Chief Executive Officer

Remuneration: Up to £150,000 per annum

Start Date: From January 2025

Location: Hybrid role, HQ in Cambridge. Some travel for meetings in the UK and occasionally Overseas.

About IWF

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) exists to deliver an internet free from child sexual abuse. Based in the UK, we are a not-for-profit global resource providing high quality data and services to prevent the online distribution of child sexual abuse imagery around the world.

Founded in 1996, we now give more than 2.6bn people from 53 countries a safe place to report online child sexual abuse images and videos to remove from the internet. And we give children and young people the ability to report and delete sexual imagery of themselves in both the UK and India.

More than one million webpages (1,069,488) showing at least one, and often many tens, hundreds or thousands of child sexual abuse images and videos have been removed from the internet thanks to our work over the past five years alone.

We are funded by our members and partners, and by grants, and are independent of the government and police but work closely with both. We have 200 Members, and they include some of the largest internet companies in the world, the main social media companies, as well as the largest ISPs (BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin) and mobile operators in the UK.

IWF, in conjunction with Diversifying Group, is seeking applicants for a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

About the Role

As CEO you will be responsible, working with the Board, for the development and delivery of the organisation’s strategy to deliver our mission of an internet free of child sexual abuse. You will be responsible for maximising the impact of the IWF and leading the implementation of its strategy and all its operations, and play a key role in external communications, influencing, and leadership across the sector and beyond.

In this key role you will:

• Develop and work within an organisational strategy that reflects the vision, mission, and values agreed with the Board, ensuring active engagement from all stakeholders.
• Produce actionable plans to deliver the agreed strategy and secure the necessary funding for its successful execution.
• Manage the overall operations and resources of the IWF to maximise the organisation’s impact in protecting children from online sexual abuse.
• Ensure that data and evidence are systematically captured and utilised to inform strategic decisions and drive organisational effectiveness.
• Maintain a vigilant awareness of the online landscape as it relates to child sexual abuse, identifying new opportunities to enhance the IWF’s mission.
• Build and nurture partnerships with members, government bodies, regulators, funders, academics, and third-sector organisations, both in the UK and internationally, to drive collaborative impact.
• Appoint, develop, and lead a strong and diverse leadership team, ensuring that their skills and experiences align with the needs of the organisation.
• Represent the IWF externally, including in the media, with senior stakeholders, and at key conferences, enhancing the organisation’s profile and influence.
• Lead and manage the team, establishing a culture that supports diversity, inclusion, individual and team development, and innovation, in line with the IWF’s core values.
• Collaborate with the Chair to maintain high standards of governance, providing the Board with timely and appropriate information to facilitate effective oversight and support.
• Ensure that robust financial regulations and procedures are in place, along with comprehensive risk management strategies, overseen by the Board.
• Identify emerging issues and provide strategic advice to the Board and Senior Leadership Team, ensuring that the IWF remains at the forefront of the fight against online child sexual abuse.

About You

As the CEO, you will play a pivotal role in guiding our operations and ensuring our continued success. We would love to hear from you if you have the following skills, experience and capabilities:

• Experience of very senior management within an organisation of similar size, scope and complexity
• Experience in successfully managing cultural change at a senior level
• Experience of working collaboratively and effectively with a non-executive Board
• Strategic thinking skills to understand a complex set of issues and relationships and identify where impact can be achieved
• Intellectual acuity – willing and able to rapidly develop a sound understanding of the technical issues and developments in the internet as they affect our mission and the businesses we work with, and credible to work confidently and engagingly with operational and technical specialists
• Commercially astute – able to develop and manage a diversified income stream and effectively manage organisational costs to protect the ability of the IWF to deliver impact in the short and longer-term
• Politically astute and diplomatic, with excellent judgement and diplomacy. Open, engaging and candid, with respect for the views of others.
• Outstanding influencing and partnership-building skills across a wide range of different audiences
• A strong understanding of the principles of good governance and the ability to explain them clearly and engagingly to the wider team
• Ability to be Member focused – committed to finding ways to add value for members while remaining an effective voice for change in industry practice
• Resilient in coping with the nature and scale of the challenge, and empathetic to support colleagues in a challenging, mission-led environment

To find out more about IWF, the role, how to apply and the interview process, please click on the following link to review the recruitment pack:

IWF CEO Recruitment Pack

The closing date for applications is Sunday 6 October 2024 at 23.59hrs

If you would like to discuss the role before applying, please feel free to contact Emmanuel from Diversifying Group at emmanuel@diversifying.com

Our Commitment

IWF is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from people from all sections of the community. We would like to encourage applicants from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and those with disabilities.

Accessibility and Adjustments

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we will always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible. If you would like to discuss any specific requirements, please contact Emmanuel at emmanuel@diversifying.com

Security Vetting

The IWF occupies a privileged position in the UK, being a charity with the remit to manage highly sensitive illegal material. For this reason, a high level of scrutiny is applied to the affairs of any individual appointed, as well as regular criminal record checks to ensure the CEO meets its security requirements.

Location: Cambridge, GB

Posted Date: 9/22/2024