Benefits: 39 days annual leave (including bank holidays), company pension
Lead. Inspire. Serve. Transform Lives.
Are you a Christian leader with a heart for young people and a passion for community transformation?
Do you believe in the God-given value and potential of every person?
Are you ready to guide one of the country’s oldest and most trusted Christian youth movements into its next chapter?
YMCA North Staffordshire is seeking an exceptional Christian Chief Executive Officer to lead our mission, embody our values, and continue shaping a movement that is transforming the lives of thousands of young people and families.
With a proud 160-year history and an award-winning campus at the heart of Stoke-on-Trent, this is a rare opportunity to lead a charity that is deeply rooted in Christian faith, committed to radical inclusion, and driven by a vision where all young people can belong, contribute and thrive.
Our Christian Vision and Values
YMCA North Staffordshire is an inclusive Christian movement.
Our mission flows directly from our faith and is grounded in four core values:
PROTECT
We provide sanctuary and safety, ensuring every young person feels seen, valued, and respected.
HOPE
We see young people not through the lens of their past, but their God-given potential.
PERSEVERE
We walk with young people through challenges, setbacks, and breakthroughs.
TRUST
We act with integrity, accountability, and belief in the dignity of every human being.
Because these values are Christian in origin and practice, and because the CEO is the guardian of our mission, this role has a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) for the postholder to be a practising Christian.
About the Role
Reporting to the Board of Trustees, the CEO will lead an organisation of 130 staff, a £5m+ budget, and a £35m estate, helping strengthen community through youth development, education, housing, healthy living, and social responsibility.
The next CEO will:
- Provide strategic leadership to deliver the 2026–2029 Business Plan
- Champion youth voice and empowerment in all areas of work
- Sustain and grow financial strength, partnerships, and social enterprise
- Uphold and deepen our Christian identity, ensuring values-led practice
- Drive innovation, digital transformation, and organisational development
- Represent YMCA NS locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally
- Be a visible advocate for young people in Stoke-on-Trent
- Strengthen our “village” culture: welcoming, relational, rooted in Ubuntu and Asset-Based Community Development principles (ABCD).
Purpose of the Role
To lead YMCA North Staffordshire in fulfilling its Christian mission, as described in the Associations charitable objectives
We develop young people; they develop their world.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic leadership in alignment with Board governance
- Upholding Christian ethos, values, and culture across the organisation
- Financial stewardship, compliance, and sustainability
- Community development and partnership building
- Youth advocacy and empowerment
- Oversight of housing, programmes, and impact measurement
- Staff leadership, pastoral care, and organisational culture
- External representation and communications
Person Specification – Summary
Knowledge
- Housing, youth services, and community development
- Charity law, governance, safeguarding
- Understanding of Christian ministry, mission, and values
- Organisational development and change leadership
Experience
- Senior leadership in values-led or Christian settings
- Track record of strategic development and organisational growth
- Experience working with young people, housing, or community sectors
- Experience nurturing Christian ethos across a diverse organisation
Skills & Abilities
- Inspirational leadership and people development
- Strategic planning and delivery
- Excellent communicator and ambassador
- Partnership building and stakeholder engagement
- Ability to articulate and embody Christian faith
- Deep commitment to Christian values and the Aims & Purposes of the YMCA
The Leader We Are Looking For
The landscape for young people is changing — and so must we.
We need a CEO who is:
- Faith-filled and prayerful
- Values-driven and courageous
- Relational, compassionate, and community-minded
- A champion of excellence, innovation, and good governance
- Grounded in Christian mission and committed to radical inclusion
- Able to inspire hope, build trust, and persevere through challenge
As George Williams, YMCA’s founder, said:
“You are not alone, and you can be more.”
Our next CEO must believe this not only for themselves — but for every young person we serve.
How to apply
An application pack can be found at the YMCA North Staffordshire website. This role is subject to enhanced DBS and reference checks.
Key Recruitment Dates
- Closing Date: 18th January 2026
- Interviews: Week commencing 9th February 2026
We are a safe recruitment Organisation and an Equal Opportunities Employer, we run the disability confident guaranteed interview scheme.
We are an organisation with Christian values, committed to Equality and Diversity in the Workplace. YMCA is committed to the safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
ShareAction is an independent charity and an expert on responsible investment. We work to build a world where the financial system serves our planet and its people. We set ambitious standards for how financial institutions, through their investment decisions, can protect our planet and its people and campaign for this approach to become the norm. We convene shareholders to collectively push companies to tackle the climate crisis, protect nature, improve workers’ rights and shape healthier societies. In the UK and EU, we advocate for financial regulation that has society’s best interests at its core.
Position
The Head of Fundraising is responsible for leading our fundraising strategy and delivery. This role is key to securing resources that enable us to drive system change in the financial sector.
A typical week will see you:
- Leading fundraising across ShareAction, ensuring conversations are being had by the right colleagues, with the right funders, at the right times.
- Guiding prospecting and leading the creation of compelling funding bids for multi-year, high-value projects.
- Delivering exceptional donor relationship management, including timely reports and strategic engagement.
- Overseeing the growth of our major donors programme, building a committed donor base of Ultra High and High Net Worth individuals.
- Supporting and developing a high-performing fundraising team.
You’ll regularly engage with senior leaders, trustees and external stakeholders, forming strong relationships and using your expertise to secure funding that drives impact across our campaigns and projects.
What you’ll bring to the team
We want to hear from you if you:
- Have experience devising and delivering fundraising strategies across multiple geographies (UK, EU, US) from trusts and foundations.
- Can develop powerful cases for support and significant bid/application-writing experience for multi-year, six- and seven-figure projects and programmes.
- Are skilled at managing donor relationships and supporting a high-performing fundraising team.
- Possess strong communication skills and thrive under pressure.
- Understand charity law and best practice in fundraising.
Desirable:
- Knowledge of statutory fundraising in the UK/EU and US philanthropy.
- Experience fundraising for systems-change charities.
- Familiarity with capital markets or legacy fundraising.
We have a formal hybrid working policy in place. As this role involves meetings with London-based stakeholders, you’ll need to attend the office or meetings on average six times a month or more.
If this role sounds like something that would build on your current skill set and engage you, we’d love to hear from you!
What we will do for you
We are a fast-paced organisation that has grown substantially over the past few years. We recognise that our people work hard to advocate for responsible investment and drive meaningful engagement with those who have the power to create a brighter future. Every day, they bring their expertise, passion and persistence to build a world where the financial system serves our people and planet. We want to ensure we provide the right environment for our colleagues to thrive, and we are committed to improving our employee offer where possible.
Currently, we are pleased to offer:
- A commitment to flexible working: over 60% of our employees have some sort of flexible working arrangement in place.
- Hybrid working: we are committed to supporting our staff to work in a way that suits their lifestyle and meets the requirements of their role.
- Internal promotion and development opportunities: we offer a range of ways to improve your skills and focus on what you love, including promotion, secondment, or sideways development opportunities. For some levels of roles, we also offer direct progression.
- The opportunity to help make a difference: we tackle some of the world’s biggest social and environmental challenges. We offer opportunities for you to develop your skills and experience in a friendly, flexible and supportive working environment.
- A unionised work environment: our staff have the opportunity to join the union and are supported by our recognised union, Unite. We regularly consult and negotiate with our employees on workplace matters ranging from working conditions to pay.
- Regular in-person meetings, including all-staff away days, retreats and directorate strategy days to create connected teams.
- 8% non-contributory pension invested with NEST and their green funds.
- A health care plan with Bupa.
- An employee assistance programme: advice and support, lifestyle discounts and short-term counselling.
- Death in service cover of 3x salary.
- 25 days’ annual leave (increasing with length of service) plus office closure at the end of the year, ensuring everyone gets time to switch off together.
- Enhanced family leave pay: up to 18 weeks paid at 90% for either parent.
- Enhanced sick pay starting at 5 weeks’ full pay from day 1.
- Season ticket loan and cycle-to-work scheme.
ShareAction values and respects all differences in people (seen and unseen) and welcomes applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries. We are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities, and we are working hard to provide an environment where all can bring their authentic selves to work. We know that some people won’t apply for a role unless they meet all the requirements listed in the job description. If this is the case for you, but you think you would excel in this role, we want to hear from you!
For further information and to apply, please visit our website via the Apply button.
Closing date: 9.00 am on Monday, 19th January 2026.
First interviews: On the mornings of Wednesday, 28th and Thursday, 29th January 2026 (online).
Second interviews: On the morning of Wednesday, 4th February 2026 (in person at our London office).
To be considered for this post, you must be legally eligible to work in the UK; unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship.