Chief Executive Officer Farms for City Children

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Chief Executive Officer Farms for City Children

Join Farms for City Children as our next CEO and help address inequalities by providing a nurturing environmental education and wellbeing agenda that enables young people to develop valuable transferable life skills and core values.

• Location: Proximity to one or more of our 3 farms in Devon, Gloucestershire, and Pembrokeshire
• Salary: £65,000 to £80,000 (FTE), depending on experience
• Closing date: 9 a.m. Thursday 13th March

Who we are.

Farms for City Children exists to remove the barriers that prevent children and young people from having meaningful access to the natural world. Through our food, farming and nature-connected well-being offer, more than 3,000 children and young people from underserved communities experience the physical and mental health benefits of being Farmers for a Week per year.

Since being founded by children's author Sir Michael Morpurgo and his wife Lady Clare Morpurgo in 1976, over 100,000 children and young people from England and Wales have benefitted from a week at one of our beautiful heritage farms in Devon, Gloucestershire and Pembrokeshire.

As we move towards our 50th year, our work has never been more important or relevant. Children and young people living in areas of extreme deprivation in England and Wales face numerous barriers that prevent access to the opportunities that their more fortunate peers enjoy.

These challenges include living in low-income households, disenfranchised and impoverished communities, poor physical and mental health, substantial gaps in educational attainment and a lack of experiences that cultivate personal development and exposure to the wider world beyond their postcode. We address these inequalities by giving access to nature and providing a nurturing education and well-being agenda that enables young people to grow and develop valuable transferable life skills and core values.

About the role.

Farms for City Children has grown since its inception nearly 50 years ago, with considerable strategic support from its Founders and dedicated Trustee board and operational support from its staff across the 3 farm sites. With the current CEO stepping down after 3 years and with exciting plans to develop our offer further in future, we are now looking for a new CEO to lead this fantastic immersive charity.

With the charity spanning the agricultural, environmental, and educational sectors, this truly is a special opportunity not to be missed.

Who we are looking for.

Our next CEO will be an outstanding people leader with a successful senior leadership track record in a relevant organisation of similar scale. Experience of leading disparate teams across the UK would be an advantage.

You will be a visible and credible ambassador for the charity, able to represent the organisation with confidence and authenticity to a wide range of stakeholders; from our committed staff and partner farmers to funders and corporate partners, educational establishments and government agencies through to the young people we support. You will be passionate about making a lasting impact on children's lives and empowering our staff and volunteer teams to thrive.

Whilst remaining sensitive to our successful legacy and mission, you will bring an appetite and vision for growth. You will be committed to making each of our farm experiences the best they can be, and to supporting more children and young people through potentially expanding our offer.

You will also be commercially astute with financial management and budgeting experience. Experience in developing successful funders strategies would be highly advantageous.

Above all, you will be motivated by our cause and the opportunity to change children's lives - a collaborative and inclusive leader who is willing to roll up their sleeves and get 'stuck in'.

• Annual Leave: 25 days plus the 8 bank holidays
• Occupational sick pay payable after probationary period success for a max of 20 days
• NEST Pension - Employer Contribution of 6%

For further information about the role or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:

If you would like to know more about this role please contact Bill Yuksel