Isva independent sexual violence advisor jobs

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.