VACANCY NOTICE – CHIEF EXECUTIVE

VACANCY NOTICE – CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Applications are invited for the full-time post of Chief Executive, Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association Northern Ireland (RFCA NI) based in Belfast. This is a Crown Service (Civil Service Grade B2 equivalent) post that will become vacant in December 2021.

As a Crown Body, RFCA NI is funded to deliver a range of essential support and enabling functions for the Reserve Forces and the Service Cadet youth organisations in our area, and to engender the widest support for reserves and cadets across society. In addition, the Association carries out a range of other enabling and support functions for the MOD. The Association’s area spans the whole of NI.

The Chief Executive is responsible for the broad range of the Association’s tasks, supporting and enabling activities, engagement and influence, and activities across NI.

Functions include delivery of employer engagement and support for the Reserve Forces, recruiting support for the Reserve Forces and the Cadets, youth activities, estate works and management, wider support to the Armed Forces through ‘Firm Base’ and Community Engagement, specific oversight of the relationship between all cadet organisations and wider society in NI and oversight of both the delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant in NI as well as veterans’ welfare services.

Significantly, it involves engagement with the Association’s network of Volunteer Members who include key stakeholders and influencers (military, civilian, civic) in all walks of life. The job involves frequent engagement and interaction at senior level nationally and locally up to ministerial level with the MOD and other government departments, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), the MOD’s single Services and the wider community. It is extremely varied in nature and the Chief Executive is closely engaged with a spectrum of Defence-related issues.

Outline Job Specification

Applicants should have extensive Service, staff and command experience – or civilian equivalent – at Grade 1 (OF4) level as a minimum. Appropriate experience of the Armed Forces is essential, and knowledge of the Reserve Forces, the Service Cadet Organisations and MOD budgetary procedures is highly desirable.

The Chief Executive is responsible to the Chairman and Board of RFCA NI who are civilian volunteers with a background experience at senior level of the Reserve Forces and the Cadets, and with key business

expertise. The Chief Executive is responsible for:

a. Leadership, overall direction and coordination of the Association’s staff members.

b. Meeting the outputs and key performance indicators laid down in Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with our MOD and other customers – Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force, Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), the Centre Staffs, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and the Confederation of British Service Charities Organisation (Cobseo).

c. As budget holder with delegated powers, financial management of the Association’s budget.

d. All matters relating to the Association’s engagement with and on behalf of the Reserve Forces and the Service Cadet Organisations.

e. Providing and maintaining suitable, legally compliant accommodation for Reserves and Cadets across all Northern Ireland sites, ensuring the most economic use of land and buildings, including effective acquisition and disposal; and to optimise the income generated from the estate by the sub-letting of Association properties and wider market initiatives.

f. The efficient administration and logistic support to the Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps units in Northern Ireland – delivered by the Association’s Cadet Professional Support Staff (PSS).

g. Management of, and support to, the Association’s wide and diverse Volunteer Membership.

h. Attend, participate, host management of representational and other ad hoc meetings, committees, conferences and events to meet the objectives of the Association.

i. Represent and advocate on behalf of the Association with a wide range of Service and Civil Authorities, and civilian bodies.

j. Be prepared to hold a ‘Lead Chief Executive’ appointment in support of one of the functional areas of the Council of RFCAs’ business.

k. Reporting to the Minister for the Armed Forces, conduct oversight of the relationship between the MOD-sponsored cadet forces and both the education sector and wider society in NI.

l. Report to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the MOD on the delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant in Northern Ireland.

m. Provide oversight – through the Northern Ireland Veterans’ Support Office (NIVSO) – of the delivery of support to veterans throughout NI, reporting to Cobseo and the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs.

The salary for the appointment is Civil Service Grade B2 equivalent. There is an expectation that the candidate will be regularly prepared to work outside normal hours including occasional weekend days for which some overtime pay may be claimed. Annual leave, excluding public holidays, is 30 days. A career average (CARE) Pension Scheme is available. An Association car up to a new retail of value £29,000 may be provided and applicants must hold a current driving licence. They should be prepared to live within reasonable commuting distance of Belfast and be prepared to travel extensively across Northern Ireland, and regularly to London and elsewhere to attend Council of RFCA Executive Board and associated meetings.

The appointment is for an initial probationary period of six months, continuing as a permanent position thereafter. The successful candidate will be required to attend a medical and be security cleared prior to appointment and to obtain Access NI clearance.

Applicants should familiarise themselves with the Job Description before completion of the Application Form and Fair Employment Monitoring Form.

Application packs containing the above are available from Mrs Kirsty Dunlop, Business Co-ordinator, RFCA NI:

RFCA NI

25 Windsor Park

Belfast

BT9 6FR [email protected]

Applications should be marked PERSONAL FOR BUSINESS CO-ORDINATOR and sent by POST to the above address to be received no later than 5 pm on Monday 16th August 2021. The shortlist of applicants will be notified as soon as possible after that date. Interviews will be held in Belfast in September 2021.