HorseWorld Trust CEO Appointment Brief

Chief

Executive Officer

Appointment Brief

May 2024

Who we are

Established in 1952, HorseWorld Trust is a registered charity that is committed to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing horses, ponies and donkeys in need.

Our farm (170 acres) is located between Bristol and Bath and today we are responsible for over 300 equines, of which 110 are on-site. Our Welfare Yard is home to all our new arrivals, including sick, neglected and traumatised animals where our team of dedicated staff concentrate on their care and rehabilitation.

We also run a ground-breaking educational programme called Discovery, an Alternative Provider. This helps children and young people with physical, emotional and behavioural difficulties through hands-on activities with some of our horses. A case of rescued horses helping to rescue children and young people.

Rescue and Rehoming

HorseWorld rescues neglected, mistreated and abandoned horses, ponies and donkeys. We work alongside the police, fire and rescue services, vets and other charities to rescue horses, ponies and donkeys predominately in the Southwest and South Wales. Equines that come into HorseWorld’s care often need emergency care and we have vets on call 24 hours a day to assist with rescues. Our dedicated team of grooms work around the clock to save the lives of these animals.

Once we rescue a horse and it has been nursed back to health we can begin rehabilitation work. Our training team work patiently with horses from all backgrounds. In most cases we don’t know their history, so training begins with the smallest steps to gain the horses’ trust. Some horses go on to have ridden careers whereas others have psychological and physical problems, so they live a quiet life either as a companion pony or as a member of the HorseWorld herd.

With room for around 100 horses on site, we work hard to find them new homes. All the rideable horses in training are actively promoted on our website to help them find new homes, but there are also many more non-working companion animals that do not appear on these pages.

Read more about this here.

Our Charitable Aims

HorseWorld has two principal charitable objectives:

1. The rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of equines allied with actively promoting and encouraging responsible equine ownership.

2. Educating children with emotional, behavioural and learning difficulties through the Discovery Programme.

Discovery

Some of the proudest work at HorseWorld has been in pioneering Discovery Courses. The calming, steadying influence of working with and caring for horses has long been recognised.

Discovery welcome over 260 young people each year helping them with self-growth, confidence and concentration issues - and of course the horses enjoy the attention too! Discovery courses are run for young people (aged 6 to 25) who will typically be outside the mainstream education system and present an array of challenging behaviours. These include issues with communication, concentration and impulse control problems and withdrawn students. The Discovery Courses are particularly beneficial to individuals with autism and/ or ADHD.

Horses react as a mirror to a person. As prey animals, they want to feel safe whilst watchful for predators. They become fearful if a human is aggressive, noisy, disrespectful or too controlling. If someone makes requests rather than demands the horse begins to cooperate. Horses look for a leader and given a little insight into how to deal with a horse a young person can become the natural leader the horse is seeking.

Young people typically accept things at face value, are open to developing an ‘equal’ relationship rather than needing to control. They can give the direct commands which horses seek so they know what to do. The horse in return feels safe and will respond positively to what the student asks of it. Unlike humans, horses do not judge.

Young people on Discovery Courses build their knowledge and competency levels, both in a practical sense and on

an emotional level. The skills developed are retained far beyond HorseWorld and apply at school, the home and the world in general. Many young people have gone on to take City & Guild “Working Skills for Life” qualifications. On a broader level confidence, selfcontrol, initiative, motivation and communication skills improve. An awareness of team working, risk assessment and leadership skills also improve. Several Discovery Course attendees have gone on to work within the equestrian world and at HorseWorld.

With mental health, emotional wellbeing and behavioural issues all having increasing impacts on young people, especially post Covid, there is a very high demand for our Discovery Programme. We are struggling to meet this demand and we also require investment in the Discovery Centre which needs further refurbishment allied with additional trained staff if we are to reach more young people.

Financial Overview

Our principal source of funding comes from legacies with additional income secured from trusts and foundations for Discovery and funding for rescued and welfare operation. There is also an investment portfolio and strong reserves in place. Full audited financial reports up to December 2022 can be seen here. Draft accounts for the financial year ending 31 December 2023 record:

*Note, 2023 was an exceptional year for Legacy income.

Organisation Chart

Chief Executive Officer

Deputy CEO Head of Discovery

Maintenance Manager

Finance Officer

HR & Training Officer

Reception Administrator H&S Administrator

Discovery Course Facilitator x 3

Senior Facilitator (Post 16)

Discovery Course Trainee Head of Supporter Development

Grant Fundraising Manager

Senior Facilitator (Training)

Discovery Operations Coordinator

Data Management Officer Supporter Care Executive

Legacy Marketing Officer

Community Partnerships Officer

Maintenance Assistant x 2

PR & Digital Comms Manager

Equine Welfare Operations Manager Head of Engagement Head of Equine Welfare

Equine Training & Rehoming Supervisor

Equine Welfare Advisor

Equine Critical Care Supervisor

Fundraising & Engagement Coordinator

Digital Communications Executive

Rehoming Coordinator

Welfare Administrator

Senior Discovery Groom

Discovery Groom x 6

Equine Training Assistant

Groom Senior Welfare Groom x 2 Welfare Groom x 8 Farm Assistant

Role Description

Job Title: Chief Executive Officer

Location: Whitchurch, Bristol

Direct Reports: Deputy CEO, Heads of: Discovery, Equine Welfare, Supporter Development, and Engagement

Salary: Circa £90,000

Purpose: The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will deliver leadership, unifying the organisation and providing the strategic direction to advance the mission of creating a community where horses and people are safe, can connect and enjoy learning. The CEO’s leadership will be instrumental in developing and delivering against the strategic plan; building external relationships; shaping the future of equine rescue; rehabilitation and equine assisted learning. Through this HorseWorld will continue to help more horses; more people and share knowledge to benefit the wider community.

Prime Accountabilities

• Ensure the organisation is financially sustainable, its legal duties and responsibilities for governance are met.

• Set a clear strategic direction for the organisation, in consultation with the Board, that inspires and engages our people, supporters and other stakeholders and reporting to the Board with a focus on outcomes, collaboration and transformational learning.

• Ensure effective fundraising to support our initiatives, growing income and cultivating meaningful partnerships within the equine welfare community, equine assisted service providers and across a range of external supporters.

• Ensure coherence and cooperation across HorseWorld teams to maintain a high standard of care for the rescued equines and achieve maximum impact from our Discovery programme, while empowering and motivating all staff to undertake their responsibilities.

• Ensure then highest standards of Safeguarding are maintained throughout the charity.

Prime Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the execution of HorseWorld’s organisational vision, mission and strategy.

• Provide strategic direction through the charity’s 2022-2027 strategic plan achieving measurable and meaningful impact.

• Oversee the development and implementation of operational plans to ensure effective delivery of the key objectives.

• Facilitate the development and delivery of key performance indicators, including operating and financial targets, being accountable to Board of Trustees for the overall financial health of the organisation.

• Empower and enable the Senior Management Team holding them to high standards.

Build and Lead Relationships with Key External Stakeholders

• Support the development of the HorseWorld profile with new audiences to identify new sources of income which supports future growth.

• Working with the Fundraising team, establish relationships with Bristol and Bath based companies to raise awareness of HorseWorld’s contribution to the local community and seek financial support.

• Create effective relationships with donors and volunteers, hosting on-site visits and events to increase support for the charity’s work.

• Develop HorseWorld’s partnership working, cultivating relationships with the local authorities, charities, schools and other relevant bodies.

• Act as the senior public spokesperson for HorseWorld.

Grow and Develop the Charity

• Further develop the organisational structures and processes to ensure the very best equine welfare and optimum impact of our Discovery programme.

• Respond with agility to changing circumstances, including options for site expansion, developing satellite operations and exploring partnership opportunities.

• Enhance and embed the charity’s focus on learning through effective performance management, career development opportunities and cross departmental working.

• Develop the charity’s income streams with clear income generation strategies are in place together with fundraising targets and appropriate monitoring.

• Frequently review the charity’s branding and communication strategies.

Governance and Financial Management

• Ensure legal and statutory compliance in all areas of the charity’s work, especially Safeguarding.

• Be actively involved with trustees in contributing to policy, business planning and evaluation.

• Overall responsibility for the effective and efficient management of the charity’s budget.

• Ensure all governance regulations are met in accordance with the Charity Commission’s guidelines.

Person Specification

Essential Experience

• Successful experience at an executive level of working with a charity or commercial board.

• Experience of growing and developing an organisation at a leadership level, through maximising opportunities.

• A proven strategic thinker with the ability to articulate a clear vision.

• A credible leader, whose style encourages, motivates, inspires and develops people.

• Experience of working closely with and building credible relationships with a variety of stakeholders at all levels.

• A track record of working with senior stakeholders to secure income or support.

• Excellent communication skills with effective listening, influencing and negotiation skills.

• A track record of sound operational planning.

• Experience of measuring impact to make a positive difference.

• Proven financial planning and management skills.

• A track record of managing change.

• Experience of significant project management.

Desirable Experience

• Experience of equine welfare and an understanding of the rehabilitation process for rescued horses.

• Experience of alternative learning provision in the education sector , especially an understanding of Special Educational Needs.

Essential Skills

• A credible advocate for equine welfare issues and education support for young people allied with an understanding of how equines can have a positive impact on the lives of young people, particularly those with special educational needs.

How to Apply

To apply to become Chief Executive Officer at HorseWorld Trust, please upload the following documents to our website:

• Your CV, drawing out relevant experience for the role.

• A supporting statement of up to 1,000 words that addresses the criteria set out in the person specification as well as your interest in the organisation’s work.

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. Please also notify us if you require a postal application.

Applications via the Prospectus website should be made at: https://www.prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/188288

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: Wednesday 5th June 2024

Interviews with Prospectus: 12-19th June 2024

Interviews with HorseWorld Trust: w/c 24th June 2024

Queries

If you have any queries or wish to have an informal discussion about the opportunity, please contact our retained advisors Anna Gardet or Hayley Sheldon with a copy of your CV: Anna.Gardet@prospect-us.co.uk Hayley.Sheldon@prospect-us.co.uk

Photo credit: Jo Hansford Photography