About us This is a rare opportunity to lead our Support & Communities teams who provide direct support, practical guidance and other patient focused activities to over 1500 members and their families, UK-wide, whose lives are affected by MPS, Fabry and related diseases. Our Support Team raise awareness both within the MPS community and external agencies, offering information, advice, support, and advocacy in a range of areas including health and social care, housing, education, transition, independent living, palliative care, and bereavement. Our Projects and Communities team contribute to the development of our resources and facilitate project work such as youth engagement, advisory boards, and support groups, as well as leading on support focused social media. Ideal candidate As Head of Support & Communities, you will exhibit strong leadership skills and have significant experience working within a health and social care or relevant field of work. You will have an in-depth understanding of the needs of those with disabilities, their families and carers. You will primarily be responsible for the overall management and development of the teams and the services they provide. As the company safeguarding lead you will have an in-depth understanding of policy and procedure to protect all. You will be a relationship builder who cares about the community we serve and ensures that the individual (or family) remains at the centre of support. You will have a good understanding of managing budgets and able to produce accurate monitoring/evaluation reports. Excellent IT skills and the ability to plan, prioritise and deliver to tight timescales are essential. You will be self-motivated and highly organised, juggling many strands of work. As a team player, you will demonstrate a willingness to participate in the day-to-day activities of the team, have excellent staff management and development skills along with the confidence to motivate and inspire. You will have the passion to work with us to develop our services, play an active role in our senior leadership team and work with members and other key departments to move the charity forward to achieve its goals. What we can offer you Join us and you will be working for a caring charity offering: A competitive salary Generous annual leave of 25 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part time hours) Extra leave between Christmas and the New Year Pension Life assurance (subject to the conditions of the scheme) Employee assistance programme offering support 24/7 Further information The successful candidate must be eligible to work in the UK. The main duties, responsibilities and essential requirements of this role can be viewed on the attached job description. This is an essential car user post. The applicant must hold a current UK driver’s licence, with no more than 6 points, have access to a car and be able and willing to drive UK wide as required. This role is offered on a hybrid basis with a minimum of 2 days in our Amersham office each week. As part of the role, UK wide travel is necessary. which may on occasion include early morning and/or evening working and sometimes overnight stays. You may also occasionally be required to attend evening or weekend conferences and events. We have policies in place to ensure that any unsociable hours worked are fairly compensated. This is a full-time role (35 hrs per week) however part time hours, with a minimum of 28 hrs per week may be agreed for the right candidate. Salary will be pro-rata for part-time. We encourage candidates to visit the MPS Society website to learn more about us and the community we serve. Alternatively, if you would like an informal chat about the role or the work of the MPS Society, please contact Sophie Thomas. Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) The MPS Society is a charity that provides a range of care, support and activities for children and adults at risk throughout the UK. This is provided in several ways through our dedicated support and advocacy service, annual events, patient expert meetings and conferences. MPS staff, trustees and volunteers may be asked to be involved in the delivery of its regulated activities and therefore will require an enhanced DBS check during recruitment and for this to be reviewed on a regular basis. To apply: Please provide your CV and a cover statement giving examples to demonstrate your competencies, achievements and skills alongside explaining how your previous roles and experiences make you the candidate we are looking for. Closing Date: whilst we have an initial closing date of 18 July, we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview and assessment.