Chief Executive Officer
Appointment Brief
May 2026
Message from our Chair of Trustees
As we approach our 40th anniversary, we are looking for an ambitious and dynamic individual to lead us into the next 40 years at Berkshire Community Foundation. The country’s network of community foundations is at the heart of delivering national help to local neighbourhoods, and the current Government initiative “Pride in Place” demonstrates how critical delivering local support can be in making Berkshire a better place to live and work.
The first 40 years have built our reputation across the county as an authoritative voice in local philanthropy. Our Fundholders, who give through the Foundation, are key to the growth we have experienced, and we want to continue to provide them with excellent stewardship. Attracting and retaining new Fundholders to Berkshire Community Foundation is a key part of this role.
As a leading grant maker in the county, our reputation within the voluntary sector is incredibly important to us. We want to ensure that our future Chief Executive Officer builds on these trusted relationships. We want to continue sharing our knowledge to deliver our vision of empowering voluntary organisations and charities in our local Berkshire communities. We measure our impact by seeing how we make a real and positive difference to people’s lives.
We have an experienced and influential Board who will support you in your role, backed up by an enthusiastic and committed team of experts in both fundraising and grant making. We are all excited to see what the future holds, and we hope that you will be a part of that. Our current strategic plan runs until 2027, so as well as planning the celebrations for our 40th anniversary, you will have a critical role in setting the Foundation’s plans for the next five years and beyond; you can make a real difference to people’s lives in this role.
We look forward to receiving your application.
Stephen Howard
Windsor Baptist Church’s Community Kitchen Group
Thrive charity
Ufton Court
Andrew Simpson Centre supporting children accessing sailing
About Berkshire Community Foundation
Berkshire Community Foundation enables local people to support local causes, making grants to small charities and voluntary groups working in communities across Berkshire. Our aim is to make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable, isolated and disadvantaged people in Berkshire.
We champion local giving, building partnerships with like-minded people and organisations. Through our philanthropy advice, we help to match our supporters’ aims with the many small, effective local charities offering solutions to local issues. Using national and local data, we focus our impact where we believe we can make the biggest difference in the lives of disadvantaged people across Berkshire.
Since 1985, we have raised £34 million, given grants of £22 million to over 5,000 organisations and £14 million is held in endowment to provide for future generations across Berkshire.
Visit our website to find out more.
Vision and Mission
Berkshire Community Foundation is a registered charity that exists to make Berkshire a fairer and more equal place, by providing a service to potential beneficiaries and donors in the whole community.
We bring inspirational people together to create the change Berkshire needs. We make and strengthen connections between philanthropists, businesses, voluntary organisations, charitable trusts and community leaders. We make vital grants through over 100 dedicated funds, focusing on key priorities: tackling poverty, improving health and wellbeing, supporting children and young people, addressing homelessness and basic needs, and promoting safety and protection - particularly safeguarding against domestic abuse and violence. Alongside funding, we share knowledge, inspiration, and stories to strengthen local connections and amplify impact. Our goal is to strengthen communities and help Berkshire thrive.
We do this by:
• Inspiring local people to give to meet local needs
• Investing in local charities and community groups, and helping them to become strong and sustainable organisations
• Informing & Influencing philanthropists and the wider community about local needs, now and in the longer term.
Our mission is to connect people who care with causes that matter, ensuring that charitable giving has a lasting and meaningful impact.
Finances
Year ending 31 March 2025
Our
Total income: £2.1 million
Donations £1.3m
Investments £0.4m
Endowments
£0.4m
Total expenditure: £1.5 million
Raising funds £0.357m
Charitable expenditure £0.146m
Granting to local charities £1.061m
Organisation Chart
Chair & Board of Trustees
Role Description
Job title: Chief Executive Officer
Salary: c.£80,000 per annum
Location: Office location: 100 Longwater Avenue, Green Park, Reading RG2 6GP. The post requires extensive travel across Berkshire. A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle is required.
Reporting to: Chair of the Board of Trustees and is responsible to the Board of Trustees
Direct reports: Finance Director, Community Impact Manager and Marketing, Communications & Wealth Advisor Manager
Contract: Permanent, Full time – 37.5 hours per week. Evening and weekend work will be required to attend networking and other events. The role is, of necessity, office-based, although flexibility for home working is expected where appropriate.
Pension: Employer contribution up to a maximum 5% salary to match employee contribution.
Annual leave: 25 days holiday per annum plus public holidays.
Purpose of the role
Providing visionary leadership, direction and management of the Foundation, the CEO ensures the organisation delivers its mission, strategies, goals and charitable objectives, as determined by the Board of Trustees.
The CEO ensures that the Foundation is mission-driven, financially sustainable, and operationally effective. As the public face of the organisation, the Chief Executive will champion local philanthropy, build strong relationships with donors and partners to deliver effective support for the local community and inspiring services for donors.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership and Management
• Manage the day to day operational activities of the Community Foundation
• Develop new opportunities for fund development through new business, Corporates, small to medium size businesses and with individual donors and supporters
• Manage and oversee the Finance function, supporting budget setting, annual audit and day to day finance operations
• Manage the grant making team. Oversee the implementation of all grants programmes and ensure effective grant making
• Ensure professional and appropriate administrative support is provided in conjunction with the Marketing, Communications & Wealth Advisor Manager and Administration Officer
• Overall responsibility for the HR function of the Foundation, including recruitment, induction, team morale, training, appraisals, contracts of employment
• Chair staff meetings
• Contribute to the strategic development of the organisation, setting strategy and overseeing Governance
• Support the Board and Sub-Committees ensuring papers are produced in a timely manner
Organisational Management and Governance
• Report to the Chair of Trustees and Board of trustees on the operational performance of the team
• Work with the Finance Director to prepare relevant committee papers (Quarterly Management Accounts, Annual Report & Accounts)
• Attend Trustee Board, Governance, Philanthropy and Finance & Investment Committee Meetings as necessary and any other meetings where attendance is required
• Ensure the Strategic and Operational Plans are regularly reviewed and implemented (working with Finance Director) and participate in the Business Planning process.
• Chair Senior Management Team meetings
• Ensure effective internal communication and joint working across the team
• Line-manage relevant staff (see current staff diagram)
• Contribute to the development of the Foundation as a member of the senior management team inputting to team development and strategic planning
• Coordinate the staff training programme ensuring that all training, development and induction is undertaken in line with policies and procedures, and ensure ongoing reviews
• Be responsible for an effective appraisal/ personal development system and any resulting training
• Development, implementation and review of Foundation policies and procedures
• Keep up to date with current Health and Safety legislation and ensure BCF compliance
Philanthropy Function
• Long term endowment is vital for sustainability and growth of the Foundation. Growth of the BCF endowment is a priority and key part of the role, to enable grants awarded to the voluntary groups to keep pace with the ever-increasing need
• Develop new relationships with corporates and businesses, identifying and supporting their strategic charitable impact
• Develop new long term relationships with HNWI individuals through Wealth Advisors, existing supporters, small exclusive events, creating new opportunities to join BCF with new funds either immediate impact or named family funds
• Build and execute successful highvalue fundraising campaigns, working collaboratively with colleagues, donors, funders and Trustees to drive significant new income
• Grow the successful BCF Business Philanthropy Club by encouraging new businesses to join
• Develop a new sales pipeline by identifying prospects through research
• Lead prospect identification and research to expand the charity’s network of highvalue supporters
Grants Function
• Work with the Community Impact Manager and oversee the management of the grants programmes and governance
Marketing & PR Function
• Develop a robust Marketing strategy to include:
• Website
• PR & Social media strategy
• Ensuring professional collateral is produced and used for Marketing purposes
• Engage with local media, including radio, news, Instagram and other relevant platforms
Other general duties
• Keep abreast of developments across the charity sector by liaising with senior staff in other charities. Where appropriate, attend external seminars and workshops on behalf of the Foundation
Values
• Support the team values of the Foundation
Continuous Personal Development
• Identify areas for further training and development, undertaking relevant courses and qualifications as required
Person Specification
Essential Experience
• Proven senior leadership experience, as a CEO or senior director, within a charity or a comparable organisation.
• Proven track record in fund development, income generation.
• Strong marketing and communication skills.
• Strong knowledge of charity finance, accounts and audit.
• Good knowledge of voluntary sector governance.
• Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Office software and CRM databases.
• Experience of working with a significant level of autonomy and authority.
• Experience of working within the voluntary sector.
• Experience of multi-agency working.
Skills and attributes
• Strong communication skills to be able to communicate clearly and work effectively with a wide range of audiences.
• Good organisation skills.
• Good people skills.
• Ability to work on own initiative and under pressure.
• Delivery focused.
• Right to work in the UK.
How to Apply
To apply for the role, please upload your CV together with a supporting statement (of no more than 1000 words) onto the Prospectus website via the link.
For guidance on formulating your supporting statement, please review our guide here.
Please ensure that you have included a telephone number, as well as any dates when you will not be available or might have difficulty with the recruitment timetable.
If you wish to apply using an alternative format, please contact Prospectus on 020 7691 1920 or email executive.admin@prospect-us.co.uk
Applications via the Prospectus website should be made at: https://prospect-us.co.uk/job/194651
At Prospectus we believe passionately that a truly inclusive workplace leads to increased social impact. We are committed to supporting our clients build more inclusive teams. To understand how we are performing, we ask that you kindly complete the brief equal opportunities questionnaire when you submit your application via our website. Please be assured that your responses are kept confidential, separate from your candidate record, are not part of any application you make, and that the consultants never see individual responses to the questionnaire.
Recruitment Timetable
Deadline for applications: Sunday 7th June (midnight)
Interviews with Prospectus: w/c 15th June
Interviews with Berkshire Community Foundation: 8th July
Queries
If you wish to have an informal discussion about the opportunity, please contact our retained advisors Jane Ray or Tammy Stewart at Prospectus by email: jane.ray@prospect-us.co.uk tammy.stewart@prospect-us.co.uk
Connecting people who care with the causes that matter.