Job Purpose – overview
Xcite West Lothian Leisure (Xcite) is a Community Benefit Organisation, a registered Scottish charity. It is at the heart of the West Lothian community, helping people to improve their wellbeing and make healthy lifestyle choices. We care passionately about the service we provide to the people who live, work and visit West Lothian. As a valued organisation that understands, cares about and engages with its community, we are the delivery partner of choice for West Lothian organisations responsible for improving people’s lives through sport, health and physical activity.
Your role is to provide leadership and inspiration to the organisation and, together with the Board of Trustees, be responsible for the strategic direction and successful operation of the Charity whilst acting as the principal ambassador of the Xcite brand.
Core Accountability & Responsibilities
Corporate Governance and Vision
- In partnership with the Board, develop, monitor and implement the long term strategy, business plan, vision, values, aims, and outcomes to ensure a customer service that surpasses customers’ expectations.
- Ensure that the Charity fulfils its constitutional, regulatory and legal obligations.
- Enable the Board to fulfil its duties and responsibilities for the proper governance of the Charity.
- Ensure that the organisation fulfils its constitutional, regulatory and legal obligations.
- Assist the Board to monitor and evaluate the Charity’s effectiveness, organisational performance and outcomes, ensuring all Board decisions are appropriately implemented.
- With the Chair plan the Board reporting timetable for strategy, finances, risk, performance monitoring and policy review.
- Maintaining overall responsibility for the Board receiving advice, information and performance reports in a timely, thorough and appropriate manner to maintain the financial stability, charitable purpose/status and manage strategic risk.
Lead and manage the organisation
- Lead and manage the Leadership Team to ensure that all departments are running effectively and achieving their strategies.
- Seek out and develop new strategies and capital investment opportunities as a means to ensure the long-term sustainability and stability of the organisation; undertaking all necessary negotiations with funding partners and agencies.
- Drive the financial success in order to provide the best possible environment and, allow the Charity to invest more in the community for those that need additional support ensuring compliance with legal and fiscal responsibilities.
- Maintain overall responsibility for overseeing continuous improvement and high quality standards.
Partnership working
- Represent the Charity in an ambassadorial capacity to help to maintain and develop corporate image and reputation, and protect and develop the organisation's brand.
- Build, develop and maintain effective partnership working with a wide range of high level and high profile stakeholders through effective networking and influencing opportunities to help achieve better outcomes.
- Act as the spokesperson of the Charity, enhancing the reputation, seeking opportunities to expand and promote awareness of the organisation’s work and using the media appropriately to raise the Charity’s profile.
The above list is illustrative, not exhaustive. Accordingly, there may be a requirement to undertake additional duties, consistent with the level of the post, as directed by management.
Essential Qualifications, Experience and Skills
- Demonstrates excellent core organisational and management competencies.
- Educated to degree level or equivalent in a relevant discipline with a relevant post graduate qualification.
- A minimum of 5 years’ experience at a senior management level, including strategic and financial planning in a large/multi-site organisation, whether in the third, public or commercial sectors. This experience should include direct involvement in the development of strategies, policies, business plans and budgets.
- Proven leadership and people management skills with the ability to foster a positive work environment through empowering, enabling, motivating and developing self and others.
- Evidence of being a successful leader who is able to articulate the Charity’s vision and lead the organisation to achieve its corporate strategy.
- Be able to demonstrate collaborative, solution finding and innovative skills when working with partner organisations.
- A high level of commercial focus, experience of financial planning and, identifying and responding to income generation opportunities.
- Experience in public speaking, this may involve delivering speeches in front of large audiences and interviews with the media.
- Be able to demonstrate the ability to champion a customer service ethos.
- A belief in equal access to sport, health and physical activity.
- Current valid driving licence [and use of a suitable vehicle].
- Willingness to continuously develop and attend training and development sessions in line with your personal training plan, on occasion out-with your normal hours of work, to ensure the required level of competence.
Desirable Qualifications, Experience and Skills
- Excellent all round IT skills.
- A working knowledge of relevant legislation related to corporate governance; Scottish Charity law, Health and Safety legislation and Equality legislation.
Job Dimensions
- Full responsibility for the management of the overall financial health and charitable status of the organisation.
- Provide leadership and motivation to peers, colleagues and Head of Operations, Head of Corporate Services and Head of Finance and Administration and supervising their managerial responsibilities to their direct reports.
Core organisational competencies
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Service delivery
Champions the service, focusing on individual customer’s needs and responding with service that surpasses their expectations. -
Honesty and integrity
Being truthful, keeping promises and commitments and making ethical decisions. -
Respect for equality and diversity
Understanding others’ behaviours and culture and treating everyone fairly. -
Personal effectiveness
Personal responsibility for making things happen – being accountable for your own actions.
Core Management Competencies
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Developing self and others
Investing time and resources in developing self and others’ capability. -
Team working/Leading and inspire
Motivating others and developing teams to deliver the Charity’s objectives. -
Strategic thinking
Making sense of complex and disparate ideas and innovating. -
Commercial focus/awareness
Investigating and gathering information in order to make sound commercial decisions. -
Entrepreneurial drive
Being business focused with a desire to constantly improve performance. -
Partnership working/stakeholder management
Working effectively with others inside and outside the Charity to achieve the best outcomes. -
Analysis and decision making
Identifying and analysing relevant data from multiple sources. Making objective and timely decisions based on available evidence and sound analysis. Generating a range of ideas to support decision making process.
Additional information
- Authorised signatory for Protecting Vulnerable Groups and Disclosure Scotland checks.
- Attendance at evening and weekend events may be required on occasions.
- You will be required to be aware of current Health and Safety Policy and to take responsibility for your own safety and the safety of others who may be affected by your acts or omissions at work.