Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

YESS is seeking a vibrant and engaging person with relevant leadership experience to take over as CEO, to consolidate and build on recent growth and maintain YESS s reputation as a leading national employment law advice charity.

About Us

Your Employment Settlement Service (YESS) is a legal advice charity and a company limited by guarantee. Established in 2014, we provide free and affordable employment law advice to people and organisations who cannot source this elsewhere. We do not litigate; our focus is on maintaining working relationships where possible or reaching negotiated agreements where it is not. We are approachable, collaborative, and constructive. Aggressive or adversarial styles have no place at YESS.

As well as advice work, we also have a growing mediation practice. We contribute to many working groups and panels to represent the needs of lower paid and vulnerable workers in the development of legal advice provision and employment law.

Typically, 10-20% of our work is grant funded, benefiting clients on low or no income (although this is currently under 10%). A small amount comes from donations. The remainder comes from paying clients.

The Role

As CEO, you will lead our dedicated team of lawyers and support staff, oversee the delivery of our strategic goals, and act as the public face of the charity. You will work with and advise the Board of Trustees, in relation to YESS s activities, performance and strategic direction. You will raise awareness of our approach and activities, to bring in new work and funding, and contribute to the public discourse on employment relations and employment law.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the delivery of YESS s charitable objects particularly the delivery of free and affordable advice services to lower paid and vulnerable individuals.
• Provide leadership to a small hybrid-working team, ensuring effective working supported by appropriate resources and supervision.
• Maintain and develop sources of revenue-generating legal work.
• Identify and secure funding from trusts, foundations, and donors.
• Strategically manage YESS s finances.
• Ensure processes are in place for the effective engagement, motivation, performance management and support of staff, consultants, and volunteers.

About You

We are looking for someone who is experienced in the delivery of legal advice services with strong leadership experience, ideally gained in the charity sector. You may be a currently practising employment lawyer, but this is not imperative as no client work is required.

Essential attributes:

• Experience in the delivery of revenue-generating employment legal advice services gained in charity and/or private practice settings (in the capacity as either a qualified lawyer or as someone who has managed/directed qualified lawyers in the delivery of such advice).
• Commitment to YESS s fundamental principle of resolving workplace disputes without litigation.
• Experience of leadership and strategy development.
• Excellent at relationship-building and communication, with proven networking skills.
• A desire to spread awareness of YESS s work and influence policy development in employment relations and employment law.
• Experience in organisational growth and change management.
• Understanding of finance including budgets and cashflow.
• Commitment to implementing technology to make the most of YESS s limited resources.

Desirable attributes:

• Fundraising and donor management experience
• Administration of grants and evaluating project outcomes
• Understanding of charity finance
• Understanding of finance in a legal services context, including work in progress, utilisation and lock up.
• Experience of working with trustees or other volunteer governance roles
• Experience of leading/managing staff remotely

What We Offer

• Salary: £65,000 per annum (pro-rata for part-time). Discretionary bonus dependent on organisational performance.
• 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays (pro rata for part-time)
• Home working with flexibility of office attendance
• Pension contribution
• A supportive, inclusive work culture that values flexibility and work-life balance

If you are ready to lead a dedicated charity that is making a real difference to people with problems at work, we would love to hear from you.

A full digital information pack is available on request.

An informal and confidential conversation about this position with the current CEO, Karen Teago, is encouraged before applying. Please contact us in confidence to arrange this, giving a selection of your available dates/times to speak.

Application format: CV and covering letter

Closing date for applications: 14th March 2025

Interviews: First interviews are likely to be offered in the week of 17th March with second stage assessment to be arranged thereafter.