Job Description

Welcome note from our CEO and Chairman

Thank you for your interest in joining Katharine House Hospice as an Independent Retail Board Director. This is a unique opportunity to contribute your expertise to a cherished local charity that has been delivering compassionate care for over three decades. Our retail operations are a vital part of our fundraising efforts, and your strategic insight could help shape their future.

We are looking to strengthen the retail board in the expectation of retirements over the coming years.

About Katharine House Retail Ltd

Katharine House Retail Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary company of Katharine House Hospice its purpose is to set the strategic direction and oversee the delivery of the hospice's charity retailing operation. Whilst an independent company, it is controlled by the Board of Trustees of the Hospice. The board comprises at the time of writing:

1. Trustee directors who are on both the Hospice's board and the Retail companies board (3 at present)

2. Independent Retail Board Directors, who are solely on the Katharine House Retail board.

3. The Hospice's Chief Executive.

The board is primarily supported by the Retail General Manager.

About Katharine House Hospice

About us

Katharine House Hospice has been at the heart of the Stafford community since 1989, when it was founded as Stafford Hospice at Home. Over the years, it has grown from a small home-based service into a comprehensive care provider, opening its Day Care Unit in 1993 and welcoming its first inpatient in 2000.

Today, the hospice supports nearly 2,000 local people, offering free, specialist care for those with life-limiting illnesses and their families. Care is delivered wherever it's needed most--at the hospice, in the community, or in people's homes--and includes emotional and practical support, wellbeing programmes, complementary therapies, and more.

This legacy of care is made possible by the generosity of the local community, dedicated staff, and over 300 volunteers who give their time and energy to ensure that every patient receives compassionate, dignified support.

Our vision

"People live well and die with dignity in a place of their choice."

Our mission

"We help local adults with complex, progressive illnesses from diagnosis to the end of life through free, high quality, specialist palliative care, advice and guidance, and we support those close to them."

Our values

People

We treat everyone with fairness, respect, and dignity. We listen and communicate openly.

Excellence

We strive to exceed expectations, act professionally, and use resources wisely.

Innovation

We continuously seek new ways to improve and evolve our services.

Corporate Structure

This role will be an independent Director of the Retail Company.

Retail operations

The retail operation is managed by the Retail General Manager and led by a Retail Operations Team comprising the Retail General Manager, Retail Operations Manager, Retail Office Manager, Transport Manager. There is a small head office team of 2 paid staff and volunteers a Retail Support Manager and then each shop is run by a Shop Manager and their teams, the size of which varies between shops dependent on the size and turnover of the shops.

We have 14 shops and an Ebay division. All based within Staffordshire.

Governance and Leadership Structure

Katharine House Hospice is governed by our Board of Trustees and its committees and operationally is led by the Executive Team. The Executive Team currently comprises the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Deputy CEO, Director for Care, Medical Director, Retail General Manager, and Director for People.

In addition, we have a subsidiary Retail Board that reports to the Income Generation Committee. This post will serve as a Director on the subsidiary company Retail Board.

You can find out more about us, our team and purpose at https://www.khhospice.org.uk/.

Our organisational strategy

The primary organisational strategy is to increase the numbers of patients and their families supported by the care services of the Hospice. To do this will require additional revenues from charitable sources, such as fundraising, gifts in wills, lottery, and retail in additional to the income from the statutory sector.

Role Overview: Retail Board Director

Purpose of the role

To provide strategic oversight and guidance to the hospice's retail operations, ensuring they are innovative, profitable, and aligned with our mission, values and organisational strategy.

Key responsibilities

Shape the strategic direction of retail activities, including expansion planning of our charity shops, online sales, and new initiatives. Support the development of sustainable income streams through innovative retail initiatives. Monitor performance metrics and advise on improvements to profitability. Ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards in retail operations. Act as an ambassador for the hospice, promoting its work and values within the community. Collaborate with fellow board members, staff, and volunteers to support the hospice's wider mission. Review and challenge Board papers and undertake retail audits to ensure compliance. Promote collaboration and transparency between governance structures, helping align commercial decisions with the charity's mission and values. Provide mentorship and strategic support to senior retail staff and volunteers.

Skills & experience

Professional experience in at least one of these areas, preferably more: retail management, e-commerce, business strategy, leasing and management of retail estate. Experience or understanding of the charity, social enterprise, or not for profit sector, is ideal but not essential. Strong commercial acumen with the ability to interpret and guide performance metrics. Strong communication and interpersonal skills. Commitment to the values and ethos of Katharine House Hospice. Previous board or governance experience is desirable but not essential.

Desirable:

Familiarity with volunteer supported retail models and e-commerce platforms. Legal expertise, in property, leases or Company structure Previous governance or non-executive board experience. Understanding of charity law and trading subsidiaries. We value diversity within our workforce. Whilst we will treat each application on it's own merits, we would welcome applications from currently underrepresented groups. Please get in contact via the message link or by contacting our Head Office at Priestly Court for more information.

Location

This post could be entirely remote, but may benefit from someone within a reasonable commute of Staffordshire, in order to see first hand the good work that we do.

Time commitment

Attendance at monthly board meetings (in-person or virtual). Undertaking statutory and mandatory training. Visits to retail sites and participation in strategic planning sessions. Estimated commitment: On average 4-5 hours per month. Tenure will be reviewed after 3 years.

Remuneration

This is a voluntary, unpaid role.

Why join us?

By joining Katharine House Hospice as a Retail Board Director, you'll be part of a passionate team working to sustain and grow a vital community resource. Your expertise will help ensure our retail operations continue to thrive--so we can keep delivering exceptional care to those who need it most.

Recruitment process

1. Express your interest and / or apply with your CV and cover letter explaining why you are interested in the post and what you think you can bring to the organisation.

2. Stage 1 Interview

a. Informal Teams Interview with current Board members

3. Stage 2 Interview

a. In person interview with current Board member, followed by a hospice visit

4. Attend a Retail Board meeting as a guest

5. Board Approval of appointment

We will be reviewing applications as they arrive, so please do not delay in submitting yours. This may mean that we close the advert early.

Express your interest

To express your interest or for an informal conversation, please contact:

Simon Dodd or Richard Soulsby on 01785 254645.

Job Types: Part-time, Permanent

Benefits:

Flexitime Free parking Work from home
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Stafford ST18 0LQ