POST: Carlisle Youth Zone Chief Executive

ROLE PROFILE

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Youth Zone Chairman and Board

KEY RELATIONSHIPS: Youth Zone Board, Youth Zone staff, OnSide team, Richard Rose Central Academy, Cumbria and Carlisle Councils

MAIN PURPOSE

To provide inspirational leadership for the Carlisle Youth Zone and to be responsible for its management and administration and for upholding its values.

With the Chairman, to enable the Board to fulfil its responsibilities of governance and to further the charitable purposes of the Youth Zone.

To build and nurture external networks and spearhead external fundraising and major projects.

CONTEXT OF THE POST

OnSide is building five new youth centres in the North West. The Carlisle Youth Zone will be the first to open, in February 2011. Its Chief Executive is expected to be in post by September this year.

OnSide is a new charity established to create youth centres, modelled on the highly successful Bolton Lads and Girls Club, in other towns in the North West. It is driven by private sector business leaders and has secured funding to build five new “Youth Zones” in Carlisle, Oldham, Blackburn, Wigan and North Manchester, all of which will be opening in 2011. Each Youth Zone is a £5m building project with state-of-the-art facilities for a wide range of sporting, artistic, cultural and general recreational activities and targeted services.

Open 7 nights a week, at weekends and during school holidays, the Youth Zones will provide a safe meeting place for young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, where they can, for a nominal entrance fee, participate in a wide range of positive activities. The Youth Zones will also run other projects to improve the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable young people in the area. They will employ professional staff and will recruit and train volunteers to work with them.

OnSide is responsible for managing the building projects, for forming local, stand-alone boards and providing the practical support and expertise to enable them to run their Youth Zones for the long-term benefit of the young people in their community. The running costs of each Youth Zone, approximately £1

Amended 27.04.10 Page 1 of 4 million per year, will be part-funded by local authorities but boards will have to raise substantial additional funds from the private sector and elsewhere.

The Carlisle Youth Zone Board has been established and building work has started on land adjacent to the new Richard Rose Central Academy. The Youth Zone is entirely independent of the Academy, though some sports facilities will be shared, and the building has been designed so that it will have a strong visual presence and a clear separate identity to attract young people from across the city and further afield.

The three-storey building will have three dedicated sports halls with a climbing wall, gym, boxing ring, IT facilities, dance and performing arts spaces and a sound studio. Also included are a kitchen, games and social areas and outdoor all-weather pitches.

Carlisle has a high employment/low wage economy and this has had a major impact on many young people, leading over the past 25 years to increasingly poor levels of engagement in education for low-achieving pupils. This is seen by some as a major factor behind increasing social disorder in some urban areas. The Youth Zone’s aim is to raise young people’s aspirations by involving them in positive activities that they enjoy and in which they can achieve.

KEY CHALLENGES

The Chief Executive will take up the appointment about 5 months before the scheduled opening of the Youth Zone. Up to this time, the project is being led by OnSide and the local Youth Zone Board. The key challenges for the Chief Executive in the first few months will thus be:

. Understanding the principles and practices on which the Youth Zone is to be run. . Meeting and establishing relations with Board members, young people, OnSide, the Richard Rose Academy and other stakeholders. . In conjunction with OnSide: o Appointing and training the staff team o Recruiting and training volunteers o Establishing operational procedures in the youth club and setting up administrative functions o Gaining the support of the community to ensure a successful opening of the Youth Zone. . Successfully managing the transition from opening night to operational effectiveness.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Vision and Strategy

. To provide clear leadership and direction. . To clearly articulate the Youth Zone’s mission, vision and values, reviewing them with others as necessary to ensure clarity and build ownership. . To propose, consult on and help create the Youth Zone’s strategy and plans. . To act as a source of inspiration to all employees, members, board members, volunteers, supporters and wider stakeholders.

Amended 27.04.10 Page 2 of 4 . To take appropriate steps to identify and effectively manage risks.

Governance

. To ensure the Board is supported and challenged. . To understand and clearly communicate to Board members and others the views and needs of young people, particularly those who are disadvantaged, in the context of today’s society. . To support the Chairman in maintaining the capabilities and leadership of the Board. . To work with the Board in fulfilling the charity’s constitutional, regulatory and legal obligations.

Management

. To inspire and manage others to give their best and to uphold the Youth Zone’s strong, shared sense of identity, commitment and cooperation. . To allocate organisational resources, manage on-going challenges and opportunities and support the senior management team to do likewise. . To manage senior staff, supporting them to set targets and strategies and be accountable for their performance.

Fundraising

. To be accountable for the Youth Zone’s fundraising strategy and activities. . To seek new sources of income, working with staff, board members and external organisations. . To work with the fundraising team, developing their strategy, assisting with major bids and events and meeting potential and existing funders where appropriate. . To ensure that feedback to supporters and funding bodies is appropriate and of high quality.

Finance and Assets

. To be responsible to the board for the financial health of the Youth Zone. . To prepare annual budgets for presentation to the Board. . To ensure effective financial management including a successful annual audit. . To be responsible for all the capital assets of the Youth Zone. . To ensure proper maintenance and upkeep of the buildings, premises, vehicles and equipment owned or leased by the Youth Zone.

Delivery

. To lead Youth Zone delivery and set the tone and standards by participating in running sessions. . To be responsible for the operation of the Youth Zone and all its projects, working with appointed members of staff. . To establish and monitor agreed performance measures. . To ensure that comprehensive and appropriate policies, covering all facets of the Youth Zone’s operation, are developed, maintained and observed. . To ensure that policies for Child Protection and Safeguarding are in place and are practised. . To keep ‘a finger on the pulse’ across all the Youth Zone’s activities and support and guide staff. . To deal with serious issues.

Amended 27.04.10 Page 3 of 4 Employees and Volunteers

. To inspire and develop staff and volunteers. . To determine staffing requirements based on agreed budgets. . To be responsible for all matters concerning the recruitment and employment of staff. . To ensure that all legal obligations relating to staff are observed. . To set and guide the policy with regard to volunteers.

The Youth Zone in the Community

. To protect and enhance the reputation of the Youth Zone. . To promote and lead the Youth Zone’s working relationships and partnerships with the Councils, key partners and other local organisations. . To promote and develop the Youth Zone brand and ensure a high level of awareness across the community.

WORKING HOURS

The hours of work are those necessary to fulfil the requirements of the position. This will involve working unsocial hours in evenings and at weekends during Youth Zone sessions or at events, and also working during the day.

CRB CHECK

In accordance with our Child Protection and Safeguarding procedures, this position requires an enhanced CRB check.

REMUNERATION PACKAGE

Salary: £50,000-55,000 per annum

Holidays: 25 days + public holidays

Pension: Eligible, after 6 months’ service, to join the OnSide Group Personal Pension scheme. 3% of salary is contributed by the Youth Zone, if the employee contributes 3% or more.

Relocation: It is essential for the Chief Executive to live within easy travelling distance of the Youth Zone, so a relocation package is available if the successful applicant needs to move house.

FURTHER INFORMATION About OnSide and the Youth Zone model: [email protected] 01204 362128

About Carlisle: [email protected] 01228 711888

Amended 27.04.10 Page 4 of 4