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Job Title: Manager, Forest Books
Ltd
Reports to: Chair of the Board
of Directors, Forest Books Ltd
Responsible for: All operational
Staff
Location: Coleford, Forest of
Dean, Gloucestershire
Type: Permanent, Full-time
Salary: £25,000 basic plus
profit share bonus, OTE: £30,000
Introduction
Forest Books Ltd will become the
Trading Company of the charity UK Council on Deafness in 2007 and is
seeking to appoint a dynamic and commercially astute Manager to work
alongside the present Managing Director until his retirement and then,
after the transfer of ownership, to develop and grow the business to
ensure long term viability. Forest Books is the largest supplier of
publications, DVDs, Videos and software relating to sign language and to
the full spectrum of deafness and has publishing, trade distribution and
direct sales departments, employing 12 staff based at modern 12,000 sq
ft warehouse and offices in the beautiful Forest of Dean.
The position will suit someone
with experience of sales/marketing/general management in a customer
focused business or service. You must have energy, persistence,
self-motivation and excellent communication skills. Experience of
working with the diverse range of deaf people, skills in communicating
with deaf people and a personal understanding of the deaf communities
and deaf issues would be a distinct advantage.
Job Description
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Purpose |
Responsible for the
day-to-day leadership, management, accountability and
development of the company. Reporting to the Board of Directors
of Forest Books Ltd via the Chair, the Manager will work in
partnership with them to develop the long term strategy.
To develop and oversee
the implementation of a business and marketing strategy that
will generate continuing growth in new and existing markets and
strengthen the company’s brand and its position as the
commercial arm of a charity.
This will be achieved
through decisive and innovative leadership of the existing
dedicated team, with strong emphasis on performance management
of agreed targets and deliverables.
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Strategic
Responsibilities |
To provide visionary
leadership and motivation to the company.
To ensure Forest Books
Ltd continues to be, and develops its role as, the market leader
in the supply of publications across the range of deafness.
To devise a clearly
defined business plan and marketing strategy that is aligned to
longer term objectives to ensure the security, stability and
profitability of the company’s current activities and future
initiatives.
To be responsible for
the development of innovative marketing initiatives that
identify and maximise new opportunities for growth and
development over the long term.
To develop and manage
strategic alliances and relationships to ensure that the company
has robust arrangements in place for long term customer and
supplier relationships.
To be responsible for
marketing activity to deliver financial outcomes agreed in the
annual plan and budget.
To conduct regular
market research to underpin the company’s priority setting and
its development and growth strategy.
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Team Management and
Development |
To be responsible for
the performance management and people development processes of
the team of staff across the range of the company’s activities.
To provide leadership
and direction to the team of staff to ensure provision of high
quality and cost effective services.
To ensure effective
cross functional communication systems are in place to increase
understanding of priorities and needs throughout the company and
ensure that targets and objectives are successfully achieved.
To monitor performance
and pro-actively support development initiatives for team
members to ensure skills and knowledge are consistently up to
date.
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Financial
Responsibilities
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To propose and be
accountable for the effective management of the company’s
expenditure, including effective budget preparation, planning,
monitoring and review.
To oversee the
responsibilities of the Financial Controller and the financial
and resource management of all budget holders, providing advice
and guidance as necessary.
To agree annual and
longer term sales targets, applying regular monitoring of
progress and making adjustments where appropriate.
To generate growth in
gross income and net profit year on year to agreed targets.
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Other |
To oversee the
operational responsibilities of the senior management team,
providing advice and guidance as necessary.
To ensure that Forest
Books Ltd complies with the relevant statutory and regulatory
requirements and that effective risk management is in place.
To ensure that Forest
Books Ltd operates within, and is aware of, its legal
requirements including Health and Safety, Vulnerable Adults,
Environmental Health, Employee Protection, Human Rights, Data
Protection and other relevant legislation
To ensure that Forest
Books Ltd has an effective system for recruitment, retention,
management, induction training, support and development of staff
and uphold the company’s Investor in People status.
To undertake other
appropriate duties as required for the effective operation of
the Trading Company of a Charity working in a developing
environment.
To attend meetings and
events across the country, some of which may be during evenings
or weekends. |
Person Specification
Candidates for the role of
Manager will be expected to have a range of the following skills,
background, experience and personal qualities. Any skills gaps would be
expected to be filled during the probation period with training and
support.
- A visionary leader, able to
take the company forward and bring staff and stakeholders with them
- Strong Intellectual
capacity, able to analyse complex issues, challenge effectively with
the creativity to develop options for change
- Senior management
experience in a similar sized organisation
- Effective administrative
and organisational skills and ability to manage a demanding workload
and competing priorities
- The ability to strengthen
organisational capacity
- Experience of building a
strong senior management team and providing motivation at all levels
- Financial acumen and
experience of financial management
- A strongly developed
commitment and interest in marketing with the experience of
developing new opportunities
- Strong interpersonal and
communication skills and able to engage at all levels
- The ability to represent
the company publicly, have media awareness, presentation skills and
confident press interview techniques
- The ability to persuade and
influence others and build alliances and partnerships at senior
level
- Awareness and an
understanding of the social and economic environment in which the
company operates
- Commitment to achievement,
drive, good humour, tact and diplomacy
- Empathy and passion for the
values and work of Forest Books Ltd and UK Council on Deafness
Additional requirements
The successful candidate will be
required to satisfy a Criminal Records Bureau check and may be required
to undertake a medical screening prior to commencing employment.
How to apply
Applications should be sent to
Lyn Atkinson
Forest Bookshop
New Building, Ellwood Road, Milkwall, Coleford, Gloucestershire, GL16
7LE
Or by email to
lyn@forestbk.demon.co.uk
To arrive no later than noon on
Friday 16th February 2007
Please include in your
application:
- A covering letter saying
why you would like this appointment and what contribution you would
make to the development of the company.
- A full curriculum vitae
with your education and professional qualifications, full employment
history, relevant achievements in recent posts and latest
remuneration and contact details of two referees.
Please note that all information
will be treated as confidential and that referees will not be contacted
prior to preliminary interviews or without your express permission.
Please also ensure that you have
supplied full contact details including email address.
Interviews will be held in
Coleford on Wednesday 28th February or Thursday 1st
March 2007. Candidates who are invited to attend will be notified by
6.00pm on Tuesday 20th February 2007. The panel may then
decide to conduct a further interview at a date to be agreed.
Forest Books Ltd reserves the
right to make an offer of appointment conditional upon references and
satisfactory medical screening.
The provision of false or
misleading information by a candidate who is appointed will be grounds
for termination without notice.
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