Look Ahead works with people to make choices, achieve goals and take control of their lives through high quality care, support and housing. As a specialist housing association specialising in the provision of supported housing and social care services for vulnerable people within the community, it has a 50-year history with a turnover approaching £80 million. 

The core purpose of Look Ahead is to work in partnership with local authorities and the NHS to provide an integrated housing, support and care service across its four core client groups: mental health, learning disabilities, young people and rough sleepers. It supports almost 4,000 people each year to bring about positive changes in their lives, by creating tailor-made plans for each individual which promote their independence and self-reliance and enable them to achieve their goals. Working across London and the Home Counties, its services support people with a diverse range of needs including Mental Health; Learning Disabilities; Young People and Care Leavers; Homelessness and Complex Needs.

Look Ahead has an established reputation as a growing, solution-focused social care business which draws on the best of the public and private sectors. The organisation will continue to work in partnership, embrace digital innovation and maximise its property assets to deliver high quality, outcomes-based services in line with its core values.

The incoming Non-Executive Director will contribute as part of the Board to set the strategic direction and policy for Look Ahead. This will involve sharing responsibility for Board decisions, performing to the highest personal standards in line with the Board’s expectations, and acting in the interest of the organisation as a whole.

Each individual Board Member carries their duties and responsibilities in accordance with the constitution, the terms of the board member service level agreement and the law and regulatory requirements to ensure the long-term viability of the organisation.

Key responsibilities:

• Having a genuine commitment to the social purpose for Look Ahead and dedication to providing housing and care solutions to vulnerable populations
• Being a guardian of Look Ahead’s heritage, a champion of change and willingness to carry forward its ongoing commitment to modernisation, growth and best-in-class quality
• Demonstrating commercial acumen, sound business judgement and the credibility and confidence to support, guide and be a ‘critical friend’ to the Executive in the leadership and management of a complex asset and service organisation
• Acting as an ambassador for the organisation, have the ability to engage, influence and connect with stakeholders at all levels, especially with Look Ahead's customer base
• Having an enabling and inclusive style of leading and working that embraces and values diversity, to ensure that Look Ahead has a strong and vibrant Board that can assess risks and embrace opportunities
• Being able to draw on experience of high quality care as a senior leader in the social housing sector, in order to provide guidance as to the delivery of best-in-class services

Look Ahead is looking to appoint a new Non-Executive Director who will bring deep, senior-level experience in the social housing sector. Candidates should demonstrate a strong understanding and appreciation for the nuances of housing governance and the broad commercial considerations of the sector including, but not limited to, the impact of rising energy bills and the nature of government-funded care. Additionally, those with experience in large, complex organisations will be particularly competitive.

The successful candidate will have operated at a senior level such that they will be able to deal with a number of different stakeholders and who is not afraid to speak their mind and bring independent challenge to the Board where appropriate. This may have been as a CEO, CFO, Head of Governance, or other similar board-level role in a large registered provider.

While non-executive experience is desirable, the Board is also open to considering those for whom this would be their first non-executive appointment.

In addition to functional and sector expertise, the successful candidate will be authentic, proactive, and act with confidence and integrity. They will be a good listener and communicator, who can successfully engage in open and frank discussion. They will possess an intellectual curiosity and the time to invest in understanding the business and the organisation's work more broadly. Finally, they will be a dynamic advocate for Look Ahead and its work.

You can learn more about the Board herehere.

This role is remunerated and reasonable, pre-agreed, travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Time commitment and location

There are six Board Meetings a year. In total, it is anticipated that, in a normal year, the role will require 18-20 days per annum, including meeting preparation time. 

Meetings are in person in London and, as such, the successful candidate must be UK-based.

Nurole process

After we have closed the application window on the Nurole platform, our team of experts carefully assess your application against the criteria outlined in the role specification. We will select a group of the most suitable candidates to present to the organisation, who will then be able to view the full application. We will always get in touch to let you know the outcome of your application.

As the organisation will view the applications without edits, we advise applicants to avoid using ‘see CV’ or ‘please call me to discuss further’ in your application as it may restrict your chances of progressing to the next round.

Read more about what to expect from the Nurole process here

Take a look at Nurole guides on how to submit a strong application here

Connected parties

Please do not contact this organisation directly. Instead, if you know someone at the organisation, please mention it in your Reason for Application. Nurole members who do not respect this may risk having their membership terminated and account closed.

Look Ahead welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.