Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

For 40 years Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK) has worked to tackle the problems caused by pesticides and to promote safe and sustainable alternatives in agriculture, urban areas, homes and gardens. We are looking for a visionary Director who will provide leadership and support to our team, represent us externally on high-level political platforms and nurture relationships with current and future funders.

PAN UK actively encourages applications from diverse backgrounds. We view diversity in its broadest form which includes, but is not limited to, the consideration of race, nationality, gender, age, class, disability, sexuality, language and educational background. We particularly encourage applications from eligible candidates from minority ethnic groups which remain under-represented in the charity sector.

We are asking all applicants to complete an online diversity form, even if you choose to leave some parts blank. Your responses will remain anonymous and will not be linked to your application. The information you provide will help us to better understand our own recruitment practices and how they can be improved to ensure that we are reaching as broad a pool of people as possible.

Background

Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK) is the only charity in the UK focused solely on tackling the problems caused by pesticides and promoting safe and sustainable alternatives in agriculture, urban areas, homes and gardens. It is an independent, non-profit organisation, which works nationally and internationally to eliminate the use of hazardous pesticides, to reduce dependence on pesticides and to increase the adoption of sustainable alternatives to chemical pest control.

For almost four decades, PAN UK has worked with groups and individuals concerned with health, environment and development, to promote healthy food and a sustainable agricultural system which will provide food and meet public health needs without dependence on toxic chemicals and without harming food producers, agricultural workers, or the environment. Our work includes campaigning for change in policy and practices at home and overseas; co-ordinating projects in the global south which help smallholder farming communities escape ill-health and poverty caused by pesticides; and contributing our wealth of scientific and technical expertise to the work of other organisations who share our aims.

PAN UK operates as part of PAN International - a global network with partner organisations based in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Pacific and Latin America. The Secretariat is composed of two international co-coordinators one based in Ethiopia and one in the UK who is hosted by PAN UK.  In addition to the network partners, PAN UK works closely with a wide range of like-minded organisations based in the UK and Internationally. 

PAN UK’s Senior Management Team comprises of the Director, Head of Finance and Governance, Head of International Programmes and Head of Policy and Campaigns. The organisation currently has fourteen staff organised into three teams – namely the international, UK and central support teams.

Details

• Grade and Salary: Director - £65,600 - £75,000
• Reporting To: The Chair and Board
• Location: Brighton /Hybrid (2/3 days/week in Brighton Office)
• Contract: Full time (35 hours a week)
• Objectives of the Post: Lead PAN UK’s overall direction and strategic development, ensuring the well-being of both organisation and staff
• Travel Requirements: The post involves some UK and international travel.

Responsibilities

Leadership and strategy

• Act as a figurehead and spokesperson for the organisation with key stakeholders including donors, allies, journalists and decision-makers.
• Lead on organisational strategy development and implementation.  Oversee completion and implementation of the new 5-year strategic plan.
• Lead, support and inspire a dedicated team to deliver the organisation’s mission and objectives.

Organisational management and development

• Lead the organisation’s work on Diversity Equity Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ).
• Maintain an overview of all the organisation’s work, ensuring that projects and are delivered on time and budget. 
• Work with Programme Heads and Project Teams to monitor and evaluate all programmes and projects ensuring they meet performance indicators and align with the organisational strategy.
• Work with the Head of Finance and Governance to ensure that all of PAN UK’s policies are fit-for-purpose, align with the organisation’s values, reflect best practice for a charity, and are appropriate for the guidance of the organisation.
• Work closely with the Board of Trustees and ensure that Trustees are kept informed of key developments and risks in a timely manner. Hold quarterly Trustee meetings, organise reports on project development, provide minutes of meetings.

Externally facing work

• Represent PAN UK at the highest level on a range of relevant strategic bodies and fora.
• Act as a media spokesperson for the organisation.
• Work with the Communications Manager to raise PAN UK’s public profile and cultivate and develop widespread attention to PAN UK projects, research and reports.
• Ensure that all outputs are of high quality and do not pose any kind of reputational or legal risk to the organisation. 

Fundraising and financial management

• Work with the Head of Finance and Governance to monitor the organisation’s current and forecast financial position and to determine actions to take to ensure ongoing financial sustainability.
• Lead on fundraising efforts aimed at securing unrestricted and/or core funds including building and maintaining relationships with key donors.
• Work with the Head of Finance and Governance to maintain an overview of the financial and funding needs of projects and the resourcing of the overall organisation. and support the Heads of the UK and International teams to fundraise for project-specific and/or restricted funds.
• Identify new fundraising streams and implement these approaches in order to secure PAN UK’s long-term future.
• Continue to grow PAN UK’s individual giving programme (implemented by the Communications team).
• Continue PAN UK’s ethical approach to fundraising which precludes taking funds from organisations, companies or individuals that contribute to the undermining of the achievement of PAN UK’s mission, or do not align with our values.

Human resources

• Line-manage the individual members of the Senior Management Team and run the team as a whole ensuring it meets regularly.  
• Provide leadership and support to the whole staff team.
• Continue to make PAN UK an excellent place to work and maintain the organisation’s strong record on both staff recruitment and retention, including oversight of personnel matters.
• Get the best out of the whole PAN UK team, ensuring that its technical expertise on pesticides and agroecology is sustained alongside other key skills.

Person specification

Essential experience

• At least eight years’ experience in a UK NGO, and five years in a senior management position.
• Experience of managing, leading and motivating staff.
• Experience of developing, implementing and reviewing strategies designed to create change. 
• Demonstrable experience of successfully raising funds and building relationships with a range of funders (trusts and foundations, and other institutional donors).
• An understanding of charity finance rules and organisation-wide financial management.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills, including experience of public speaking to a range of audiences.
• An understanding of the strategic context, actors, institutions, and processes relating to key policy areas intersecting pesticide management such as food, farming, environment, health and/or international development
• A demonstrable commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice.
• Sound knowledge of relevant UK, EU and/or international decision processes.
• The right to work in the UK.

Desirable experience

• Relevant degree in a related discipline (science or social science).
• Campaign and advocacy experience, including experience of designing, developing and implementing campaigns at the UK or International levels.
• Experience of working effectively with a Chair and Board of Trustees.
• Experience of project planning and management and evaluation,
• Experience of dealing with the media and acting as a spokesperson.
• Knowledge of UK libel laws.

Application information

If you are interested in applying, please email your CV and a covering letter, of no more than two sides, explaining how you meet the person specification and what you can bring to the role to Jon Farrant, Head of Finance and Governance at Jon@pan-uk.org by midnight, 16th March 2025

Interviews will be held in the week commencing 24th March 2025

If you would like to discuss this role, please contact Keith Tyrell, Director at keith@pan-uk.org

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