Chief Executive Officer

We are looking for a new Chief Executive Officer who will bring fresh thinking, energy and strong leadership to support Lomond and Argyll Advocacy Service (LAAS) as we continue to develop and build on what we already do well. The Chief Executive Officer will provide clear, visible and inspiring leadership to Lomond and Argyll Advocacy Services (LAAS). Working closely with the Board, leadership team and other colleagues to deliver our vision of ensuring that people’s voices are heard and their rights are protected.

The CEO will be responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of LAAS. They will ensure the effective use of resources (financial and human) and compliance with legal, contractual and regulatory requirements.

The role is pivotal to the development, growth and sustainability of LAAS along with ensuring the quality of the advocacy delivered. The post requires someone with strategic and operational skills, who is driven by their values and who places high quality independent advocacy services, alongside the wellbeing of their team at the centre of their thinking and approach. The CEO will ensure that effective and robust systems are in place to enable LAAS to deliver a high quality independent advocacy service and demonstrate the impact of this on the lives of the people we support.

They will secure and manage funding from advocacy commissioners and grant-making trusts to ensure the independence and sustainability of the advocacy we deliver.

• Provide clear and effective leadership that motivates staff to deliver a high quality, independent advocacy service that ensures that people’s voices are heard and their rights protected
• Build and maintain a positive workplace environment and culture that fosters team working, accountability, innovation and continuous improvement
• Develop the leadership and wider team in a way that ensures LAAS has the right capacity, capability and succession planning in place to continue delivering a high quality service
• Support, guide and supervise the Operational Manager who leads a team of paid and volunteer advocates to provide high quality advocacy across Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire
• Ensure there are meaningful opportunities for people with lived experience to be involved in the development and governance of LAAS strategic planning
• Work with the Board of Trustees to develop a strategic plan that reflects LAAS’s vision and values and the needs of communities across Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire
• Ensure that effective planning frameworks are in place to support long term sustainability
• Keep abreast of changes in policy and legislation, provide recommendations for action and lead change through sound operational processes

• Work alongside the Business Manager and Treasurer to ensure LAAS’s financial strength and sustainability with robust financial planning, control and monitoring processes
• Negotiate and manage contracts with NHS and local authority advocacy commissioners for the delivery of independent advocacy
• Ensure compliance with regulatory financial requirements and maintain the highest standard of probity and accountability
• Ensure that effective systems and processes are in place to monitor activity and measure the impact of the advocacy provided
• Ensure that LAAS are engaged in discussions at a local or national level to review or develop independent advocacy quality standards

• Maintain and review risk management systems
• Lead the organisation through periods of change, ensuring colleagues are engaged and supported
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring that effective use is made of the learning from feedback, training, performance results and reflective practice
• Act as LAAS’s main spokesperson, representing the organisation with credibility and integrity
• Influence policy and practice at a local and national level