Head of Support & Communities

MPS Society

Hours
35 hours per week

About the Organisation

MPS Society, one of the leading rare genetic disease charities in the UK, aims to transform the lives of individuals and their families affected by MPS, Fabry, and other related lysosomal diseases. This is a rare opportunity to lead our Support & Communities teams who provide direct support, practical guidance, and other patient-focused activities to over 1500 members and their families, UK-wide.

The Support Team raises awareness both within the MPS community and external agencies, offering information, advice, support, and advocacy in a range of areas including health and social care, housing, education, transition, independent living, palliative care, and bereavement. The Projects and Communities team contributes to the development of our resources and facilitates project work such as youth engagement, advisory boards, and support groups, as well as leading on support-focused social media. 

About the role

As Head of Support & Communities, you will exhibit strong leadership skills and have significant experience working within a health and social care or relevant field of work.  You will have an in-depth understanding of the needs of those with disabilities, their families, and carers. 

You will primarily be responsible for the overall management and development of the teams and the services they provide. As the company's safeguarding lead, you will have an in-depth understanding of policy and procedure to protect all.  You will be a relationship builder who cares about the community we serve and ensures that the individual (or family) remains at the centre of support. 

You will have a good understanding of managing budgets and be able to produce accurate monitoring/evaluation reports. Excellent IT skills and the ability to plan, prioritise, and deliver to tight timescales are essential.  You will be self-motivated and highly organised, juggling many strands of work. 

As a team player, you will demonstrate a willingness to participate in the day-to-day activities of the team, have excellent staff management and development skills, along with the confidence to motivate and inspire. You will have the passion to work with us to develop our services, play an active role in our senior leadership team, and work with members and other key departments to move the charity forward to achieve its goals.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage a multidisciplinary team to deliver a high-performing and productive support service to the
• Society’s members, their families, and associated professionals. This includes the delivery of specialist information, support, advice, and targeted projects.
• Lead on all aspects of the Support & Communities team’s staff management, including recruitment, induction, performance management, appraisals, learning and development.
• To collaborate with external stakeholders in the interests of our communities and service development.
• Cross-skilled team members in critical areas of work, offering training and development as identified.
• Monitor and evaluate the performance of the team against targets and professional standards, taking any necessary corrective action required to ensure standards are maintained.
• Provide excellent leadership, direction, and effective management of the team’s resources and finances, ensuring professional standards and best practices are always adhered to.
• Ensure all communications are clear, effective, and appropriately targeted, maintaining appropriate professional and administrative and computerised records.
• Ensure that all personal data for the Support & Communities team is handled securely and in strict compliance with the UK GDPR regulations.
• Promote new, innovative, and more effective ways of working, managing trends and changes to provide the best value for our members.
• Access and participate in, as appropriate, research and other developmental activities relevant to improving work standards, team expertise, and the profile of the Society.
• Participate in and support MPS Society events and conferences, leading on the MPS Society’s childcare programmes and volunteer training.

Senior Leadership:

• As the safeguarding lead for the organisation, take responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of people who come into contact with the service, ensuring this ethos and practice is embedded throughout the team. Ensure that safeguarding procedures are fully implemented to a high standard.
• Be aware of legislation relating to the Support and Communities Service.
• Develop and maintain company policies and procedures in line with your area of responsibilities for approval by other senior leadership members.
• Report on the work of the team for the Group Chief Executive and Trustees; support the Grants and Trusts team.
• Communications and other departments as required.
• Contribute to the Society’s business plan, ensuring that the needs of the Society’s patient community are reflected appropriately.
• Continuous professional development
• Maintain a high level of professional conduct, ensuring clear professional boundaries when representing the Society.
• Maintain professional development through training to meet the changing demands of the role and services provided.
• Maintain professional registrations with relevant bodies.
• Work flexibly and respond positively to changing business and user needs, and carry out any other duties within the scope of the nature and grade of the post.

General Areas of Responsibility:

• Participate in appropriate team and organisational meetings.
• Engage in regular one-to-one meetings and an annual performance review with the line manager.
• Represent the MPS Society and its community by attending and participating in UK and international conferences
• and events. This will require some travel and out-of-hours working.
• Participate in and support the delivery of MPS conferences and events as appropriate.
• Assist with any other reasonable duties as requested by your line manager.

Changes to key Responsibilities

• If, for any reason, it is necessary to make changes to the key responsibilities, this will be discussed in advance between the post holder and the supervising line manager. 

Skills, Competencies & Experience

• Significant experience of working with individuals with disabilities in a direct support role within health and social care, education, and related fields, including a knowledge of relevant assessment processes. knowledge of the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families; and an awareness of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.
• Experience of staff management covering recruitment, induction, performance management, appraisals, learning and development.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication with professional interpersonal skills.
• Experience in managing relationships with third parties and/or partner organisations.
• Experience working across teams to provide a high-quality service.
• Excellent IT skills (Microsoft Office) to produce clear reports, correspondences, and presentations.
• Good organisational, time management, and prioritisation skills with a strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work flexibly to meet the demands of the role, managing own workload and working using own initiative.
• A team player who will motivate, inspire, and is prepared to work at ground level.
• Tact, discretion, and respect for confidentiality.
• Self-motivated with a positive and flexible attitude.
• Experience in managing and monitoring budgets.
• A caring, compassionate, empathetic, and supportive nature, with a genuine interest in supporting others.
• Ability to evaluate and reflect on own professional practice and identify when training is needed.
• Confidence and ability to act in a representative role for the organisation.
• Strong networking and diplomacy skills.
• Ability to work closely with trustees.
• A current UK driver’s licence, with no more than 6 points, and willingness to travel UK-wide as required
• Passionate and the MPS Society’s mission and aims.

Required Qualifications

• GCSE grade 5+ (A-C) or equivalent in English and Maths

Compensation & Benefits

• Work-life balance.
• Bank holidays and office closures. 

Conditions of employment

• You must be eligible to work in the UK

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the Amersham office and remotely
• Travel required to the UK and internationally

How to apply

• The application sends the email to [email protected]. Please provide your CV and a covering statement explaining your previous roles.
• For an informal discussion about the role or the work of the MPS Society, please contact Sophie Thomas on 0345 389 9901 or [email protected]

Interviews

• We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview and assessment.

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