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Interim CEO
6 Months Fixed Term Contract (Maternity Cover)
This post is restricted to women under schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010
Candidate Pack
Dear Candidate,
Thank you for your interest in the role of Interim CEO for Kent Sexual Assault & Abuse Service (KSAAS). This is a 6-month fixed term post to cover maternity leave.
KSAAS (formerly East Kent Rape Crisis Centre) has offered sexual violence services in East Kent since 1993 and we offer ongoing practical support and therapeutic services for survivors who have experienced any form of sexual violence at any time in their lives of in Kent & Medway . KSAAS holds UKAS accreditation through The Survivors Trust and is Professionally Approved By Rape Crisis England & Wales, demonstrating the consistent, high-quality services that we offer to our survivors.
KSAAS operates Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVA) services and joint ISVA and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVA) services for those experiencing sexual violence alongside domestic abuse. We also offer trauma focused therapeutic counselling services for children, adolescents and adults and these services are accessible through various hubs across Kent & Medway. Peer support groups and family advocacy services are available to support families when there has been an occurrence of sexual abuse experienced by one or more family members and our services are supported and informed by the ‘Kick Back’ group, who are survivors of sexual violence who offer help, support and advice to other survivors and inform our service development. We also have a range of volunteers who support us with various aspects of the service provision.
In addition to providing support and therapeutic services, a key function of the organisation is to robustly challenge the societal values, beliefs and behaviour which contribute to sexual violence, through proactive projects that aim to raise awareness, delivery of information sessions in educational institutions, delivery of NOCN accredited Rape and Sexual Abuse training, ongoing activism, challenging attitudes we encounter as part of our work with survivors, focused campaigns and participation in research focused on sexual violence.
In the last year, we worked with > 6000 survivors in our face-to-face services and specialist sexual violence Helpline service and in April 2026 we extended our provision and scope and have been commissioned to be the main provider of ISVA and Therapeutic Support services across Kent & Medway, funded by the Police & Crime Commissioner.
We are looking for an inspiring, motivated and innovative woman who is driven by feminist values to be the figurehead of our organisation, providing empowering leadership to the team, strategic oversight of the organisation and to ensure an outstanding service for all survivors of sexual violence. Note that this post is restricted to women under Schedule 9, Part 1, of the Equality Act 2010.
Shauna McCusker
Chair of Trustees
Kent Sexual Assault & Abuse Service
Role Details
Salary:
£50,000 (Pro Rata), 0.8 FTE Contract
Base:
Canterbury (Travel to Other Sites Will Be Required)
Contract:
0.8 FTE (30 Hours Per Week): 6 Months Fixed Term Contract On Occasion This Will Include Out Of Hours Meetings
Benefits:
3% Pension Contribution
Employee Discounts Scheme
28 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata)
Employee Assistance Programme
Flexible Working Negotiable
Requirements:
Right to work in the UK
An enhanced DBS Check (Carried out through KSAAS) Full UK Driving Licence & Use of Own Car
Responsible To: Chair of Trustees
Main Purpose of The Role
The CEO is the figurehead of KSAAS and has overall responsibility for the management and performance of the service and strategic development and growth of KSAAS in collaboration with the core team, key stakeholders, Board of Trustees and survivors. The overarching duties and responsibilities of the CEO is responsible for the following:
• Strategic feminist leadership of the organisation & staff
• Management of human resources and physical estate
• Direct and manage fundraising & finances
• Act as the primary public representative locally, regionally and nationally.
• Advocate for survivors of sexual assault or abuse and challenge societal attitudes that perpetuate sexual violence
• Line management of management team
• Working collaboratively with the Board of Trustees
At KSAAS, the CEO is supported by the ISVA Service Lead, the Therapeutic Service Lead, the Operations Manager, the Finance Manager and Board of Trustees.
About KSAAS
Kent Sexual Assault & Abuse Service is a feminist organisation that firmly believes that sexual violence against women and girls arises from the patriarchal social structure in our society. We believe this social structure causes and propagates gender inequality and that sexual violence is one tool that is used to control women and girls as part of this social dynamic. We recognise the sexual violence affects people of all genders and provides a safe space for all survivors of sexual violence across Kent & Medway, where they can access the high-quality trauma-informed specialist practical and therapeutic support they need to recover from the impact of sexual violence and rebuild their lives.
Our Vision
KSAAS’s vision is to create a community where everyone is free from all forms of sexual violence and to achieve this within a feminist, equalities and human rights framework. We aim to provide help, hope and healing to all those impacted by sexual violence and cultivate a safe, non-violent community.
Our Mission
It is our mission to:
• Respond to and promote the needs of those who have suffered sexual violence through the empowerment feminist model of work
• Reduce the impact of sexual violence by supporting, educating, informing and advocating for all survivors
• Challenge oppression in all forms
• Challenge societal attitudes that condone and collude with sexual violence
Job Title: Chief Executive Officer Responsible To: Board of Trustees
Main Responsibilities of Post:
Strategic Leadership
• Develop an in-depth understanding of the issues faced by women and girls who are subjected violence and the staff who support them within the service
• Develop an in-depth understanding of local, regional and national agendas regarding sexual violence against women and girls within the service
• Review the aims, vision and mission of the organisation in collaboration with our survivors, staff, board of trustees, business partners & umbrella organisations
• Work collaboratively with the board of trustees, business partners, staff and service users to develop evidence based strategic priorities for the service and a rigorous business plan that addresses key priorities
• Lead, motivate and encourage the KSAAS staff team to provide excellent services in support of the strategic plan
• Be the leading voice of KSAAS locally, regionally and nationally, ensuring that KSAAS and its mission, campaigns, and services are consistently presented in a strong, positive image for the benefit of survivors of sexual assault and abuse.
• Consult widely and draw on expertise within the organisation and externally to KSAAS for the visioning of evidence based and innovative sexual violence services for children, young people and adults across Kent & Medway
Finance and Funding
• Manage the KSAAS fundraising strategy in collaboration with the management team and board of trustees
• Oversee fundraisers to identify, diversify and secure fundraising opportunities to ensure the financial health of the organisation
• Sit on the finance committee to ensure effective financial management and reporting
• Manage relationships with key funders and ensure that all contractual obligations to funders are met
• Provide effective oversight and reporting of the finances and budgets to the board of trustees and funders and ensure the financial sustainability of theorganisation
Partnership and Communication
• Represent the voices of survivors of sexual violence at key strategic meetings
• Ensure effective communication of information from KSAAS to all key internal and external partners
• Develop and broker regional and local partnerships to ensure KSAAS pushes boundaries, maintains excellent working partnerships and ultimately improves services for victims of sexual violence and abuse in Kent
• Promote public awareness about sexual violence through social media and deliver talks and presentations and broadcasts as necessary.
• Keep up to date and informed about local, regional and national agendas, ensuring that KSAAS can respond to trends effectively as they emerge.
• Maintain a high quality collaborative working partnership with Rape Crisis England and Wales and work with other rape crisis centres as necessary.
• To be an effective public speaker with the ability to influence.
Management, Resources and Policy
• Empower staff within the organisation through proactive and inspiring line management processes, catering for diversity through a range of different approaches.
• Develop the leadership team within KSAAS and work collaboratively with them to meet the vision and mission of the service.
• Have overall responsibility for the fair recruitment, management and development of employees and volunteers and the effective management of external contractors and service providers.
• Be the key point of contact for our Human Resources Provider and ensure that all policies and procedures are up to date and appropriately communicated and implemented throughout KSAAS.
• Ensure effective monitoring and evaluation systems are in place that reflect best practice across all aspects of the organisation’s operation enabling review and development ofservices.
Legality and Governance
• Accountable for organisational compliance with general legal obligations, Charity Commission regulations, membership obligations & safeguarding responsibilities.
• Responsible for keeping the Board of Trustees up to date with accurate information to enable them to fulfil their roles.
• Provision of appropriate and timely reports to the Board ofTrustees.
• Responsible for ensuring the health and safety of all staff, volunteers and service users within KSAAS.
• Engage with own line management, supervision, training, personal development & wellbeing, using opportunities provided by KSAAS to do so.
• To carry out any further work that is reasonably in line with thisposition.
To be eligible for this role, you need to evidence the following knowledge, skills and experience, at least in part:
• A successful track record of leadership within an organisation of comparable complexity or across a significant area of work, including strategic, financial and operational planning.
• Experience of successful financial management of a complex budget and oversight of income generation from a variety of sources.
• A track record of successfully managing and leading people who work across a range of sites and an understanding of the challenges faced by staff working with sexual violence survivors
• Ability to think innovatively, take measured risks and manage an organisation and staff through period of significant change
• Experience of developing & maintaining effective networks with local government, statutory and other voluntary organisations.
• Experience of successful partnership working, such as developing and maintaining relationships with a range of organisations and funders.
• Experience at senior level of successful financial management, including responsibility for significant complex budgets.
• Experience of working with a variety of media to successfully promote an organisation or issue.
• An understanding of the gendered nature of sexual violence and abuse, its causes and consequences and commitment to challenging injustice, violence and abuse, stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination and bias in a non-confrontational way, aligned to the values of the organisation.
• Experience of managing support services and a clear understanding of trauma and vicarious trauma and appropriate wellbeing strategies.
• Sound knowledge of the charitable sector and working collaboratively with a Board of Trustees
• An understanding of trauma informed care / service provision and the challenges associated with such services
• Excellent communication skills and experience of communicating complex information in a range of ways to a range of audiences
• Excellent organisational skills and an ability to prioritise and manage competing demands
• Commitment to self-development, self-reflection and personal wellbeing
• Able to travel & work between sites across Kent when needed
• Formal qualifications, such as university level qualifications, professional qualifications, therapeutic qualifications and / or leadership / management / coaching qualifications would be an advantage.
• Able to work independently, in close teams and across services
• Demonstrates resilience, courage and bravery when facing challenges • Demonstrates excellent communication skills and public presentation skills
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
How To Apply
KSAAS values diversity and welcomes applications from people from all sections of the community, especially from minoritised groups. To apply for this role, please email a detailed CV along with a supporting statement to the Chair of Trustees Shauna McCusker. The deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 3rd May 2026. The supporting statement should demonstrate how you meet the candidate profile and should be no more the 4 A4 pages. All applications will be acknowledged and responded to by 2pm on Mon 4th May 2026 and interviews will take place on Wednesday 6th May 2026 in person in Canterbury (reasonable adjustments can be made on request). If you have any questions or require support with any part of the process, please contact Shauna McCusker. We value every application, thank you for your time, effort and interest. Good luck.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Our amazing team at Alana House are looking for a Women’s Centre Team Leader to join the team.
Would you like to make a lasting difference to women facing multiple disadvantages? Our award winning trauma recovery service empowers and enables women to access the support they need.
Position: Women’s Community Project – Alana House Team Leader
Location: The role is based in our Reading office with hybrid flexible working arrangements to provide for working at home and in the office
Contract: Permanent full time – 37 hours per week Monday to Friday. Working pattern to be agreed within the hours of: Monday to Tuesday 8.30am-5pm | Wednesday 8.30am-7pm | Thursday 8.30am-5pm | Friday 8.30am-4pm
Salary: Starting salary in the range of £35,502 to £43,389 per annum
Alana House is PACT’s flagship community project that uses a holistic approach to support and empower women. We offer a confidential, women-only, non-judgemental space and our services are delivered for women by women to ensure a safe, comfortable and trauma informed environment for those accessing support.
About the role:
As the Women’s Centre Team Leader, you will be responsible for leading a team of Key Workers to achieve the positive engagement of service users which leads to positive outcomes. Your responsibilities will include:
· manage a team of Key Workers: monitoring performance and progress to ensure KPIs and goals are met
· contribute to identifying, training and supporting service user representatives and peer mentors
· act as the first point of contact for women referred to our service and conduct structured assessments to understand needs
· regularly meet with women to provide dedicated emotional and practical support
About you:
As the Key Worker Team Leader, you’ll bring highly demonstrable people management skills to encourage, motivate, support and develop a team and monitor and manage performance, along with an in-depth knowledge of issues facing justice involved women and those at risk of entering the justice system.
If this sounds like you please visit our website and apply today to join a collaborative and dedicated team who are part of something truly meaningful.
For an informal discussion about the role please visit the advert on our website for contact details for Sabina, Alana House Manager.
Early applications are encouraged as we may review and appoint on an earlier basis if a successful candidate is secured.
Closing date: 9am, Monday 11 May 2026
All opportunities with PACT are based in the UK, and you must be eligible to live and work in the UK.
Other roles you may have experience of could include: Senior Family Support Worker, Family Key Work Leader, Senior Key Worker, Women’s Support Worker Leader, Women’s Key Worker Manger, Domestic Abuse Support Worker Manager, Domestic Abuse Key Worker Leader, IDVA, ISVA, Probation Services Manager, etc.
Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do at PACT. We have robust measures and best practices in place to safeguard and protect the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and we take pride in maintaining outstanding safeguarding standards.
Anyone joining our team is subject to PACT’s safer recruitment pre-appointment enquiries, including a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS). The role description provides information on what our safer recruitment enquiries include and the level of DBS required to work in the role.
Registered Charity
an adoption charity and family support provider helping hundreds of families every year through outstanding adoption and adoption support services
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
The Youth Endowment Fund
Change Lead, Youth Sector
Reports to: Head of Change for Youth Sector
Salary: £56,600
Location: Central London, Hybrid*
Contract: 2 years -fixed term contract
Closing date: Thursday 23rd April 2026 at 12pm (noon)
Interviews: Week commencing 4th May 2026
About the Youth Endowment Fund
All of us will experience violence at some point in our lives. For many children, it is a daily reality. Each year, tens of children are killed, hundreds are hospitalised, 1 in 5 teenage children are victims and the majority admit to feeling afraid of violence. It scares them when they travel home from school, prevents them from going out and makes the most vulnerable feel like they don’t matter. It is taking lives, traumatising families and dividing communities. It robs potential, progress and hope.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
The Youth Endowment Fund believes that no child should be affected by violence. We research violence to understand it; we find, fund and test what works to prevent it; and we are building a movement to end it.
Key Responsibilities
We are making good progress building the evidence of what works within and around the youth sector to reduce violence. With the launch of the new Practice Guidance we are keen to translate evidence recommendations into practice. The greatest risk is that evidence stays on the shelf and doesn’t help young people – your role is to make sure that doesn’t happen.
You’ll focus on helping local authority commissioners use our tools and guidance in their everyday decisions about youth services. This will involve:
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Creating clear, practical content like guides, toolkits and workshop materials to support the use of Practice Assessment for the Youth Sector (PAYS).
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Leading our Practice Guidance programme, working closely with commissioners to help them use evidence in their work.
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Building strong, trusted relationships with senior leaders across the sector.
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Planning and tracking how we support more commissioners to adopt evidence-based approaches.
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Spotting what tools or resources are needed and helping develop them.
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Finding effective ways to share evidence, from events and workshops to online sessions and presentations.
As a senior member of staff in the organisation, you also:
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Build a culture where it is natural to perform well and support colleagues brilliantly.
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Contribute to setting the strategy, delivering results and building and modelling the culture that we need to succeed.
About You
You are this sort of person:
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You are fascinated about change and are experienced in making it happen. You have outstanding analytical judgment alongside the emotional intelligence and experience needed to identify the right opportunities for change, then make them happen. You understand why people find change difficult. You come alive talking about how people make decisions and why they do the things they do.
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You understand Local Authority Commissioners working specifically working with the youth sector. You really understand how youth commissioners work, from Directors of Children Services, Heads of Services to senior stakeholders within the youth sector. You have experience of commissioning youth provision, working in youth sector, ideally in a role that worked with young people who are vulnerable to or involved in violence. You can demonstrate ability to reflect on and adopt evidence-based practice in relation to the youth sector.
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You write in a way that people easily understand. You have that rare skill of writing in plain English. You have experience of translating complex information into plain writing that everyone can understand.
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You have excellent project and time management skills and the ability to deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced environment. You can work independently and to a high standard.
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You win people over. People tend to warm to you and respect you. You have built good relationships with very senior people and with very junior people. You are good at chairing meetings, connecting people and having good introductory meetings. You are comfortable talking to a government minister, a youth worker, a company CEO, a teacher and a 15-year-old student. Listening to people from all backgrounds matters to you.
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You are an excellent strategic thinker. People say that you are good at seeing the big picture. You have experience of wrestling into place a strategy for a project or organisation. You are good at thinking logically, but you are also creative. You have ideas but are happy rejecting a lot of them. You like seeing things from different points of view.
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You learn fast but remain humble. You are very quick at getting your head around things. You like learning. You are very good at synthesising information. You know how much you don't know. You know that you can learn more. You know that it's easy to assume you know when you don't. You care more that good things happen than who gets the credit. You are a great and supportive team player.
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You don't want your days to pass without making a difference. You want to play a significant part in reducing violence.
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You understand young people. You understand what the lives of vulnerable young people can be like and you understand some of the organisations that work with them, ideally through first-hand experience.
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You are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.
You must have this sort of experience
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Changing frontline practice and systems: You have significant experience in leading behaviour, practice or policy changes within the youth work sector. You can show how these have been effective in delivering tangible change.
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Commissioning, or supporting the commissioning of, youth sector services, preferably in a role/setting specifically working with young people who are vulnerable to or involved in violence.
You might have this sort of experience:
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Crafting and delivering a strategy to get a new piece of evidence or guidance adopted within the youth sector.
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Behaviour change research experience.
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Working with other funders and commissioners of youth services, such as housing investment leads.
While it’s not a criterion, we’re especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of youth violence.
It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.
Hybrid Working Details
The office is based in Central London, but you don’t have to be.
Those living in London and within the 32 London Boroughs are expected to be in the office a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2 days per month. As part of our commitment to flexible working, we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at the interview stage.
To Apply
To apply, please send a CV and cover letter, and complete the monitoring form by click on the "Apply for this" button by Thursday 23rd April at 12pm (noon).
When applying for this role, please ensure that your cover letter can answer, within a maximum of 1000 words, the following questions:
1. Turning evidence into practice: We are keen to ensure that our Practice Guidance and tools are actively used by commissioners. This role requires building trusted relationships with local authority commissioners and other local funders to encourage evidence-based decision-making. Describe your experience influencing senior stakeholders to change practice or adopt a new approach?
2. Influencing commissioners: This role requires building trusted relationships with local authority commissioners and other local funders to encourage evidence-based decision making. Describe your experience influencing senior stakeholders to change practice or adopt a new approach?
3. Excellent project management: Will be critical to delivering the Practice Guidance programme and supporting adoption across the sector. Tell us about a complex project you have led from planning through to delivery and share what management tools aided you.
Interview process
This will be a one stage process, with interviews taking place the week commencing 4th May 2026.
PLEASE NOTE: We do not sponsor work permits, and you will be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK.
Benefits Include
• £1,000 professional development budget annually
• 28 days holiday plus Bank Holidays
• Four half days for volunteering activities
• Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr phone line for free confidential support
• Volunteering days - 4 half days per year
• Death in service - 4 times annual salary
• Flexible hours. Core office hours 10am – 4pm
• Financial support including travel and hardship loans
• Employer contributed pension of 5%
Personal Data
Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.
Registered Charity
51 - 100
We exist to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.