Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine (FFLM) is a Faculty of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).  It is a registered charity founded in 2005 to develop and maintain the highest possible standards of competence and professional integrity in the field of forensic and legal medicine. Its purpose is to advance education and knowledge, and develop and maintain good practice, in the field.

Find out more about FFLM here.

Contract: Permanent pending successful probationary period (six months from start date)

Location: Remote working/ Occasional travel

Responsible to: FFLM Board

Reports to: President/Registrar

Key relationships:         

• Treasurer
• Senior officers, officers, and Board members
• FFLM members and prospective members
• FFLM accountants and payroll manager
• FFLM auditors
• FFLM bankers
• Journal publishers
• Suppliers
• FFLM and IFAS staff

Working Hours: 

25 per week (pro rata based on 35-hour working week)

Monday to Friday worked flexibly as occasional evening and weekend working is required.

Occasional travel in the UK required with overnight stays.

Annual Leave: 29 days plus bank holidays (pro rata)

The post holder will develop and maintain key internal and external relationships to deliver the FFLM’s key priorities agreed by the Board. This will include all FFLM senior officers, and office staff. The post holder will be required to develop external communications and relationships with other professional colleges and bodies, government offices, and policymakers and in doing so always aligning with the FFLM’s vision.

The Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IFAS) currently resides within the FFLM. The postholder will establish relationships with the IFAS team to consider shared objectives and reputational opportunities.

The FFLM is governed by a Board of Trustees. The post holder will report to the Board whilst not being a member of the Board and as such will be excluded from confidential Board business.                                   

Job purpose:

The post holder will be responsible for the strategic and operational delivery of the FFLM’s overall aims and objectives. This requires strategic leadership and direct communication with the FFLM President and senior officers.

The post holder will be accountable to the FFLM Board of Trustees

Key job-specific responsibilities are:

• To lead the development of strategic and operational proposals for the FFLM supported by clear evidence, to support strategic decision making at RCP Council.
• To provide a leadership role, supporting the FFLM, its goals and mission.
• To develop internal and external relationships with the intention of exploring and expanding future opportunities for the FFLM (especially as support for the speciality application) The post holder should have strong networking abilities, using their influence to increase awareness of the FFLM and its goals and mission. 
• To hold budget responsibility for FFLM income and appropriate use of the budget including pay and non-pay costs supported by the FFLM Treasurer and Finance and Membership Manager.
• To develop and review FFLM policies and procedures communicating changes to the office staff, senior officers, and volunteers.
• To represent the FFLM publicly, managing media enquiries, and acting appropriately in a way  that reflects favourably on the FFLM and its Partners.
• To oversee the FFLM risk management strategy.
• Direction and expectation setting of senior officers, including the induction of Senior Officer to the FFLM.
• To develop recruitment, induction, training, and retention policies for office staff, senior officers.
• To have oversight of and review job descriptions in conjunction with the postholder.
• To manage subcontracts and external contracts.
• To be responsible for the direction and expectation setting of senior officers in conjunction with the President/ Registrar.
• To line manage and support the office team alongside the elected Registrar  .
• To report to the FFLM Board.
• To attend board meetings regularly but NOT as a board member. As such, the CEO will be excluded from some confidential Board discussions/activity.
• Strengthen external relationships – always aligning with the FFLM’s vision.

General responsibilities:

External Relations:

• To develop collaborative communication with NHS England, Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and other healthcare provider and associated professional bodies. To engage with legal and other professional advisers as required on behalf of the FFLM.
• To develop a communications strategy and relationships with media organisations to facilitate the FFLM contribution to relevant news/media alerts.
• Direct communication with CEOs in other colleges and faculties on joint projects.
• Key contact for external stakeholders.
• Appropriate representation at high level meetings with other organisations.

Strategy:

• In conjunction with the FFLM President and senior officers develop a 3–5-year strategy to promote the FFLM as a leading authority on forensic and legal medicine.
• Lead on strategy and operational goals for the FFLM, transforming strategic goals into operational practice.
• Seek opportunities for development and growth (Spearheading applications for relevant funding streams to ensure that the FFLM is at the forefront of relevant initiatives such as Domestic Abuse (DA) Sexual Violence (SV), Healthcare in Prisons and Secure settings, criminal justice reform etc).
• To develop existing and explore new income streams to ensure long term sustainability of the FFFLM.
• Keep a strategic overview of the sector, identifying emerging trends (including internationally), aiming for the FFLM to be seen as the UK expert.

FFLM Culture:

• As this is a new role to the FFLM, it is expected that the organisation will, in the first six months, be in a period transition. Therefore, the post holder will, with senior officers develop, keep the role under review, including relationships with senior FFLM officers and other key stakeholders, with the intention of developing a new organisational structure which works for the success of the FFLM.
• To be accountable to the president and board. See FFLM Structure Organogram for position within the FFLM (below).
• Maintain an organisational culture of respect, celebration of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and of continuous improvement which attracts staff and other collaborators to the FFLM.
• Where disciplinary action is required within the FFLM, the CEO is to conduct an internal investigation with support from internal staff members and the FFLM’s external HR provider.
• Deputise for senior officers when unavailable. When CEO is on leave, buddying of critical functions will be organised.
• Presiding officer for elections to FFLM roles.
• Direction of senior officers and assisting in the induction / expectation setting of senior officers.
• To provide the FFLM with continuity as senior officer roles rotate. 

Budgeting:

• Practice sound financial and information management including on reserves management, budgetary control, information storage and GDPR.

Please note that this Job Description does not contain an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities. The post holder may be required to provide support in areas not listed on this document.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Experience (Essential/Desirable: E/D)

• Strategic leadership, including delivery on time limited projects within defined budgets (E)
• Multi-agency working at a strategic level (E)
• Engagement with government offices and senior officials including politicians (E)
• Proven experience of leadership in a related field (such as health, justice, probation, education) (E)
• Development of best practice guidance/ publications (E)
• Managing own workloads under pressure to meet multiple and competing deadlines and taking responsibility for outcomes (E)
• Managing social media to effectively promote messages and raise the profile of the FFLM (E)
• Oversight of running website development and the use of social media to promote key messages (E)
• Database management (E)
• Fundraising within a charity / educational setting (E)
• Experience of personnel management (E)

Qualifications, Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to appropriately and constructively challenge all stakeholder (including staff) at all levels (E)
• Knowledge and understanding of forensic medical issues (D)
• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience (E)
• To have completed a relevant Masters (such as MBA) (D)

The Faculty is delighted to announce the opportunity for suitably qualified, high-performing leaders to apply to become our Chief Executive Officer. Further details and a job description are available by selecting the link below.
 
Please apply by sending your CV and a covering letter outlining your experience to date and suitability as a candidate to forensic.medicine@fflm.ac.uk via the 'Apply' button