Chief Executive Officer in London

Imroc is seeking a Chief Executive Officer to provide strategic, values-led leadership as the organisation enters its next phase of development. This is a significant leadership opportunity for someone who can combine a strong commitment to recovery and lived experience leadership with the strategic, organisational and commercial judgement needed to lead a relatively small, influential charity. Working closely with the Board of Trustees and senior colleagues, the CEO will shape clear priorities, strengthen organisational and financial sustainability, build future leadership capability, and create new opportunities for impact and growth.

The successful candidate will be joining an organisation with a distinctive philosophy and more than 20 years of experience influencing recovery-focused practice. Imroc works in England and globally, combining consultancy and organisational development, accredited training, coaching and mentorship, thought leadership, evaluation and research.

What Imroc does

• Training – co-produced, practical and recovery-focused programmes designed to build skills, confidence and meaningful culture change.
• Consultancy and organisational development – collaborative support that helps organisations embed recovery principles, co-production and lived experience into practice and organisational culture.
• Research and evaluation – evidence-based work that contributes to learning across mental health and related systems and underpins Imroc’s training and consultancy.
• Thought leadership and influence – sharing learning, challenging established practice and helping shape more inclusive and recovery-focused systems.

At the heart of Imroc’s work is a commitment to recovery, peer support, co-production/co-development, equality, diversity and inclusion, and lived experience leadership.

Purpose of the role

The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for providing strategic, values-led leadership to Imroc, ensuring the organisation continues to influence and transform mental health systems through recovery-focused consultancy, research, training and innovation. Working closely with the Board of Trustees, the CEO will lead the organisation through its next phase of development by creating a clear strategic vision, building sustainable partnerships, identifying new opportunities for growth and ensuring Imroc remains financially sustainable whilst remaining true to its values and recovery philosophy.

The CEO will lead Imroc through a period of organisational transition, strengthening organisational and financial sustainability, developing future leadership capability, and positioning the charity for its next phase of development. They will inspire an inclusive, high-performing culture where people are supported, challenged and enabled to do their best work, ensuring Imroc continues to have meaningful impact both nationally and internationally.

Imroc’s new Chief Executive Officer will:

• Provide inspiring, values-led strategic and executive leadership;
• Successfully lead Imroc through its next phase of organisational development and transition;
• Establish clear strategic priorities and ensure these translate into organisational action;
• Strengthen Imroc’s influence nationally and internationally;
• Create new opportunities for sustainable growth and impact;
• Build sustainable strategic partnerships;
• Strengthen Imroc’s long-term financial sustainability;
• Develop organisational and leadership capability;
• Develop an engaged, confident and high-performing team;
• Ensure lived experience leadership, peer support, co-production and recovery principles are meaningfully embedded across Imroc;
• Champion innovation and thought leadership whilst enabling a wider range of voices across Imroc to contribute to its influence;
• Ensure Imroc continues to have a meaningful impact on mental health systems and communities.

Key responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership to Imroc, ensuring the organisation remains focused on delivering its charitable objectives and long-term vision.
• Work collaboratively with the Board of Trustees to set and deliver Imroc’s strategic direction, translating the organisation’s purpose and values into clear organisational priorities.
• Provide effective executive oversight of organisational and operational performance, ensuring resources, systems and organisational capability support strategic priorities.
• Continually scan the external environment to identify emerging opportunities, challenges and changes across mental health, health, social care and wider systems.
• Translate strategic opportunities into innovative products, partnerships, and services that align with Imroc’s mission.
• Ensure organisational structures, capabilities and resources continue to evolve to meet future priorities.
• Lead Imroc effectively through organisational, cultural and strategic change.
• Champion continuous improvement and innovation.

Leadership and culture

• Lead an inclusive, compassionate and value-led organisational culture.
• Foster an environment where people feel supported whilst also being appropriately challenged to achieve high standards.
• Lead with authenticity, integrity, and a strong commitment to recovery principles.
• Ensure Imroc’s values, recovery philosophy, commitment to EDI, peer support, co-production/co-development and lived experience leadership are reflected throughout organisational culture, priorities and decision-making.
• Build leadership capability through coaching, mentoring, and development.
• Promote collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement across consultants and colleagues.
• Ensure difficult conversations are approached constructively, respectfully, and in a way that enables growth.

Business development and external influence

• Build and maintain strategic partnerships across the NHS, voluntary sector, academia, research organisations and wider system partners.
• Proactively identify and create new business opportunities, strategic partnerships and sources of sustainable income that increase Imroc’s impact and strengthen long-term financial sustainability.
• Represent Imroc nationally through networking, speaking engagements, conferences, and stakeholder engagement.
• Position Imroc as an influential, values-led and recovery-focused thought leader, creating opportunities for colleagues and people with lived experience to contribute to Imroc’s external voice and influence.
• Support the development of bids, proposals, and strategic partnerships that align with Imroc’s values and expertise.
• Build relationships that open opportunities for others across Imroc to develop and deliver new work.

Financial sustainability

• Work closely with the Chief Operating Officer and Board to ensure long-term financial sustainability.
• Oversee financial planning, budgeting, and organisational performance.
• Ensure effective stewardship of organisational resources.
• Support and enable income generation through consultancy, partnerships, grants, and other opportunities.
• Ensure strategic and operational decisions take account of Imroc’s long-term financial sustainability.

Governance

• Maintain a strong and effective relationship with the Board of Trustees.
• Maintain oversight of effective strategic governance frameworks, ensuring clear accountability, effective decision-making, and appropriate organisational assurance.
• Ensure the organisation meets all legal and regulatory obligations.
• Support Trustees through timely reporting, strategic advice, and effective governance.
• Promote high standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability.

People leadership

• Lead, support, and develop senior colleagues.
• Build organisational capability and succession planning.
• Create an environment where people are empowered to contribute their expertise.
• Encourage collaboration whilst maintaining accountability for delivery.
• Lead through periods of change in a way that maintains engagement, organisational confidence, and effective delivery.
• Create the conditions in which lived experience leadership, peer support and co-production are valued and embedded across the organisation.

Person specification

Essential experience

• Significant senior executive leadership experience, including experience of organisational and operational management.
• Demonstrable experience of leading organisations through significant organisational, cultural or strategic change, while maintaining staff engagement, stakeholder confidence and organisational performance.
• Experience leading organisational strategy and change.
• Experience working effectively with Boards or Trustees.
• Experience developing and leading high-performing teams.
• Experience building strategic partnerships and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Experience contributing to organisational financial sustainability and identifying opportunities for sustainable growth.
• Experience within mental health, health, or social care.

Essential knowledge and skills

• Strong strategic thinking and commercial awareness.
• Excellent relationship building and influencing skills.
• Ability to identify future opportunities and translate these into organisational priorities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to lead with both compassion and accountability.
• Strong judgement and decision-making skills.
• Ability to manage complexity and ambiguity.
• Demonstrable commitment to values-led leadership and to embedding equality, diversity and inclusion, recovery principles, peer support and co-production/co-development within organisational culture, leadership and decision-making.
• A strong understanding of recovery philosophy, peer support, co-production and lived experience leadership.
• Demonstrable understanding of lived experience leadership and the ability to value and embed lived experience in all aspects of the role and the work of the organisation.
• Personal experience of mental health challenges, either personally or as a family member/carer, together with an ability to reflect on how this experience influences your values, priorities, and practice.

Desirable experience

• Experience within consultancy or professional services.
• Experience of research partnerships or academia.
• Experience of public speaking and thought leadership.
• Experience securing funding, consultancy opportunities or strategic partnerships.
• Experience working internationally.
• Postgraduate qualification or equivalent experience.

Personal attributes

• Authentic and values-led leadership.
• Curiosity and a commitment to learning.
• Creativity and innovation.
• Resilience and adaptability.
• Collaborative leadership.
• Courage to make difficult decisions.
• Ability to inspire confidence and build trust.
• Commitment to Imroc’s recovery philosophy.
• A commitment to sharing power and ensuring lived experience meaningfully informs organisational leadership and decision-making.
• The ability to balance strategic leadership with practical executive leadership required within a relatively small organisation.

Recruitment process and timetable

Timing & Activity

• Wednesday 19 August – Sunday 6 September - Application window
• Monday 14 September – Wednesday 16 September - First stage interviews (subject to change)
• Monday 21 September – Wednesday 23 September - Second stage final interviews (subject to change)

How to apply

To apply for the Chief Executive Officer role, please submit: your current CV; and a covering letter setting out your interest in the role and how your experience, skills and approach align with the requirements set out in this candidate pack.

Application details

• Salary - £90,0000
• Location - London - Hybrid
• Where to apply - Directly to this advertisement
• Contact for an informal discussion - Kathryn Wileman. Clover HR
• Interview arrangements - First stage and second stage Imroc interviews will be arranged virtually.

Accessibility and inclusion

Imroc’s work is grounded in inclusion, equity, co-production and lived experience. Candidates are encouraged to let the recruitment team know if they require any reasonable adjustments or other support to participate fully in the recruitment process.

Find out more: More information about Imroc, its work, publications, training, consultancy and research is available at their website.