Interim Executive Director

As Interim Executive Director, you'll be deputy to the CEO and a core member of our Senior Leadership Team. You'll hold the big picture: strategy, governance, finance, and fundraising, whilst also being across our operations and being present and part of the day-to-day. From Board engagement and risk management to leading our impact report and driving our plans for our 10th anniversary event, no two weeks will look the same. You'll lead and line-manage talented team members across fundraising, school partnerships, and operations. You'll be the steady hand that keeps our income pipeline strong and our systems running smoothly. This role would suit you if, you're a leader who balances strategic thinking with being genuinely hands-on. You stay calm under pressure, make clear decisions when they're needed, and take people with you rather than leaving them behind. Mission matters to you. Working to improve the lives of underserved children is something you care about, not just a role you're filling. You'll champion our values, model our culture and behaviours, and bring the team with you in doing the same. You're well-suited to the interim context. You're able to build trust quickly, make an impact from day one, and build on what's already working well. You're comfortable with a varied workload and have the experience to make good decisions for the benefit of the children we work with. Benefits:

• Flexible working arrangements (mostly working from home, with approximately one-two days a week working from the office), Strategy & Leadership
• Provide executive leadership to the organisation, fostering a high-performance, inclusive and values-led culture aligned with the charity's mission.
• Lead, support, and develop the Senior Leadership Team and Fundraising and Schools Partnership leaders, ensuring consistent performance and accountability.
• Inspire and motivate staff, promoting engagement, foster a learning culture, create ownership, and commitment to organisational goals.
• Work with the CEO, Board, and Senior Leadership Team to shape and deliver the charity's third year of its five-year strategy, ensuring alignment with the funding landscape and the evolving needs of children and communities.
• Deputise for the CEO when required, including Board engagement, strategic decision-making, and external representation.
• Act as an ambassador for TKN, promoting its work and campaigns to engage, influence, and collaborate with key stakeholders.
Governance & Operations:
• Lead the Operations function. Manage the Systems and Operations Officer to ensure our robust systems and operations continue to run effectively at a high quality and enable the charity to achieve its stated goals.
• Provide executive oversight of HR, demonstrating knowledge of HR compliance and law, supporting with serious HR matters and providing leadership support on people matters, performance management and staff development.
• Oversee the use of key technology platforms, ensuring that the charity is operating in the most efficient way, in accordance with UK GDPR and promoting data hygiene and security and supporting the Operations officer to develop guides and standard operating procedures
• Hold executive accountability for organisational compliance, risk management, and operational integrity. Act as the lead for the charity in the event of a serious data or H&S incident.
• Lead the organisational risk register and risk management, ensuring risks are proactively identified, mitigated, managed and communicated to our board of Trustees and the CEO
• Maintain awareness of relevant policy, legislative, regulatory, and sector developments, ensuring organisational readiness and compliance.
• Work closely with the CEO and chair of the Resource Committee to set the agenda and plan for papers for this committee (3 times a year).
• Act as the key contact with the landlord and the charity's IT contractors, as and when required
Income Generation, Partnerships and Communication:
• Oversee the coordination and delivery of key fundraising activities, supporting the organisation's income generation through strategic oversight and targeted input where required. Lead and line manage the Fundraising and Development Lead.
• Play a key role in planning and delivering the 10-year anniversary event in May 2027.
• Develop, manage, and strengthen high-level strategic funder relationships and networks, building a strong pipeline of partnerships to support income targets.
• Lead and line manage the Schools and Partnerships Lead to achieve ambitious school targets and secure positive partnerships with schools
• Utilise the organisation's data systems to identify relevant insights and stories, leading the development of the 2026 Impact Report.
• Work with the external Marketing Provider and Schools and Partnerships Lead to deliver the organisation's communications strategy to maintain a strong digital and online presence
Finance & Sustainability
• Hold accountability for the operational delivery and financial sustainability of the charity.
• Work closely with the CEO and external Financial Service Provider to develop organisational budgets, support with the annual independent examiner and ensure effective financial planning, management, and oversight.
• Ensure financial performance, risks, and forecasts are clearly and appropriately communicated to the CEO, Board.
• Support income sustainability by aligning delivery with funding strategy and identifying opportunities for growth and partnership.
• Act as main liaison between the charity and the Financial Service Provider, ensuring that both the charity and contractor adhere to the organisation's financial procedures
  
  Proven senior leadership experience at director level or equivalent in the charity, public, or social sector, including leading teams and engaging boards.
Organisational governance
• Financial acumen; comfortable owning budgets, managing forecasts, approving payments and communicating financial health clearly to the board.
• Sound knowledge of charity governance, HR, GDPR, risk management, and regulatory compliance.
• Excellent organisational & project management skills
Vision, stakeholder engagement and influence
• Experience cultivating strategic partnerships with schools, funders, and external stakeholders.
• A track record of building funder relationships and driving income generation, with confidence overseeing fundraising strategy and pipelines.
• Advanced communication skills, someone who can represent the organisation externally with credibility and warmth.
Change Management & Adaptability
• Experience in an interim/ short term role
• Strong people management skills, with a warm and accountable approach to developing and supporting others.
Desirable:
• Experience working directly with school and corporate partnerships
• Experience using Salesforce.
• Experience working with trustees
  
  A rare opportunity to lead a values-driven children's charity through an exciting chapter of its story.
The Kids Network is a growing charity with an ambitious five-year strategy and a decade of impact behind us. We connect children facing adversity with caring mentors from their own communities, creating relationships that change trajectories. In 2027 we celebrate our 10th anniversary and this role sits right at the heart of that milestone. We're a small, high-performing team of 16 who care deeply about the children and families we serve. We work hard, we learn constantly, and we look after each other. Now, while our Managing Director is on maternity leave, we're looking for an exceptional interim leader to hold the organisation steady and help it thrive., The Kids Network values diversity and inclusion and we have worked to create an application process that is as accessible as possible, however we still recognise that there is maybe more we can do especially for applicants who are minoritised in society, have specific accessibility needs and/or experience discrimination. If this is the case we are both happy and open to discussing better ways to support your candidacy and make this application process as equitable as possible for you. We are a diverse organisation and welcome everyone but it is important to note that the intersections of your identity will not increase or affect the amount of labour you are asked to do. If you wish to draw on your own lived experiences that will be both encouraged and supported but it is not nor ever will be a prerequisite of this role. You can find out more about our commitment to anti-oppression on our website.