Chief Executive | Community Link Stafford & District

Chief Executive Community Link Stafford & District

Lead a community transport organisation and continue to grow our contracts and services so that we help even more people reach the places and services that matter to them.

• Location: Stafford ST16 3EL

Community Link Stafford & District is seeking its next Chief Executive as its current CEO prepares to retire. The charity has served Stafford and District since the mid-1980s, helping people who cannot access transport in other ways to stay connected and reach essential services.

Today, Community Link supports around 350 members who may face barriers because of age, disability, health, where they live or limited public transport. Volunteer drivers remain at the heart of this service. Mainstream and SEN school transport contracts provide important income that helps sustain member transport across Stafford and District.

This is an opportunity for a values-led leader to protect and develop that purpose while leading a complex transport organisation. You will bring sound financial and commercial judgement, build strong local relationships and ensure that contracts, people and resources support reliable, accessible transport for members and the wider community.

Who we are

Community Link has been operating since the mid-1980s, first under the auspices of Stafford Borough Council Voluntary Services and, since 2002, as an independent charity. Its purpose has remained consistent: to provide transport for members who cannot access it because of age, disability, health, location or a lack of public transport. Around 350 people are members today and volunteer drivers continue to provide much of this service.

Community Link is a well-regarded local provider and has been one of the Mayor of Stafford’s chosen charities in recent years.

The charity also delivers mainstream and SEN school transport contracts. This work brings in income that supports the member transport service and helps keep it available in Stafford and District. The contracts and fleet are an important part of how Community Link sustains its charitable purpose.

Community Link operates around 50 minibuses and five wheelchair-adapted cars. The mix reflects its broad transport work, including school contracts as well as accessible community journeys for members.

About the role

As the Chief Executive, you will provide the leadership needed to protect Community Link’s core member transport service and support its sustainable development.

Working closely with staff, volunteer drivers and the wider volunteer community, you will:

• Set a clear direction rooted in our purpose, building strong relationships with members, local authority partners, commissioners and the wider community.
• Oversee financial performance, contract costing, reporting and compliance, ensuring that home to school and SEN contract income supports sustainable services for members.
• Lead and develop employees and volunteers, and identify ways to strengthen accessible community transport and other sustainable income.

Who we are looking for

You will be a visible, thoughtful leader who can earn trust, keep the needs of members and older people in view and balance the charity’s purpose with the commercial realities of a contract-led transport service.

You will bring:

• Experience leading people and building effective relationships with a range of stakeholders, ideally in a similarly complex service organisation.
• Strong financial and commercial judgement and ability to grow home-to-school and other contracts, cost control, budget planning and to mitigate organisational risk.

Experience in transport, local authority contracts or a regulated operational setting would be valuable.

The Board is open to candidates who can demonstrate the judgement and curiosity to understand the sector and how contract income can sustain our member service.

Welcome from the Chair of the Board of Trustees

Thank you for your interest in becoming Community Link’s next Chief Executive.

Community Link has a clear purpose: helping members who cannot access transport in other ways to reach the places and services that matter to them.

We have been doing this in Stafford and District since the mid-1980s. We began under the auspices of Stafford Borough Council Voluntary Services and became an independent charity in 2002. Today, around 350 members may need our support because of age, disability, health, where they live or a lack of public transport.

Volunteer drivers remain central to this work. Our mainstream and SEN school transport contracts generate income that helps us continue the member service, alongside a wider fleet of minibuses and wheelchair‑adapted cars. Together, these services help older people and others in our community access health appointments, essential services, activities and social connections.

As Graham prepares to retire, the new Chief Executive will inherit a committed team, an established service and a strong local reputation. The role is to lead the whole organisation, safeguard its purpose and make sure its contracts, finances and people support accessible transport for the long term.

We hope this opportunity will appeal to someone who combines sound judgement with warmth, energy and a commitment to practical community transport.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Colin Martindale
Chair of the Board of Trustees, Community Link

About us

Community Link is an independent charity serving Stafford and District. It has operated since the mid-1980s, initially under Stafford Borough Council Voluntary Services, and became independent in 2002.

Its purpose is to provide transport for around 350 members who may be unable to access other provision because of age, disability, health, location or limited public transport. Volunteer drivers still provide much of this service. It helps older people and other members reach appointments, essential services, community activities and social connections.

Community Link also delivers mainstream and SEN school transport contracts. Their income helps sustain the member service and retain it within Stafford and District. The charity operates around 50 minibuses and five wheelchair‑adapted cars, supporting its varied community and contract transport work.

The charity has 90 employees and 12 volunteers, 102 people in total. Employees include drivers, passenger assistants and a small office team.

The charity brings volunteers together through regular lunches and newsletters and values their contribution to the community.

Recruitment selection processes are based on evidence of competence stated in the person specification and in relation to our values.

Timetable

Closing date: 9 a.m. Friday 13th November 2026
First stage interviews: Tuesday 24th November 2026
Second stage interviews: Wednesday 9th December 2026

Peridot and Community Link Stafford & District are committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions.We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout, and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.

The information will be treated confidentially and anonymously and will help us to support our commitment to fair recruitment practice. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with anyone, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018.

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