteers, and then to local opinion formers, some of whom will not be familiar with or even initially sympathetic to ASPIE

·         Financial acumen: able to set and operate a budget and seek new sources of Funds in order to make the services of ASPIE sustainable

·         A genuine appreciation of what it is like to be an aspie:  a quick learner to grasp the nature and complexity of ASPIE’s service and aims, and the ability to be flexible and patient in fast-changing circumstances

Qualifications

An undergraduate degree or relevant Master's’ degree would be helpful, but previous experience in a similar organisation is more important.

Relevant experience

Experience in senior management or organisational leadership is essential, as is experience of working with Trustee Boards. Knowledge of the same sub-sector would be very helpful. This is a role that requires flexibility, a strong focus on the quality of service given to ASPIE members, the ability to deal with a very wide range of individuals and organisations, the ability to cope with things moving quickly and often unpredictably, and a good sense of humour!