Cancer Fund for Children is the leading voluntary organisation supporting children, teenagers, young adults and families impacted by cancer across Northern Ireland and Ireland.

We provide a unique and comprehensive range of therapeutic services designed to meet families where they are, helping them feel supported, connected, empowered and strengthened throughout their cancer experience.

Our services include Connections support, community-based support, groupwork programmes, hospital and family support, phone support, and residential short breaks at Daisy Lodge. Delivered by a multidisciplinary team of Cancer Support Specialists, Youth Support Workers and Connections support workers, our services are tailored to the needs of children, young people, parents and wider families.

Role Overview

As a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, the post holder will be jointly responsible for developing the vision and delivering the strategic plan for Cancer Fund for Children.

They will lead the development and implementation of an effective and integrated Services Strategy on an all-island basis to improve outcomes for children, young people and families living with cancer and to meet operational needs as defined by Cancer Fund for Children's Strategic Plan.

They will work with key stakeholders across the Island of Ireland to ensure Cancer Fund for Children's services are widely known, accessible and open to all young people impacted by cancer. This will include commissioners, elected representatives, health service personnel, other charities, local communities and primary care.

They will also, through strong and compassionate leadership, develop the Services Management Team to deliver on the Strategic Plan and meet targets as set out in the operational plan.

Executive Responsibility

·      As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Director of Services will share responsibility with the Trustees, Chief Executive and other Directors for the vision, strategy, business plans and policies for Cancer Fund for Children in order to deliver leading-edge therapeutic services to children living with cancer and their families.

·      The Director of Services will provide appropriate support and guidance on Services matters to the Board, SMT, Service Teams and Income Generation teams as required

·      As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Director of Services will keep appraised of developments within the voluntary and community sectors in NI, ROI, UK, and internationally focusing on Services Research, Best Practice and Government Policy to inform the work of Cancer Fund for Children

·      The Director of Services will be the Safeguarding lead for Cancer Fund for Children and will report directly on a quarterly basis to the Board of Trustees on key developments, risk, concerns and progress.

Operational Responsibilities

The Director of Services will:

·      Lead the development and implementation of an effective and integrated Services Strategy to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service provision for children, young people living with cancer and families, as defined by Cancer Fund for Children's Strategic Plan.

·      Oversee the development and implementation of services for both diagnosed children and their families and diagnosed parents and their families,  throughout Ireland to include hospital based support, community support, phone support, youth enagagement and residential services.

·      Design, set and monitor annual operational plans and respective budgets, effectively managing these resources to maximise impact, targeting unmet need and managing costs to deliver a high standard of services.

·      Create a culture of best practice through evaluation, analysis and research to inform future planning and to ensure that Cancer Fund for Children's Services teams learn, grow and build on their successes.

·      Lead on key research and development which helps to ensure CFFC's bespoke model/approach receives academic endorsement and validation from academia.

·      Further develop the Cancer Fund for Children's Services teams' capacity by encouraging and supporting innovation to refresh existing services and establish new services identified by need.

·      Embed a culture of excellence across all Services so that children, young people and their families feel supported, connected, empowered and strengthened. 

·      Work closely with Communications and Marketing team to maximise the use of Cancer Fund for Children's website, mobile communications, social media, literature to optimise PR outputs regarding service provision, key messages and services outcomes.

·      Work closely with the CEO, to identify and pursue opportunities to expand Cancer Fund for Children's influence and reputation so it is at the forefront of best practice in service provision for families living with cancer.

·      Network at a senior level with key influencers and decision makers, in the statutory and voluntary sectors; managing relationships at a local, regional and national level in Ireland and UK.

·      Develop processes and structures to ensure children and their families have an opportunity to have their voice heard inside and outside the charity. Act as a spokesperson and representative of Cancer Fund for Children with key stakeholder groups.

Key Accountabilities

 Operational Accountabilities

·      To develop, agree and implement, in conjunction with the CEO, effective operational plans for the delivery of Services across Northern Ireland and ROI, in line with Cancer Fund for Children operational and strategic plans.

·      To lead on the development of new ideas and proposals for delivering Services within realistic time frames and realistic budgets. 

·      To ensure that the range of Services are relevant to and meet the needs of children, young people and families and that all resources are appropriately allocated according to priority of need.

·      To ensure that all services are delivered in partnership with children, young people and families, designed and informed by their needs as they arise and through evaluative feedback.

·      To line-manage all members of the service management team.

·      As services develop throughout Ireland ensure they do so with a shared approach, ethos and culture.

·      To regularly review and account for all Services activity and to measure and evidence impact/outcomes.

·      Ensure that all Services operations comply with internal and external policies, procedures and legislation, including Health and Safety, Risk Management, HR, Finance, administration and regulatory frameworks.

·      To provide written reports as required and to an agreed standard on a quarterly basis to the CEO.

Training, Development & Communication

·      Provide effective leadership, direction and performance accountability for the Services Management Team.

·      Develop and enabling all staff to reach their full potential, to achieve high standards of professional conduct and practice.

·      To liaise with the Communications & Marketing team to facilitate Media/PR opportunities and or requests regarding staff and or families.

·      To address and report all service user complaints and comments.

·      To oversee the reporting of all safeguarding issues alongside ensuring that accidents or near misses are properly recorded.

Financial Management

·      To develop and set an agreed service budget in cooperation with service management team and work within an agreed annual expenditure, in line with budgets, up to a limit set by the CEO.

·      To monitor and report on services budget activity at ELT.

·      To sign off all expenditure and staff expenses on a monthly basis.

General Duties:

·      To authorise the recruitment, training and management of all Services staff.

·      To commit to on-going professional development, training opportunities and to attend all mandatory training.

·      To perform any other reasonable duties and specific projects deemed to be within the post holder's competence, as assigned by the CEO to contribute to the overall aims of the Cancer Fund for Children.

·      To travel as required by the role.