November 2024 Appointment Brief
Image: Chuki, an advocate for child domestic workers during a training session on how to support children in Tanzania. Credit: Jessica Turner
[Cover image]: Affected families carry emergency supplies over a makeshift bridge after a mudslide in Sierra Leone. Credit: Olivia Acland
Dear Candidate,
Thank you for your interest in becoming Anti-Slavery International’s next Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
We are looking for a CEO to lead us in the next stage of our work to end slavery for everyone, everywhere and always.
At Anti-Slavery International we are proud of our record as the world’s oldest international human rights organisation. Our next CEO will take us forward in the important work to end slavery in a rapidly changing world.
This is the right job for you if you are a bold, inspiring, innovative and strategic leader with a passion to address the causes and consequences of modern-day slavery.
You will have the vision to lead the development of our new strategic plan, ensuring that we have a clear vision for how Anti-Slavery International can make the most progress towards ending slavery in the coming years.
We have a passionate team of staff and volunteers who are looking for an empathetic, collaborative and passionate CEO with the vision and communication skills to inspire staff, volunteers, partners and donors to work together and deliver systemic change, always placing survivors at the centre of our work.
In return for your passion, expertise and leadership, we can offer you the chance to work with a skilled and committed team of staff and volunteers to help end one of the greatest injustices in the world.
We look forward to receiving your application.
Yours
Sunil Seth Chair of Trustees
Anti-Slavery International is the world’s oldest international human rights organisation. We believe that modern slavery is a contemporary issue of the highest importance, and we are determined to work with others, addressing systemic issues to make sure people can be free from slavery across the world.
Our values
Dynamic
We commit to continuous improvement and do not assume yesterday’s ideas will work today. We are flexible, open-minded, take calculated risks and respond to opportunities.
We believe that everyone has a role in ending slavery, we make sure every voice is respected and nurture diverse perspectives and partnerships to create better solutions. We make sure that those with direct experience of slavery and survivors inform our work.
Transformative
We are determined, taking considered and courageous action that has lasting, systemic impact with humans at its heart.
Our vision
Our vision is to realise freedom from slavery for everyone, everywhere, always. We aim to do this by:
• Making ending slavery everyone’s concern;
• Acting as an ally to survivors and people at risk of slavery, elevating their voice and experience to create radical change; and
• With others, challenging and changing law, policy and practice so everyone, everywhere can be free from slavery.
Our focus themes are:
Ending child and youth slavery
Responsible business
Migration and trafficking
Slavery and climate change
We seek to address these issues in four pathways:
Influencing with survivors. Drawing on our learning and experience with survivors and those at risk of slavery, we will leverage our partnerships and brand to build coalitions and amplify messages to achieve systems change. 1 2 3 4
Capacity building. We will make sure that partnership means that civil society organisations are more sustainable and representative as a result of working with us.
Leveraging. We will use our convening power to collaborate with cross-sector organisations and individuals who can bring their resources and expertise to the cause of ending slavery.
Learning. We will take a learning approach, building skills and systems for improving evidence to inform policy and practice. Research will illustrate systemic causes of slavery, the routes out of it and share our experience with new actors.
According to the latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery (2022) from Walk Free, the International Labour Organization and the International Organization for Migration:
• 49.6 million people live in modern slavery – in forced labour and forced marriage
• Roughly a quarter of all victims of modern slavery are children
• 22 million people are in forced marriages. Two out of five of these people were children when they married
• Of the 27.6 million people trapped in forced labour, 17.3 million are in forced labour exploitation in the private economy, 6.3 million are in commercial sexual exploitation, and nearly 4 million are in forced labour imposed by state authorities
• Migrant workers are particularly vulnerable to forced labour
You might think that slavery is a thing of the past. But right now, almost 50 million people are trapped in slavery worldwide.
Modern slavery is all around us, often hidden in plain sight. People can become enslaved making our clothes, serving our food, picking our crops, working in factories, or working in houses as cooks, cleaners or nannies. Victims of modern slavery might face violence or threats, be forced into inescapable debt, or have their passport taken away and face being threatened with deportation.
Many people have fallen into this trap because they were trying to escape poverty or insecurity, improve their lives and support their families. Now, they can’t leave.
Our balance sheet and cash position reflect the recent sale of a freehold property. This means that we exceeded our target reserve position and allows us to take more risk in the short term.
Our income in the last financial year was c. £4.4m About 40% of this is unrestricted, including income from individual giving, trusts and foundations, legacies and fees from supply chain consultancy.
Restricted income is dominated by some large grants from the US Government and several smaller
grants from the UK Home Office, foundations and working as part of coalitions and in partnership on specific programmes. We have had sustained growth over the last few years but have plateaued this year. As with many organisations in the charity sector currently, there are challenges that need to be considered, however, we are confident there is opportunity for income to grow again with a strong and strategic project pipeline.
You can read our full annual accounts and find out more about us on our website
Board
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer
Salary: £100,000
Contract type: Permanent, full time
Hours: This role is offered as a full-time position at 35 hours per week
Location: Based in Vauxhall, London, with hybrid-working arrangements
The CEO is responsible for all aspects of Anti-Slavery International’s work. They will work collaboratively with the Board, staff and other stakeholders to ensure that Anti-Slavery International remains a world leader in tackling slavery.
They will act as the charity’s lead ambassador and spokesperson with a wide range of funders, media and decision makers, ensuring that our work in ending slavery is well understood.
They will drive the development and growth of Anti-Slavery International ensuring that we are able to continue and accelerate our positive impact on global efforts to end slavery.
• To drive the development and delivery of a sustainable economic model that allows AntiSlavery International to be responsive and continue to deliver positive impact on the modern slavery ecosystem.
• To ensure the charity has a clear strategic direction, integrated across all functions and understood by all staff.
• To lead and develop a high performing senior management team.
• To ensure that Anti-Slavery International has the right staff in the right roles, who are supported and empowered to deliver the charity’s strategy.
• Work with the Finance and Resources Director to ensure that Anti-Slavery International finances are well managed and financial reporting is robust and supports effective decision making
• Work with the Director of Fundraising and Communications to ensure that Anti-Slavery International has the funding it needs to deliver its ambitious programme of work, with a strong fundraising pipeline.
• Work with the Director of Advocacy and Programmes to ensure Anti-Slavery International has innovative advocacy and programme approaches that drive lasting positive change to end slavery, particularly in the Global South.
• Ensure the charity places a commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the heart of its culture, and operates to robust safeguarding standards.
• Act as a key spokesperson and ambassador for Anti-Slavery International with a wide range of external stakeholders.
• Nurture strong personal relationships with NGO partner organisations, corporate leaders, major donors, and decision-makers at national and global levels.
• Develop Anti-Slavery International’s role as a natural convenor of allies across the modern slavery ecosystem.
• Work collaboratively with the Board to ensure that Anti-Slavery International remains a well-run charity with a clear sense of strategic direction.
• Provide advice and support to the Board on the full range of strategic issues.
• Ensure that the Board receive appropriate, accurate and timely information and that Board meetings are effectively serviced.
Image: Colleagues stand with lawyers from the Global Legal Action Network outside the Royal Courts of Justice. Credit: Jessica Turner
• Previous experience of executive leadership, preferably within a human rights and/or global context.
• Understanding and experience of leading systemic change in the nonprofit sector, ideally in the human rights field.
• A passion to address the causes and consequences of modern-day slavery, including evidence of a deep understanding of the power of their voices and participation.
• An excellent communicator, able to mobilise and stakeholders and build Anti-Slavery International’s profile across the world, especially in the Global South.
• Substantial experience of managing high level relationships and influencing decision makers at national and/or global level.
• A deep commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, with a proven record of building high performing teams and leading positive change across an organisation.
• Experience of sound decision making in complex financial and strategic contexts.
• An empathetic leader with the ability to model authentic and courageous leadership, with strong listening skills and high levels of personal integrity.
• Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.
• Personal experience of modern slavery issues.
• Experience of delivering advocacy and/or programmes in the Global South.
• The position is based in Anti-Slavery International’s office in Vauxhall, London, with hybrid-working arrangements in line with our policy.
• There may be a requirement for some out-of-hours work, for which time off in lieu is given.
• The role is subject to a probationary period of 6 months.
• Unison is the recognised trade union.
• Annual leave entitlement of 30 days plus bank holidays.
• We pay 6% into our recognised contribution pension with TPT Retirement Solutions, with a mandatory employee contribution of 2%.
• We offer a range of employee benefits including flexible working, employee assistance programme, cycle to work scheme, annual flu jabs and annual season ticket loan. We also pay for eye tests and a contribution of £105 towards glasses for every 2 years of working with Anti-Slavery International.
To apply for the role, please upload the following documents to the Prospectus website:
• Your CV, drawing out relevant experience for the role.
• A supporting statement of up to 1,000 words that addresses the criteria set out in the person specification as well as your interest in the organisation’s work.
Please ensure that you have included a telephone number, as well as any dates when you will not be available or might have difficulty with the recruitment timetable.
If you wish to apply using an alternative format please contact Prospectus on 020 7691 1920 or email executive.admin@prospect-us.co.uk. Please also notify us if you require a postal application.
At Prospectus we believe passionately that a truly inclusive workplace leads to increased social impact. We are committed to supporting our clients build more inclusive teams. To understand how we are performing, we ask that you kindly complete the brief equal opportunities questionnaire when you submit your application via our website. Please be assured that your responses are kept confidential, separate from your candidate record, are not part of any application you make, and that the consultants never see individual responses to the questionnaire.
Applications via the Prospectus website should be made at: https://prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/189400
Deadline for applications: 5th January 2025
Interviews with Prospectus: 13th -17th January 2025
Interviews with Anti-Slavery International: 27th-28th January 2025
If you wish to have an informal discussion about the opportunity, please contact our retained partners Anna Mandl or Børge Andreassen at Prospectus on +44 (0)20 7691 1920, or email: anna.mandl@prospect-us.co.uk borge.andreassen@prospect-us.co.uk
Image: Saidou, who escaped descent-based slavery, with her adult children in Mauritania.
Credit: Daouda Correra
We are committed in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across the charity and our workforce. We particularly welcome and encourage applications from survivors of modern slavery, Black and Asian candidates and those from a diverse ethnic background, and disabled, LGBT+ and nonbinary candidates.
We have a zero-tolerance policy on bribery and corruption, recognising that bribery is contrary to fundamental values of integrity, transparency and accountability and undermines organisational effectiveness.
We are committed to safeguarding the children and adults that our staff and representatives encounter, virtually and in-person. As such, candidates are required to commit to and uphold our organisational safeguarding principles, practice and procedures. These organisational policies include, but are not limited to, the Code of Conduct policy and Safeguarding policy. We maintain a strict zerotolerance policy towards bullying, harassment, sexual exploitation or abuse, of any form, perpetrated by any representative of the organisation.
The purpose of this Code of Conduct is:
• To guarantee high standards of staff behaviour and integrity
• To safeguard our staff’s, interns’ and volunteers’ welfare and that of external stakeholders with whom we work or come into contact
• To protect our reputation and interests
This role may require a DBS check for traveling to projects where there is access to vulnerable groups.
In accepting appointment, you undertake to regulate your conduct in line with the requirements of this code and to undergo any background checks that may be required.
As an organisation assessing applicants’ suitability for positions which are included in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order using criminal record checks processed through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), we comply fully with the Code of Practice and undertake to treat all applicants for positions fairly. We undertake not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a criminal record check on the basis of a conviction or other information revealed.
