Chief Operating Officer

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Deadline: 22nd November


This is an exciting opportunity to play a central role in a charity which is one of the largest independent funders for children and young people’s charities in London. Since 1991, John Lyon’s Charity has awarded over £208 million to more than 1,700 educational charities, with annual grants averaging around £16 million. Our vision is to transform the lives of Children and Young People to learn, grow and develop through education.

Our ability to fund this vital work relies on the income generated from our endowment, which is approximately £400 million in assets under management, encompassing both financial investments and property.

We are now looking to appoint the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO). This is a new role for the organisation and will oversee a broad range of the charity’s activities and enhance capacity at strategic leadership level, enhancing delivery of our mission.

Reporting to the Chief Executive as a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), the COO will lead on all operational aspects for the Charity. This new role of COO will be responsible for finance, data and IT, risk management, legal, HR and premises, health and safety, governance and endowment operations. The role will provide focused financial and operational long-term planning, strategic leadership while reflecting our values. The role will also oversee the charity’s large endowment by working with its investment advisors and estate managers daily.

Ideal candidates will be experienced senior leaders with a strong track record of strategic work across a broad operational remit. It is vital to build good collaborative relationships between the different communities internally and externally, and this person should have a track record of effectively building relationships and being an external ambassador. Having personal qualities of delivery, strategic thinking and the right interpersonal skills are more important than any specific professional background.

A detailed understanding of financial processes with strong business analysis skills is essential. Degree Level qualification with at least a 2:1. MSc/MBA or a recognised accounting qualification or equivalent is desirable. Whilst much of the technical detail can be learnt fast, some knowledge of UK charity law and regulations would be helpful.

Applications, which should be in the form of a CV and cover letter, should be sent to [email protected] no later than 5:00pm on 22nd November 2024.

Timetable:

Shortlisting 4th December

First interviews: 9th December

Panel interviews: 16th December

Meeting with Grant Directors: 18th December

Decision Communicated: by 20th December

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion statement can be found here.

John Lyon’s Charity is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Click the buttons below to find out more about this opportunity, and please reach out to our HR Manager if you have any questions.