CEO role description
Location: London, EC1
Accountable to: Board of Trustees
Salary: Competitive
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Leave: 30 days holiday per annum plus bank holidays
Find out more
About Shelter
A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet millions of people across Britain struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change – working with individuals, within communities and across society – and leading the way to a safe home. We need an ambitious, best-in-class individual who is passionate about our cause to lead us through this exciting time. This is your chance to be at the forefront of the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.
At Shelter, we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.
We are committed to combatting racism both within and outside Shelter, and welcome you to lead our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.
About the role
As CEO, you will bring the energy and resilience to manage a large and dynamic, organisation while keeping our cause at the heart of everything we do.
You will work with colleagues and volunteers at all levels as well as with our trustees to shape and steer our strategic direction, ensuring we deliver on our current objectives while developing a bold vision for the future. You’ll continue to position Shelter as the leading voice on housing and homelessness, making sure we remain a powerful advocate for change.
The CEO reports to a board of 12 trustees, led by the Chair, and is responsible for the overall operational management of Shelter, supported by an Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and an Executive Assistant.
The ELT comprises six directors:
Chief Operating Officer
Led by the Chief Operating Officer, the Strategy Enablement Directorate brings together our core enabling support functions of HR; Finance; Tech and Data; and Governance, Planning and Property. They do not see our support functions as exclusively transactional, but as both enablers and keepers of Shelter’s strategic objectives.
Striving to be a centre of excellence, they work with Shelter colleagues to ensure organisational objectives are clear and strategically aligned, while supporting with the removal of any internal obstacles that emerge on the way.
Director of Shelter Scotland
Led by our Director of Shelter Scotland, our staff and supporters have been fighting for housing justice in Scotland since 1968. Every year, thousands of people work with Shelter Scotland to defend the right to a safe home and fight the devastating impact the housing emergency has on people and society.
To achieve our goals, we rely on our dedicated staff, volunteers, campaigners and fundraisers. Find out more about the people who work together to fight for home. Shelter Scotland employs over 100 people in a variety of roles, from communications and marketing to advice and legal services.
Director of Services
Our Services Directorate in England delivers Shelter's frontline support, ensuring people facing housing issues and homelessness get the help they need. This team oversees a wide range of services, from community-based initiatives and digital advice, to our emergency helpline and face-to-face support in centres across the country.
They provide expert legal advice and representation, defending tenants' rights, challenging unlawful evictions, and driving systemic change through strategic litigation. By working closely with communities and using legal expertise, the directorate ensures that Shelter's services are not only accessible and high-quality but also focused on long-term impact. Their work is rooted in creating meaningful change for individuals and transforming the broader housing system.
Director of Equity, Inclusion and Culture
Our Equity, Inclusion, and Culture directorate drives Shelter’s commitment to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation with lived experience at the heart of everything we do. This directorate leads the way in creating a compassionate, fearless and inclusive culture that aligns with our core values. By putting equity at the heart of everything we do, the directorate ensures that Shelter's work is shaped by the voices of those with lived experience of homelessness and housing injustice.
They foster a culture of accountability across the organisation, ensuring that everyone plays their part in promoting inclusion, driving change, and supporting the organisation’s strategic vision. Through internal communications, engagement, and learning opportunities, this team builds the capacity needed to champion equity both within Shelter and externally.
Director of Income Generation
Our Income Generation Directorate raises circa £70m per annum from a wide variety of income streams. They are the driving force behind Shelter’s fundraising efforts, ensuring that we have the resources to continue our vital work. This team oversees a broad range of income streams, from our sector leading corporate partnerships to a national network of retail shops, and our individual giving and high-level fundraising campaigns that provide vital voluntary income necessary for our independence.
They work tirelessly to engage supporters, donors and key stakeholders, cultivating relationships that help sustain and grow our income. By developing innovative fundraising strategies and maximising the potential of our retail operations, the directorate ensures Shelter can continue to fight for housing justice and deliver life-changing services to those in need.
Director of Campaigns, Policy and Communications
Our Campaigns, Policy and Communications (CPC) Directorate is the engine room of Shelter’s ground-breaking campaigning, leading our huge ambitions to win the case for social housing, secure better rights for renters and end the housing emergency. They also support our colleagues in services and income generation with expertise across a broad range of functions including media, marketing, digital and creative.
They deliver our campaigns through a matrix management approach based on cross-functional project teams. They deliver through integration, agility and a non-hierarchical approach to decision making.
Role-specific responsibilities
Lead and evolve a strategic plan to achieve Shelter’s 10-year strategic goals, while laying the groundwork for a new 10-year strategy.
Turn Shelter’s strategy into practical, actionable and measurable outcomes across all divisions, including Shelter Scotland, to ensure the mission is delivered on every level.
Take ownership of Shelter’s financial health, including reliance on voluntary income, which is essential to maintaining our independent voice, while maintaining a disciplined and transparent approach to budgeting and spending.
Present an annual budget to the Board of Trustees for approval, ensuring alignment with Shelter’s long-term goals.
Lead and support the Executive Leadership Team, fostering a leadership culture that empowers and develops our leaders and their teams across all directorates.
Build and nurture relationships with key political figures, media representatives, supporters, donors, people with lived experience and government officials to further Shelter’s objectives and influence change.
Act as the public face of Shelter, representing the organisation in the media, at events and through other publicity opportunities.
Stay ahead of changes and risks in the external environment, ensuring Shelter adapts proactively to maintain its impact.
Establish strong, collaborative working relationships with our Board of Trustees, providing clear accountability and communication.
Report formally to the Trustee Board, keeping them informed of Shelter’s progress and challenges.
Ensure that everyone at Shelter is aligned with its vision and supported to achieve objectives through effective people and infrastructure management.
Working with the trustees, ensure Shelter’s governance framework is fit for purpose and upholds the highest standards of best practice while meeting all legal, statutory and regulatory requirements.
About you
Candidates for the role will be required to demonstrate a range of skills and competencies for the post and will ideally draw upon prior experience of successful leadership within complex and substantial organisations.
More than that, we’re looking for someone who shares our values and is passionate about making lasting change.
You believe deeply in social justice and the protection of vulnerable people, and you already exemplify our leadership behaviours.
You’re a confident, established leader who’s not just willing to listen, but eager to learn and grow with the team.
You understand the voluntary sector, its ethos, and the governance responsibilities that come with leading a large charity.
You’ve successfully carried out an executive leadership role in a large, multi-functional organisation with a variety of income streams, and you know what it takes to lead one effectively.
You have a proven track record of delivering results and driving impact, in challenging environments.
While you don’t need to be a housing expert, you understand the critical importance of secure, affordable housing and how it can transform lives.
You’re an inspiring ambassador, both internally and externally, with the ability to engage national and local audiences and speak confidently on complex issues.
You know how to bring out the best in people – whether that’s your team, the Trustee Board, or external partners – and work collaboratively to achieve shared goals.
You’re comfortable with long-term strategic planning in a sometimes unpredictable external landscape and can adapt plans as necessary to keep the organisation moving forward.
Above all, you see yourself as a steward of Shelter’s mission, fully committed to protecting and advancing our vision for the future.
Diversity statement
At Shelter we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home; our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe to win that fight we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent. We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.
At Shelter, we recognise that people from marginalised groups might face particular difficulties in their career journey and we are committed as an employer to tackling this injustice. Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they feel confident that they meet every requirement listed.
At Shelter, we are dedicated to building an anti-racist, diverse, inclusive, equitable, and authentic workplace. So, if you’re excited about this role and your experience or skills don’t align perfectly with every part of the role requirements in the job description, please don’t let that stop you applying. We encourage you to tell us how your skills, knowledge, behaviours, and experience will aid your success in the role.
Required behaviours
The Shelter Behaviours demonstrate the attitudes and approaches we take to our work; from how we do things, to how we treat each other and expect to be treated both internally and externally. They help us to have the culture we need to deliver our ambitious strategy.
We have five overall behaviours, as well as a specific behaviour for all leaders to ensure the prioritisation of diversity and inclusion.
Each of these are made up of three descriptors as outlined below:
1. We work together to achieve our shared purpose
by actively collaborating and putting trust in the people we work with
by recognising the contribution of others, and
by carefully considering the ‘how’ when taking on new projects and initiatives
2. We prioritise diversity and have an inclusive and open mindset
by not tolerating and actively tackling racism and any other forms of hate and discrimination
by creating safe spaces for people to be their authentic selves, challenge each other and learn, and
by being compassionate towards the people we work with and prioritising each other’s wellbeing
3. We enable decision making
by giving people the tools they need to make well informed decisions
by being accountable for the decisions we make, and
by delegating authority to those closest to the work
4. We create change and align behind our strategy
by participating in change initiatives that deliver our strategy
by supporting tough strategic choices, and
by saying no to work that does not serve our purpose
5. We are open to risk and learning from our experiences
by learning from our failures and successes
by being reflective and giving and receiving feedback, and
by being proactive and taking initiative
6. To embody the leadership behaviour of prioritising diversity and inclusion
by having an inclusive and open mindset by striving to create a truly inclusive environment
by showing visible commitment to taking accountability for actions that further our Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion objectives, and
by demonstrating curiosity to learn and a willingness to challenge the status quo
As with any job description, we cannot guarantee that every issue or task that may arise within the post at various times will be covered here. The post-holder will be expected to carry out other duties from time to time which are broadly consistent with those in this document. This job description does not form part of the contract of employment.
Shelter provides the flexibility to allow for different styles of working, including home-based, office-based, or a combination of the two. However, please note that as Shelter CEO, frequent travel to London will be required, as well as travel other locations throughout the UK.