Chief executive officer jobs in Leeds

At S.A.L.V.E. we believe:

- No young person should have to live or work on the streets

- Young people who have lived and worked on the streets deserve the chance to fulfil their potential

- Young people on the streets should have trustworthy, supportive adults around them

With the generous help of our supporters, S.A.L.V.E. works with children on the streets of Jinja, Uganda, so they have the opportunity to leave their difficult pasts behind them and move forward, towards a brighter future.

We have Drop in Centres and Street Outreach services for children currently living on the streets. We offer short term residential care in our Halfway Homes or Drug Rehabilitation Centre to help children to transition off the streets, and follow up care and support for when a child has been resettled home to their family. We also offer educational support, and/ or business skills start up and training where assessed to be needed to help a child to settle home successfully and to ensure their family can thrive in the long term.

We are looking to recruit a new CEO who believes in our vision that there should be “No Street Called Home” for children living on the streets in Uganda and who wants to help us to grow this impact and further change children’s lives.

Our Journey

S.A.L.V.E. International was founded in 2008 by Helen Huthwaite and Nicola Sansom. Since then, we have gone on to resettle 978 street connected children with their families. We have also supported 378 young people through education, rehabilitated over 1000 street connected children at our Residential Centre and initiated 495 small businesses to support families. Over the years, our advocacy work has included being part of Small Charity Week in the UK parliament, and being part of a delegation to the UN with the Consortium for Street Children.

Today we employ 4 staff in the UK and 27 in Uganda. Our annual turnover is approximately £300k. New developments in our work include sports programming and a very promising tailoring course. We are well on track to achieve our 2022-27 strategic goals - reaching more children, expanding support for girls, strengthening families and improving our funding sustainability.

Looking forward, the demand for our services continues to grow, whilst charities in general are facing a very difficult financial position. We are looking for a Chief Executive Officer who will consolidate and develop existing initiatives and continue to diversify our provision. They must be able to enhance our efforts to improve our long-term financial sustainability. Working in collaboration with the Board, they will develop our next strategic plan in line with our vision and values.

Job Purpose

● To be a visionary who drives forwards and maximises the impact of the organisation. Working with the Board of Trustees to ensure that a strong vision with clear strategic planning is in place for the organisation to best benefit our service users.

● To work with the Ugandan and UK team to develop and improve our existing programmes of work for the organisation to best benefit our service users.

● To oversee the budget, finance and risk management of the organisation.

● To oversee our fundraising strategy and grow relationships with new and existing funders to a high standard ensuring that maximum potential support is achieved.

● To proactively identify prospects, approaching and winning resources from new partnerships in the wider community to best meet S.A.L.V.E.’s aims and objectives.

● To raise awareness of the work of S.A.L.V.E. International and oversee our advocacy and communications strategy and implementation.

Key Activities

The following activities are intended as a guide to the main responsibilities of the post and are not an exhaustive list of duties and tasks.  The post-holder may be required to undertake other duties that are not listed below, at the direction of the Board.  The job description may be amended from time to time after consultation with the post holder.

STRATEGY

• Lead the organisation by working collaboratively with our global team of staff, volunteers, and board members to ensure a strong strategic plan is in place, which is reviewed and improved over time to maximise the organisation’s impact.

FUNDRAISING

• Leading and championing our fundraising strategy. Helping to develop our one off and regular financial supporters through finding new opportunities and networks, giving talks, ensuring quality timely communications, and reporting to existing supporters.
• Supporting and co-working with our Development Manager to research new application prospects, and helping to maintain and develop the income from our existing network of corporate, organisational and Trust and Foundation partnerships and donors. This includes writing and reviewing funding applications and reports as needed.
• Lead on the drafting of larger or multi-year funding applications, with support from the Development Manager to finalise.

FINANCE

• Overseeing the budget and financial management of the organisation to ensure the organisation’s long term sustainability and sound financial management, including creating the annual budget for approval by the UK Board.
• Collaboratively reviewing the charity’s financial controls and performance, including a final review of the monthly accounts (UK and Uganda), and overseeing the internal audit of our accounts with the finance committee.
• Ensuring the organisation is financially compliant according to the Charities Commission and meets all statutory requirements.

HR

• Recruiting, training, developing and managing staff and volunteers in the UK to help to build the capacity of the organisation as needed. This currently includes line managing: Ugandan Country Director, Development Manager, Communications Manager
• Support the Country Director with recruitment in Uganda.
• Creating a strong sense of team spirit and a culture of appreciation and reliability within the team by reinforcing organisation values and ensuring accountability.

GOVERNANCE

• Working closely with and supporting our UK and Ugandan boards to ensure that the governance of the organisation is strong.
• Lead on creating, reviewing, and developing policies, procedures and systems, including but not limited to ensuring quality safeguarding and risk management for the organisation.
• Ensure the organisation is appropriately prepared for potential risks
• Ensuring the organisation is compliant according to the Charities Commission and meets all statutory requirements.

COMMUNICATION

• Overseeing the communications strategy of the organisation, ensuring the website, social media, newsletters, annual report and mailings out to supporters are kept up to date by supporting our Communications Manager. This includes drafting and checking copy and promoting and marketing events and campaigns for the organisation to raise funds and awareness.
• Being an advocate for the organisation, by seeking and maximising opportunities to represent the organisation, to help raise awareness and support for the work we do and the needs of street connected children generally.

PROGRAMMES and OPERATIONS

• Leading and collaborating with the wider team to develop and improve our programmes through regular evaluation and learning reviews.
• Support the Country Director to ensure the organisation operations function smoothy, and that the strategic plan can be implemented.

PARTNERSHIPS

• Representing S.A.L.V.E. in partnerships and networks such as the Consortium for Street Children to ensure that we are making the most of funding, partnership and advocacy opportunities.
• Manage relationships with key partners in the UK and internationally, to ensure we are collaborating to achieve the greatest impact.

SAFEGUARDING

• To be the Safeguarding Lead within the organisation, and continually strengthen safeguarding as a priority in all our work.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

• Support the Development Manager with the effective functioning of the organisations M&E system, Upshot. Ensure all team members are meeting their monitoring, evaluation and learning obligations and objectives.

SKILLS REQUIRED

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

Fundraising and External Relations

• Proven and demonstrable track record of securing income from multiple sources, including Trusts and Foundations, corporate partners or institutional donors.
• Direct experience of preparing, writing, and managing significant funding applications, including multi-year or high-value proposals.
• Ability to represent an organisation confidently to donors, partners and external stakeholders, including through public speaking and networking.

Leadership and Management

• Senior leadership or management experience within the charity or social purpose sector, with evidence of leading teams, managing performance and developing organisational capacity.
• Demonstrable ability to build and maintain positive working relationships across teams and stakeholder groups.

Strategic and Operational Capability

• Proven ability to develop, review and implement strategies, organisational systems, policies and procedures that support growth, quality and compliance.
• Strong understanding of budgeting and financial oversight, with experience of interpreting financial information to inform decision-making.

Governance, Compliance and Safeguarding

• Knowledge of charity governance expectations and safeguarding responsibilities, ideally within organisations working with children or vulnerable groups.
• Commitment to good practice, ethical leadership and accountability.

Personal Attributes

• Highly proactive, solution-focused and resilient, with evidence of managing challenges constructively.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Friendly, approachable and values-driven, with clear alignment to S.A.L.V.E.’s mission and work.
• Willingness to be ‘hands on’.

DESIRED CRITERIA

Fundraising

• Experience of cultivating and stewarding significant individual donors or corporate sponsors over time.
• Experience of delivering presentations, talks or fundraising-driven events to external audiences.

International and Cross-Cultural Experience

• Experience working in an African context or supporting programmes delivered within Africa.
• Previously lived or worked in Uganda, or having strong personal ties or lived experience relevant to the Ugandan context.

Leadership and Governance

• Experience of working collaboratively with a Board of Trustees or equivalent governance body.
• Experience of leading organisational change or growth phases.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• Experience using programme data or M&E systems to inform fundraising proposals, impact reports or strategic decision-making.

Qualifications

• Relevant academic, management or professional qualification (e.g., international development, charity management, safeguarding, finance, leadership).

FURTHER INFORMATION

Reporting to: UK Board

Location: Remote, with travel in the UK and to Uganda

Working Hours: Full Time, 37.5 hours per week

How to Apply:

Please send your CV and a one page covering letter.

Your cover letter should clearly demonstrate how you meet the job specification above, and why this role is suitable for you.

Applications without a covering letter will not be considered.

Please note: You must already have the right to live and work in the UK to apply for this role.

Closing Date: Sunday 25th January 2026, 6pm

Note: Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a written task during the week commencing 2nd February.

Expected Interviews Dates:

- First Round (virtual): 10th and 11th February

- Second Round (in-person): Week commencing 23rd February

Anticipated Start Date: As soon as possible

We are looking for a dynamic, values-led, strategic leader to drive our mission for migration justice and social work solidarity. The role entails oversight of the operations and strategy of the organisation, responsibility for financial management and fundraising, maintaining the health of the organisation and embedding anti-racist and anti-opressive values into every aspect of the organisation. 

At The Brilliant Club, we are mobilising the PhD community to create a society where every child has a fair chance to unlock their brilliance, regardless of where or how they grow up, and where positions of influence are open to everyone, not just the most advantaged. As we approach the end of our five-year strategy, Join the Club, we are seeking a bold, insightful, and committed CEO to guide us into our next strategic period as we look to significantly expand our reach and impact.

The Chief Executive will provide strategic and inspirational leadership to The Brilliant Club, guiding the organisation through the next phase of its strategy and ensuring that it continues to deliver meaningful impact for the students, parents, researchers and partners we serve. They will bring in new forms of philanthropic and place-focused partnerships to support the charity to reach areas that are currently underserved. They will work closely with the Board of Trustees, the Executive Leadership Team and colleagues across the charity to set direction, make sound decisions and foster a culture that is values-led, inclusive and ambitious. The role spans both strategic and operational leadership.

We are supported by Tall Roots for the search for our new CEO. For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Mark Crowley at Tall Roots.

CEO

We are seeking an experienced and motivated leader to guide a purposeful organisation through its next chapter.

Location: Fully remote within the UK with occasional national travel
Salary: £55,000 to £65,000
Contract: Full time, permanent
Benefits: Pension, generous annual leave, Christmas closure, family leave and sickness policies available on request
Closing date: Monday 9th February

THE OPPORTUNITY

We are looking for a new CEO! Can you uphold the thoughtful shaping and delivery of an impactful charity? Do you have senior experience in a purpose-led organisation with financial and business skills you can bring? Then you might be the right person to guide this team.

This is a great opportunity to make a life-changing difference to people living with disability!

If this is something you are passionate about, then a CEO role is a great way to use your professional experience to be a nationwide change-maker.

ABOUT THE ORGANISATION

Whether it’s mobility, daily living, or hobbies and sports, the charity creates solutions that change lives. At the heart of their work is designing and building custom made equipment, tailored to each person’s unique needs.

Volunteers bring together creativity, technical skills, and problem-solving expertise, including metalwork, carpentry, electronics, computer programming, and 3D printing, to deliver solutions that can’t be found anywhere else.

IF YOU JOIN THE TEAM…

You’ll have the rare chance to take the helm of a charity with a powerful social mission and build on their proud 60-year history, stewarding them into a new era of growth. A vibrant, passionate community of innovators and problem solvers will be right there with you.

You’ll join the vision for the charity to be a place where people of all ethnicities and backgrounds feel welcomed to work, volunteer or seek help. The organisation encourages flexible working and a culture that prioritises people, wellbeing, and collaboration.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We are searching for a CEO who can help ensure REMAP remains resilient, relevant, and well-prepared to respond to emerging pressures and opportunities.

We are particularly seeking someone:

• Who will strengthen financial sustainability and income generation
• Has a proven track record of senior responsibility
• Energise and support a nationwide volunteer community – strengthening relationships between central staff and locally rooted branches

You do not need to meet every requirement to be considered. If you can demonstrate the experience, passion, and capability to lead with purpose, we encourage you to apply.

WHAT’S NEXT

If you are excited by this opportunity and ready to bring energy and expertise to a mission-driven organisation, we would love to hear from you.

Other roles you may have experience of could include: Chief Executive, Executive Director, Managing Director, Head of Operations, Director of Services, Director of Strategy, Director of Programmes, Operations Director, Charity Director, Social Impact Director, Senior Leader, Development Director, Leadership Consultant, Transformation Lead, Governance and Strategy Lead  #INDNFP

PLEASE NOTE: This role is being advertised by NFP People on behalf of the organisation.

Are you an influential leader looking for a new challenge? Would you like the opportunity to take a leading charity through the next exciting phase of its journey?

Age UK Leeds is celebrating its 50th year of supporting the independence and wellbeing of older people across the city. The charity’s vision is for older people in Leeds to be valued, to have their voices heard, and to enjoy positive, independent lives. Its philosophy is clear: “No one should have no one.”

Age UK Leeds is looking for a new CEO, someone who will be able to build on the success of the past but shape a new future - could this be you?

The Role

The CEO will be accountable to the talented and committed Board of Trustees and be responsible for the overall strategic management, leadership, and development of Age UK. Duties will include:

• Implementing and reviewing the Strategic Plan, setting and reviewing the vision and direction of the organisation.
• Providing overall leadership for Age UK Leeds in line with the vision, mission and values agreed by the Board of Trustees.
• Taking overall responsibility for the recruitment, management, supervision, training and development of all staff.
• Developing and overseeing financial strategies to support the organisation’s sustainability and growth, and being accountable for the overall financial health of the charity.

The Person

We are looking for a visionary leader - a creative, charismatic and influential individual who is passionate about the values, ethos and mission of the charity! The skills and experience we are looking for include:

• A demonstrable track record of working in a senior strategic leadership role
• Evidence of working with senior managers and board members to ensure strong and effective financial management
• Strong networking and influencing skills with an ability to build excellent relationships with a wide range of stakeholders
• Strong and clear communication skills with an ability to lead internally, and also deliver messages to a variety of audiences externally.

This is a truly wonderful opportunity to lead a fantastic charity where you will directly influence the landscape for the older people in Leeds for the future. As CEO of Age UK Leeds, you will be leading a financially stable organisation with a strong board and talented staff team. The charity also promotes a supportive culture, has a generous pension scheme, offers a variety of wellbeing initiatives and a substantial holiday allowance.

If you believe that you could be the right person to lead this charity through the next phase of its exciting journey then get in touch for more information, or apply here before Tuesday 20th January. Interviews have been scheduled for 6th and 11th February 2026.  

Please note: If you would like to submit an application or express your interest in an alternative format, such as audio or video upload, please contact either Charlie or Leanne who will be happy to advise on this.

Please also be aware that Charity Horizons use anonymous recruitment methods when submitting shortlists for all our roles and we only work with organisations that are happy to engage with us in this way.

Charity Horizons is an equal opportunities employer and as such actively promotes equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We welcome and encourage applications from all suitable candidates irrespective of age, disability, hidden disability, race or national origin, religion or belief, gender, gender expression, political view, sexual orientation, medical condition and pregnancy.

Driving Mobility seeks an inspiring, strategic leader to guide its UK network and champion independence for people with restricted mobility.

Applications close at 9 a.m. Monday 12th January.

Location: Work from home with significant travel

Driving Mobility is the national charity that coordinates a UK-wide network of driving and mobility assessment centres, supported by the Department for Transport. Together, these centres help thousands of people every year – including disabled, older and newly injured individuals – to drive safely, access suitable vehicles and maintain their independence.

We are now seeking an exceptional Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead the Charity into its next phase of growth and influence. This is a pivotal moment for Driving Mobility as it strengthens its national voice, expands digital and outreach services, and deepens collaboration across government, health and the voluntary sector.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic and inspirational leader, capable of balancing operational oversight with external advocacy.

You will bring experience of partnership working at a senior level, strong financial and organisational acumen, and a genuine commitment to improving mobility and inclusion for all.

If you are motivated by purpose, partnership and impact, this is a rare opportunity to shape the future of accessible transport and independent mobility across the UK.

Please click 'Redirect to recruiter’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the job description and register your interest to apply.

Applications for this role close at 9 a.m. Monday 12th January.