Chief Delivery Officer (CDO) in London

Location: LifeLine House, with travel across our delivery areas

Work capacity: 9am–5:30pm, Monday – Friday, 37.5 hours per week (Occasional evenings & weekends reflecting service delivery)

About the role:

To lead LifeLine’s delivery across Young People’s Services, Families, and Wellbeing Services, ensuring managers are supported to provide high-quality programmes that demonstrate impact and exceed funder expectations. As part of the executive team, you will deputise for the CEO and represent the charity in local, regional, and national settings whilst ensuring the LifeLine values remain true to our vision and mission. You will take on additional Support Services responsibilities across the organisation to ensure the smooth running of the organisation.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Direct all of LifeLine’s delivery departments, working in partnership with support services and galvanising the operational delivery team.
• Work across all delivery departments to ensure regular dialogue with funders, partners, and stakeholders, and develop relationships with new potential funders, partners, and stakeholders to investigate, instigate, and invest in new initiatives.
• Provide direct programme management where necessary, taking up line management of delivery staff and liaising with stakeholders.
• Manage, motivate, and monitor the management team in line with internal policies and procedures including the Performance Management Framework, Health and Safety, and the LifeLine code of conduct.
• Ensure managers are regularly monitoring contract performance and staff caseloads to guarantee the most efficient and effective use of resources and development opportunities for staff.
• Ensure all key data points are agreed and all data is well managed and applied to develop and demonstrate the strengths of LifeLine’s delivery models and the resulting impact.
• Ensure all departments meet their KPIs and budget to agreed target and thorough reports are submitted on time.
• Develop an environment of trust where communication, sharing of knowledge and best practice is encouraged and shared across departments and where there is a willingness to tackle and resolve problems.
• Lead managers to identify staff training needs and develop training programmes that are in line with LifeLine’s vision, mission, and values.
• Raise the profile of the charity through excellent delivery, effective communications, and influence the way systems are delivered regionally and locally.
• Advance LifeLine’s reputation and standing with the local boroughs in accordance with the business plan.
• Deputise for the CEO as and when necessary.

In common with other staff:

• Support LifeLine’s equal opportunities policy and work actively to overcome discrimination on grounds of race, sex, gender, disability, sexuality, age, pregnancy or maternity, or status in our services.
• Carry out all duties in accordance with Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and Data Protection requirements.
• Ensure the highest standards of customer service and care are provided at all times.
• Duties are neither exclusive nor exhaustive and the post holder may be required to carry out other appropriate duties as may be required by the management, within the grading level of the post and the competency of the post holder.

Qualifications and competency requirements:

• Experience minimum of 5 years in a managerial role, leading programmes, supervising staff, submitting reports and managing budgets.
• Strong background in youth work, family support, and/or service delivery.
• Implementing and concluding programmes.
• Managing a budget of over £1,000,000.
• Delivering targets in a challenging environment and in line with best management practice.
• Working with statutory services.
• Demonstrating organisational impact.
• Leading a charity as part of the SMT.

Skills and abilities:

• Lead multiple teams ensuring KPIs are met while the charity vision, mission, and values remain at the forefront of our work.
• Support managers to develop and manage performance, conduct disciplinaries, and coach staff to improve.
• Identify business development opportunities and develop external relationships with referrers and potential funders.
• Submit reports relating to performance which also demonstrate LifeLine’s values and strategy.
• Ensure LifeLine is well‑represented at partnership meetings in line with our strategy.
• Implement new programmes.
• Hold a charity‑wide responsibility and lead staff outside of your direct line management.
• Represent and lead the organisation in line with our values, vision and mission.

Qualifications:

• Level 2 in English & Maths; relevant degree or equivalent experience.

Preferred:

• Understanding of secondary education and funding systems.
• Understanding of statutory services, family and mental health support.
• Understanding of Early Years and Ofsted.
• Experience holding cross‑organisation responsibilities and leading staff outside of your direct line management.
• Delivering to an organisational volunteering strategy.
• Experience of fundraising.
• Attracting funding from charitable trusts and delivering programmes in a way that appeals to charitable trusts.
• Leading or managing Early Years provision.