Brief for the position of

Chief Executive
Blind Veterans UK
Candidate Brief Chief Executive Blind Veterans UK blindveteransuk.org.uk

Contents
About Blind Veterans UK 3
What we do 5
The Role – Chief Executive 7
The Individual 9
How to Apply 10

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Candidate Brief Chief Executive Blind Veterans UK
About Blind Veterans UK
Blind Veterans UK was
founded in London in
1915 by publisher and
newspaper owner
Sir Arthur Pearson.
Sir Arthur, who was blind
himself, set up the charity
to help the substantial
numbers of veterans
losing their sight during
the First World War.
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Originally called the Blinded Soldiers and
Sailors Care Committee, we soon became
known as St Dunstan’s, which was the
name of our first headquarters in Regent’s
Park, central London. We changed our
name to Blind Veterans UK in 2012, to
better reflect what we do as a charity.
Drawing on his own experience of
sight loss, Sir Arthur’s aim was to help
veterans “learn to be blind” by providing
rehabilitation, training and lifelong
support. He helped veterans acquire new
skills to adapt to their sight loss and live a
fulfilling, independent life.
In the following years, we supported those
blinded in subsequent wars and military
engagements, including the Second World
War and, more recently, the conflicts in the
Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan.
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In 1984, we moved to our current
headquarters in Harcourt Street in Central
The vast majority of the 4,500 veterans
currently supported have lost their sight
London. We also have two specially due to age-related conditions such as
designed veterans’ centres where our macular degeneration.
beneficiaries can receive rehabilitation,
In December 2021, we announced that Blind
respite, training and care. Our Brighton
Veterans UK is going move from its Brighton
Centre has been operating since 1938,
and our facility in Llandudno, North Wales,
Centre, which no longer supports the needs
of the Members, into the improved and
opened in 2011.
more fit for purpose Princess Marina House
The centres have variously served to
provide holidays, a healthy seaside
(PMH) in Rustington, West Sussex.
While we initially supported veterans who
environment for those needing longer-
had been blinded specifically during service,
term rehabilitation, and care for those who
sadly have suffered with severe mental or
since 2000 we have been helping all vision
impaired ex-Service members, regardless
physical health problems additional to their
of how or when they lost their sight.
loss of sight.
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Candidate Brief Chief Executive Blind Veterans UK
Our Vision:
Our ultimate goal is to achieve victory over
blindness.
Our Mission:
To provide high quality national support to blind
veterans, as and where they need it, in order to
help them achieve independence and fulfilment,
transforming their lives.
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blindveteransuk.org.uk
Our Values:
Our values underpin the way we work and interact
with each other, and how we deliver services to
blind veterans. Built around the central statement:
“We work together as One Team”:
• Caring is at the heart of everything we do;
• We enable and trust each other;
• We foster a pioneering spirit;
• We celebrate success.
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Candidate Brief Chief Executive Blind Veterans UK
What we do
We help vision-impaired
ex-Service members of
any generation, offering
rehabilitation, training,
practical advice and
emotional support for life.
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We are here to teach the Members simple
skills and strategies and allow them to
live a fulfilling life again. Whether it’s
relearning how to do activities enjoyed
before they lost their sight, or taking on a
new task, we help them set and reach their
goals. With our help, our veterans have
tackled challenges they previously never
thought possible.
Rehabilitation
Our rehabilitation officers are specially
trained to help veterans adjust to living
with sight loss. Our care is tailored to
individual needs. Our team assess how the
veteran copes with carrying out day-to-day
tasks. They work with them to identify what
help is needed with and what the goals are.
Rehab programme is based around what
veterans’ need, and continually assessed
during their time with us.
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We help them with things like: One such area was the Health, Wellbeing
and Rehabilitation Project. The project
• Making the most of the remaining vision.
• Mobility training to get the veterans out
moved our face-to-face delivery of
rehabilitation to a telephone and online
and about again.
offer, providing an introduction to the
• Learning independent living skills. charity for new Members, low-vision
• Staying connected with loved ones. assessments, support with daily living
skills, support using technology to stay in
Impact of pandemic touch with friends and family, access to
creative projects and access to sources of
From March 2020 community staff, centre
staff and volunteers played a key role in
emotional support. The work has received
positive feedback from those Members
identifying individual Members’ needs during
who were able to access the service and
the pandemic. They offered a broad range
the charity is looking at ways of retaining
of support including emergency food and
elements in a post-COVID-19 offer.
medication supplies, telephone support and
befriending, as well as a number of remote
services to support Members through the
social restrictions.
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Alongside the Health, Wellbeing and
Rehabilitation Project, ‘Operation
Entertain’ was set up to bring Members
together in small telephone or online
groups to chat, be entertained, to celebrate
national events such as VE day and to keep
up with their many hobbies and interests
during the pandemic. The work aimed to
collectively support and entertain our
Members during the period of isolation and
to reduce the impact of the lockdown.
Despite our best efforts, for some of
our Members the past year has been
extremely difficult due to isolation and ill
health. In response, we offered residential
stays within our registered nursing care
facility in Llandudno. The permanent care
offered at our Brighton Centre continued
throughout the pandemic, with a focus on
Member safety and wellbeing.
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blindveteransuk.org.uk
We’re not just here for our blind veterans.
We’re also here for those who care for our
beneficiaries, day in, day out.
We know how difficult it can be for spouses,
This new research and innovation charity
partners and family members when
is called BRAVO VICTOR. It conducts
someone loses their sight. And we know
research with, and on behalf of, our blind
how important it is for carers to care for
veterans, as well as international veteran
themselves too. We offer advice and support
communities and organisations across
for carers to help them adjust to looking
the sight loss sector.
after someone with a vision impairment.
BRAVO VICTOR aims to build a better
BRAVO VICTOR understanding of the underlying causes
and risk factors associated with sight
In 2017, we set up a research and
loss, as well as associated disabilities
innovation department.
and health issues, and find solutions to
The success and growth of our research the problems and barriers of living with
programme has now led us to set this visual impairment.
department up as a sister charity within the
Blind Veterans UK group, which will become For more information visit:
entirely independent in the near future. https://www.bravovictor.org/
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Candidate Brief Chief Executive Blind Veterans UK
The Role – Chief Executive
Reports to: Job purpose
The Chair of the
Trustee Board
Leadership for:
3 Executive Directors
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To lead, direct and control the operations
of the Charity ensuring that it achieves its
strategic objectives and operates within
its financial targets. More specifically the
CEO will:
•A dvise the Chair and the trustees on
the strategic direction of the Charity;
implement Board decisions; report on
progress; and be directly accountable to
them for achievement.
•B e responsible for ensuring that the
Members of the Charity receive the best
possible services within the financial
scope of the Charity.
•P rovide leadership and, through this,
promote the vison, mission, values and
strategic objectives of the Charity.
Dimensions
•L
 ead an organisation of up to 510 staff
and 1,000 volunteers.
•A
 gree and monitor the Charity’s income
and expenditure budget and manage the
asset base.
• Support a current membership of over
4,250 beneficiaries of the Charity.
• Represent the Charity’s interests in
external fora including BRAVO VICTOR;
Cobseo, Vision Impairment Charity
Partnership, Action Against AMD.
• Direct leadership responsibility for 3
Executive Directors.
Main responsibilities
Strategy and working with the Board
• Develop the Charity’s strategic and
operational plans and policies in
collaboration with the Board and lead on
their implementation.
• Improve, innovate, and strengthen
the services provided, and their
accessibility, to positively impact the
Charity Members; establishing a truly
national footprint able to improve the
independence and quality of their lives.
• Develop the charity’s position as a
national force for good.
blindveteransuk.org.uk
• Develop a productive, efficient, and
diverse fundraising strategy to meet the
Charity’s level of ambition.
• Build both the reach and membership of
the Charity.
• Maximise the productivity and efficiency
of the Charity’s resources to create
optimal value of the available funds.
• Lead the Charity in line with its Articles
of Association.
• Ensure appropriate reporting to the
Board on the progress of the Charity and
on matters relevant to the discharge of
its responsibilities, thus enabling it to
fulfil its governance responsibilities.
• Keep the voice of the Charity’s Members
at the centre of the Charity’s work.
• Advise on direct and indirect reputational
risk to the Charity.
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Candidate Brief Chief Executive Blind Veterans UK
Leading and managing
• Live, lead, and provide the exemplar for
the values and culture of the Charity.
• Ensure that the Charity’s Vision, Mission
and Values are at the heart of everything
the Charity does.
• Ensure through effective communication
that the whole organisation understands
and works to the values and culture of
the Charity.
• Be responsible to the Trustees for the
overall financial health of the Charity and
ensure that expenditure is controlled
in line with budgets as approved by the
Board.
• Ensure the Charity discharges its
constitutional and legal obligations.
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• Provide Leadership to the Senior
Leadership Team and appraise the work
of the Executive Directors.
• Represent the Charity in BRAVO
VICTOR and in external fora promoting
the common and shared interest.
• Ensure the Charity has the resources
(human, material and financial) to
operate as effectively as possible within
the endorsed budget.
Communication/Ambassadorial
• Be the public face of the Charity
nationally and develop its profile
nationally.
• Be accessible to staff, volunteers and
members of the Charity.
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• Build brand awareness, positioning Additional responsibilities
the Charity consistent with its vision, • Ensure the Charity complies with
mission, capabilities, and values. legislation including employment, data,
• Influence key stakeholders and develop equality and health and safety legislation.
and maintain good relationships • Ensure that appropriate risk
with other ex-Service charities and management practices are in place.
organisations working in the field of
vision impairment.
• Develop new business opportunities for
the Charity.
• Communicate the work of the Charity
through the Armed Forces Networks and
vision communities.
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Candidate Brief Chief Executive Blind Veterans UK
The Individual
• Strong executive leadership skills,
including knowledge and experience of
leadership within a complex organisation.
•S  trong commitment to, and empathy with,
Blind Veterans UK’s values and purpose,
including our promotion of equality
through our work, and how these affect
the quality of life and life choices for blind
and partially sighted veterans.
• Demonstrable experience developing and
implementing strategies to secure the
long-term sustainability of an organisation.
• Experience influencing at senior levels,
both in the UK and internationally, as a
visible organisational ambassador with
wide-ranging external networks, able to
positively engage with contacts and donors.
• Demonstrable experience of working
internationally across different countries
and cultures.
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blindveteransuk.org.uk
• A track record of strategic thinking, • A shared commitment with the Charity
problem-solving, and decision making to equality and diversity, internally and
with sound judgement. in external work;
• Experience of leading an organisation • A collaborative nature and positive
through transformative moments and listener, keen to understand other
culture change. perspectives and build these into
• Experience supporting and developing strategic plans.
team members, both direct reports and
peers as appropriate. You can find more about our vision and
mission, and learn about the values and
• A sound understanding of delivering
culture that underpin our work at Blind
highly effective governance and its best
Veterans UK here.
practice.
• Excellent communication and
interpersonal skills, both oral and
written, underpinned by emotional
sensitivity and understanding.
• An interest in innovative approaches to
strengthening an organisation’s work
and credibility, such as new research
activity and digital engagement.
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Candidate Brief Chief Executive Blind Veterans UK
How to Apply
Key Dates
Following a long list meeting of the
Selection Panel, successful candidates will
be invited to attend preliminary interviews
with Odgers Berndtson end of September/
beginning of October.
The final interview process with Blind
Veterans UK will take place end of
October.
How to apply
In order to apply, please submit a
comprehensive CV along with a covering
letter which sets out your interest in the
role and encapsulates the aspects of your
experience relevant to the required criteria
The preferred method of application is
online at: www.odgers.com/86667
If you are unable to apply online, please
email: evie.day@odgersberndtson.com
All applications will receive an automated
response.
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All candidates are also requested to
complete an online Diversity Monitoring
Form which will be found at the end of
the application process. This will assist
Blind Veterans UK in monitoring selection
decisions to assess whether equality
of opportunity is being achieved. Any
information collated from the Diversity
Monitoring Forms will not be used as part
of the selection process and will be treated
as strictly confidential.
Personal data
In line with GDPR, we ask that you do NOT
send us any information that can identify
children or any of your Sensitive Personal
Data (racial or ethnic origin, political
opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs,
trade union membership, data concerning
health or sex life and sexual orientation,
genetic and/or biometric data) in your CV
and application documentation. Following
this notice, any inclusion of your Sensitive
Personal Data in your CV/application
documentation will be understood by us
blindveteransuk.org.uk
as your express consent to process this
information going forward. Please also
remember to not mention anyone’s
information or details (e.g.: referees) who
have not previously agreed to their inclusion.
Contact details
For a conversation in confidence, please
contact:
Sarah Lowndes Jones
sarah.lowndesjones@odgersberndtson.com
We are committed to ensuring everyone
can access our website and application
processes. This includes people with
sight loss, hearing, mobility and cognitive
impairments. Should you require access
to these documents in alternative
formats, please contact evie.day@
odgersberndtson.com.
Also, if you have any comments and/or
suggestions about improving access to
our application processes please do not
hesitate to contact us response.manager@
odgersberndtson.com.
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blindveteransuk.org.uk odgersberndtson.com