Age Concern Cheshire

Registered Charity No. 1091608

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Head of Brightlife Accountable to: Chief Executive Location: Hartford Date Written: October 2014

Primary Purpose: To lead the Brightlife project in Cheshire West and Chester, ensuring that it achieves its agreed aims and objectives in reducing social isolation and loneliness and that it becomes an inclusive, sustainable, local movement. Duties: 1. Work with the Steering Group and management team to produce the project plan for Brightlife and ensure that it remains relevant and responsive to changing needs. 2. Work with the Chief Executive to produce an operational plan which actively guides the development, delivery and management of the Brightlife project. 3. Facilitate and report to the Brightlife Sub Committee and Board meetings, including governance responsibility, providing Trustees with timely and sufficient information on areas of responsibility to enable them to make fully informed decisions. 4. Work with the Head of Finance & Resources to agree and manage the Annual Budget for the areas of responsibility. 6. Ensure Brightlife fully engages with the older people it represents, in particular those that are harder to reach, using this to inform the strategic direction of service delivery so that services are co-designed and co-produced by older people. 7. Determine and deliver an effective marketing plan so that all older people are aware of Brightlife and the opportunity to take part in its management and delivery and develop a range of resources and materials as part of the Brightlife programme.

8. Represent and promote Brightlife to the public in a variety of local, regional and national forums using a blend of communication and digital channels to ensure that older people’s needs and views are the main consideration. 9. Lead in the acceptance of the Brightlife concept leading to cultural and behavioural change. 10.Identify and develop effective partnerships to maximise the Brightlife’s delivery potential. This will specifically include:-  Facilitating, developing and coordinating of the Older Person’s Alliance and ensure that fair psychographic, demographic and geographic representation is achieved  Act as the first point of contact for BIG  Act as the first point of contact for Brightlife Steering Group members and its partners  Leading and facilitating, as necessary, Brightlife reference groups 11. Lead in the commissioning process for service delivery, adopting the test and learn approach, coordinating the evaluation of each service and lead any actions based on the findings. 12 Identify and promote volunteering opportunities in order to maintain a diverse and active volunteer community. 13.Ensure that all activities within Brightlife comply with standards of good governance, quality assurance systems and policy and procedures adopted by the organisation. 14.As part of the management team participate in joint decision making including having responsibility for ensuring that regular, consistent and effective communications are delivered throughout the organisation. 15. As a member of the management team accept responsibility for other areas of the organisation’s work should it be required.

Service Delivery & Development 1. Delegate daily control for operational delivery through to relevant team members. 2. Ensure all services are using a common evaluation process and reporting mechanisms to provide clear evidence of achieved outcomes to our Stakeholders. 3. Review and monitor all services and take actions to ensure that services are meeting Key Performance Indicators, are fully costed and all compliance measures have been integrated into operational plans (both internally and externally, eg. BIG). 4. Ensure that all staff and volunteers positively promote Brightlife and its services to the general public. 6. Act as a source of advice and expertise to managers and project leaders in the development of services. 7. Develop a robust approach to data collection and analysis, and ensure that information is used to guide decision making and actions. 8. Establish an understanding within the services of the importance of research and evaluation and promote a learning culture in all areas to encourage continuous improvement. Staff and Volunteers 1. Manage performance in all areas of responsibility to achieve expected service outcomes and obligations. 2. Ensure that staff and volunteers are fully trained and equipped to meet operational requirements and deliver excellent customer service. 3. Direct responsibility for the line management of:-  Volunteer Coordinator  Communications/Marketing  Social Prescribing  Commissioning/contracts  Support Officer (admin)

Equality & Diversity Policy 1. Undertake all duties with due regard to Age UK Cheshire’s Equality and Diversity policy.

General 1. Lead and encourage participation in Brightlife fundraising activity, promotional events and talks. 2. Act at all times to protect the organisation from any risk of wrong doing or loss of reputation. Head of Brightlife Person Specification

Essential:  Proven experience of leading major project development, including implementation, strategy and financial management  Proven experience of managing and supporting staff and volunteers  Proven experience in public consultation and involvement, including public presentations and leading stakeholder events  Proven experience of working with high level external contacts  Proven knowledge of evaluation methods and processes  Experience of commissioning services, contract negotiation and tendering including the ability to write reports, bids and tenders  Proven knowledge of the regulatory and legislative frameworks applicable to the range of services within Brightlife  Ability to write strategies and business plans  An appreciation of current policy context and its implications for third sector organisations  Ability to work as part of a team and to provide both collective and specific support to colleagues  Awareness, ability and willingness to adopt, support and utilise digital tools  Ability to travel freely for work purposes Desirable:  Experience of working in the voluntary sector Attitude & Behaviours:  Ability to analyse complex plans and data, use operational research and make evidence based decisions  Possess the drive to ensure that work is defined and accomplished with a high degree of assurance that quality, health, safety, environmental, regulatory and Company procedural requirements are met  Possess the desire and drive to develop others and enable them to reach their full potential including managing people’s performance through coaching, the provision of training and development opportunities and fostering a learning culture  Possess the desire, intention and ability to persuade, convince, influence or impress others  Possess the will and ability to lead and motivate a team or group in the achievement of business objectives  Ability to adapt to a variety of situations, or to various individuals or groups including the ability to understand different perspectives on an issue, and to consequently adapt strategies for implementing major change.  Commitment to valuing diversity, reducing inequality and ensuring all people are treated with dignity and respect  An interest and passion as to how organisations and systems respond to the challenges and opportunities in relation to an ageing population  An understanding and empathy of the needs of older people

AGE UK CHESHIRE HEAD OF BRIGHTLIFE – SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Age UK Cheshire, as the lead organisation in a cross sector partnership in Cheshire West and Chester (CWaC), has been awarded £5.1m over 5 years under the Big Lottery Ageing Better Programme to address social isolation and loneliness in those aged 50 and over in CWaC. This is part of a national programme with successful bids being allocated to 15 localities across England. Our Brightlife programme is ambitious, innovative and challenging. It is genuinely exciting, challenging perceptions and assumptions about growing old. It will build on the transformational work already underway in CWaC and brings together the right mix and balance of organisations across sectors, including CWaC local authority and local NHS. Older people, their families and carers will be at the heart of Brightlife, actively co- designing, co-producing and co-evaluating the delivery of services. The Head of Brightlife will be expected to shape and deliver this programme, working with a wide range of partners and stakeholders. It is an opportunity to think creatively, to use a test and learn approach to service delivery, to create a local movement to facilitate cultural and behavioural change and to ensure that Brightlife has a real impact and legacy.

Location : Hartford Office with travel across Cheshire West and Chester.

Hours : full time, 36.25 hours per week. Occasional evening or weekend work to support organisational promotional events or service delivery will be required.

Salary : £40,585 per annum.

Travel: The nature of the job will require travel and candidates must be able to meet this requirement. Travelling expenses will be paid for travel incurred in the course of duty (mileage paid at Inland Revenue dispensation rate – currently 45p per mile).

Holiday Entitlement: Five weeks leave p.a. (excluding Bank Holidays) rising after 5 years continuous service by one day per year (pro rata) to a maximum of 6 weeks leave after 10 years.

Contract: All new staff are subject to a six month probationary period. Four weeks’ notice is required to terminate employment by either side i.e. the employee or Age UK Cheshire. During the probationary period, one week’s notice is required by either side.

Funding: The project is funded by the Big Lottery until March 2020. Pension: Age UK Cheshire has an automatic enrolment workplace pension scheme in place for eligible employees.

Health Care: After the 6 months probationary period staff will automatically join the Age UK Cheshire’s Health Care Cash Plan and will be entitled to receive healthcare benefits.

Childcare Vouchers: After the 6 months probationary period staff will have the option to make use of the Age UK Cheshire Childcare Voucher scheme (available to eligible staff whilst in receipt of salary).

Criminal Disclosure: The post holder will be subject to police checking by the Disclosure and Barring Service (was CRB) Enhanced Disclosure.

Age UK Cheshire is a Mindful Employer and positive actions will be taken to ensure that people will not be excluded from working for Age UK Cheshire because of their age, race, ethnicity, faith, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, physical or mental health.

Applications must be made on an Age UK Cheshire application form to be received no later than 5:00 pm on Thursday 13th November 2014

First Interview Dates: Tuesday 18th / Friday 21st November 2014 Second Interview Date: Wednesday 26th November 2014