Brighton Permaculture Trust is seeking a new part-time Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Salary: £35,000 pro rata
Hours: Three days a week
We are seeking a new CEO to lead the organisation into its next phase, building on its significant successes, and taking it to the next level. We are looking for someone who shares our values and is passionate about improving life for both people and nature in Sussex, especially in disadvantaged communities.
Our Permaculture ethics are central to everything we do:
Earthcare – enhancing natural resources and biodiversity; celebrating seasons
Peoplecare – valuing diversity, embracing differences; supporting health and well-being by connecting people to nature and to healthy food
Fairshare – inspiring people to create solutions for sharing resources wisely, today and for future generations.
About Brighton Permaculture Trust
We teach 30+ courses a year in permaculture, eco-building, orchard management and food-growing. We plant 100 trees each year in school and community orchards. We save 30 tonnes of locally grown fruit from going to waste and turn it into delicious juice, cider, crumble and jams.
We run over 450 volunteering sessions a year, giving our volunteers opportunities to connect with nature and learn new skills.
We manage a permaculture demonstration plot, Racehill orchard and several other small orchards for the benefit of wildlife and the community. We are in the process of acquiring stewardship of a small plot of woodland in central Brighton that will be managed as an urban oasis for wildlife.
The trustees have recently led an extensive review of our mission, vision and values.
Role summary
The current CEO is moving on to pastures new and we are seeking an experienced leader
with strong strategy and communication skills to take this vital work forward.
Working closely with a committed and extensive team of volunteers and paid staff, and with
the support of an established and engaged board of Trustees, you will be steering the work
on our vision and leading the team to deliver it.
As the leader of a relatively small charity, you will be engaged with many operational
aspects of the organisation.
Taking on the stewardship of the new plot of land will be one of the operational priorities in
the first year.
You will be managing our annual income of around £200K, 3 part-time managers (Admin;
Orchards; Food waste) plus a team of 25 workers and key volunteers engaged in ongoing
roles.
Hours can be worked flexibly, though you will need to attend in-person meetings, events
and site visits, including some weekends and evenings. We have a working ‘Fruit Factory’ at
Stanmer Park, but not an office, so all desk work and online meetings will need to be done
remotely.
Skills and competencies for the CEO role
Essential
Strategy and delivery
At this stage of the Trust’s development, you will be clarifying a vision for the future and
identifying how to achieve it. You will bring expertise in realising a vision, and show you can
do this with creativity, bringing the team with you. You will work with project teams to set
specific goals for delivery, with mechanisms for regularly measuring performance and
reviewing progress.
Leadership, relationship building and negotiating
You will demonstrate strong skills in leading a team to meet key objectives and goals. You
will be able to work with staff, volunteers, and stakeholders to negotiate priorities and
deliver results, inspiring confidence, and steering the organisation through growth and
development.
You will enjoy working in a relational way and have a track record of building healthy
relationships as a leader.
Negotiation skills will be crucial in your engagement with stakeholders and local decisionmakers. Managing conflict, building consensus and communicating skilfully to galvanise
teams to bring a shared vision to fruition.
Peoplecare
Diversity and inclusion are central to our ethics of peoplecare and fair shares for all. The
people make Brighton Permaculture Trust: from our teams of tree planters, apple pickers
and juicers, to the admin team, the project managers, the tutors, the growers, and the
hundreds of volunteers who give hours of their time. Recruiting and retaining good people is
our focus. You will ensure we have the best models for engaging volunteers and
employing/contracting people.
Financial management
You will have a good grasp of accounts and be confident working with our accountants and
admin team in structuring and managing budgets and reporting on the accounts to the
trustees.
Fundraising, corporate sponsorship and networking are important to the continued financial
stability of Brighton Permaculture Trust. You will have the skills and experience to manage
partnerships and networks at all levels to sustain financially beneficial relationships.
You will be able to write /commission successful funding bids and be able to articulate a
fundraising strategy.
Desirable
Permaculture knowledge and experience
Permaculture, and consciously designing for sustainability, is at the heart of our work. You
will have a good understanding of sustainable design and be able to articulate how the
principles and ethics of permaculture can be realised through work such as ours.
Local knowledge
We are a Brighton-based, Sussex-focused charity. Knowledge of the city and its environs,
and familiarity with local structures, forums, opportunities and networks is important in
ensuring we continue to grow and are well-connected with stakeholders. You will be based
in the locality and have experience working with multiple agencies and organisations to
deliver goals.
Communications and marketing experience
Experience in writing for websites, and newsletters, delivering a social media marketing
campaign, and online or in-person events would all be valuable. Working alongside the
comms team, you will provide strategic oversight of a marketing strategy with insight into
the best mechanisms to broadcast and amplify our work and our offer.
To apply
Please send your CV and a Cover Letter showing how you meet the skills and competencies
required: email your application to us
Closing date for applications: 17th January 2024
Interview dates: initial interviews will be on the 25th or 26th January 2024
For more information about Brighton Permaculture Trust, the CEO role or to arrange an
informal chat with one of the trustees, please contact us via the Make and enquiry button below.