Chief Executive - Ancoats Dispensary Trust

“RESTART THE BEATING HEART”

Lead, inspire, deliver the transformation of the Ancoats Dispensary

Ancoats Dispensary Trust – Chief Executive

About Ancoats

Ancoats is an historic neighbourhood close to the heart of Manchester City Centre. It was the specific starting-place of the Industrial Revolution and it belongs to world history. Manchester has the fastest growing economy outside of London. It’s a great place to live and work and welcomes those who are looking to the future. Ancoats is now undergoing massive regeneration and becoming once again the home of entrepreneurs, artisans and new communities who are inspired by this transformation.  

The Dispensary is one of the best examples of neo Venetian Gothic architecture and stands as a symbol of an astonishingly rich web of community agencies such as the Ancoats Museum of Art, the University Settlement, the Ancoats Brotherhood (to which both Walter Crane and George Bernard Shaw belonged) and many others.

That most of these agencies have gone only heightens the importance of saving the Dispensary  – which perhaps beyond the others stood for social services dear to local people; the one with the longest and most notable history; the one for which the community have fought both in the late 1980s and in more recent years.  

The neighbourhood has suffered from acute economic and social challenges, including health inequalities and too often regeneration has been imposed from above. The fight to save Ancoats Dispensary has shown there is a strong, passionate, diverse and proud community, willing to step up to save a building that really matters – both because of its history and because of what it could be.  

About Us

After an intensive campaign and with strong support from local people and our many partners, we’ve secured a Round 1 pass for a £4.5m Heritage Enterprise Scheme (HES) grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This includes £770k in early funding for safeguarding works and the development of our detailed plans.

The project to rescue the Dispensary is a joint venture between Ancoats Dispensary Trust (ADT) and igloo Regeneration. The joint venture company is called Ancoats Dispensary Ltd (ADL)

The Ancoats Dispensary Trust is a small grassroots organisation that has transformed itself from a fighting campaign group into an organised development group who now, after three years of tireless work, need support to take ownership of a much-loved building.  

ADL has an established board which is driving the project forward through a period of uncertainty over match funding and achieving progress with a view to commencing Round 1 works early in 2015. ADL is leading the acquisition and physical restoration of the building and ADT will be involved in developing the brief and the design process.  

On completion of the restoration , the Joint Venture will cease, Igloo will exit from the vehicle and the community group ADT will buy out Igloo’s interest in the building. The community-owned Dispensary will be operated by ADT delivering community services, especially focused on health and wellbeing, with space on the upper floors being let out to creative artisans to help create a sustainable revenue stream.

ADT has a crucial role to play throughout the restoration process as well as beyond:

• produce and submit the detailed Round 2 application to Heritage Lottery Fund
• raise match funding of around £1.2m
• work closely with the Development Director at igloo to oversee the project and ensure it meets community needs

Now we are looking for a Chief Executive to lead, guide and nurture us through this process.

About You

A natural leader, you will have a track record in fundraising and managing projects through transition and uncertainty and a strong interest in community asset development.

More than just an effective communicator you will need to be as engaged in a community setting as you are comfortable in a board room.  You will have patience and understanding and the ability to be sympathetic to the strengths and weaknesses of the Ancoats Dispensary Trust.  You will have a ‘can do’ attitude with the ability to take the initiative and get things done.

Your understanding of the social and community potential of the project will be matched with a strong sense of economic reality and commercial opportunity. You have an innate ability to nurture talent, energise teams and work with supporters and partners to make more than the sum of the parts. Fundraising doesn’t scare you because you know a good project can attract investment; we just have to go looking and you’re up for leading that.

About the role

As well as being an effective leader, you also need to be willing to work with and be directed by a group of trustees who have given so much to get the project to this point.  You will be experienced in the dynamics of community projects and will bring understanding and skills to support this.

Working closely with the Trustees and ADL, you will lead on the development of our HLF round 2 application, the document that will define and guide the project through to completion. You will focus on ensuring that the full grant is secured and lay the essential foundations –skills, funding, partnerships – that will deliver the vision.

This will include:

• Governance – oversee the development of ADT to meet the changing needs of the project; recruit new directors, volunteers, supporters, partners and investors. Manage robust and transparent finance, tendering and recruitment procedures
• Fundraising – oversee fundraising campaigns including grants, sponsorship, donors, social investment and a community share issue   
• Development – work with local partners and stakeholders to develop and oversee our work around restoration, heritage, community, and education programmes
• Organisation – Work with ADL’s Project Director to keep the project on track
• Communications – develop communication strategy via traditional and social media, events, community outreach projects, and oversee ADT’s online presence
• Business development - develop commercial offer, research and develop ADT’s ability to win and deliver public health and other contracts

The initial employment contract will be subject to confirmation of round 2 pass from HLF (anticipated December 2015) that will release the full grant and subject to raising match funding. We fully expect this to be successful and for the Chief Executive to continue in post at least until completion of the HLF-funded project (expected to be December 2017).

Initial Steps

If you think you have the drive, the motivation and the skill-set essential to take on one of the highest profile and exciting community asset projects in the UK we need to hear from you today.

In the first instance please send an up to date CV and, more importantly, a comprehensive covering letter explaining how you meet the person specification and why you believe that you can make an impact in this role to sean@jerichoroad.co.uk.

If you would like an informal conversation please call our recruitment advisor Sean Fleetwood on 07973 571515.

Closing date – 5pm, Monday 24th November 2014

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in December. The assessment process will involve an overnight stay in Manchester on Monday 8th December with assessment on Tuesday 9th December. Please make sure you are available on these dates (arriving by 5.30pm on the 8th and leaving by 4pm on the 9th).

Preferred start date, subject to any notice period, is ideally no later than 1 February 2015.