JOB DESCRIPTION – General Manager

Position Title: General Manager

(Alternate Titles include: Executive Director / Chief Executive / Secretary General)

Responsible to: The General Manager reports to the Officers and Council.

Main purpose of role / summary:

In partnership with the Council, they are responsible for:

• Implementing the strategic goals and objectives of the organisation
• Enabling the Council to fulfil its governance function
• Accountability for AEMT to its diverse constituents and stakeholders.

The Council delegates responsibility for management and day-to-day operations to the Chief Executive who has the authority to carry out these responsibilities. The Chief Executive provides direction and enables the Council to carry out its governance functions.

Person specification

Key skills, attributes and desirable qualities:

The Chief Executive will:

• Possess strong leadership and strategic thinking skills alongside exceptional planning and organisational skills
• Demonstrate exceptional skills in managing continuity, change and transition
• Deal effectively with demanding situations and design and implement suitable solutions
• Be a role model for integrity and values
• Develop individual staff and build high performing teams
• Convey a professional and positive image
• Know how to influence and enable others, requiring professionalism from the workforce
• Demonstrate commitment to continued professional growth and development
• Demonstrate a flexible attitude to meet the demands of both the role and the complexities of its relationships.

The Chief Executive will demonstrate a commitment to results and will be:

• Customer focused and goal driven
• Able to identify relevant information and transform it into individual and organisational knowledge and learning
• Action oriented and innovative, translating broad goals into achievable steps
• Anticipating and solving problems, taking advantage of opportunities.

The Chief Executive will also demonstrate business acumen and demonstrate:

• Knowledge of and experience in management and administration
• Experience in integrating and coordinating diverse areas of management
• Knowledge of human resources; finance; oral and written communications; planning and evaluation; and governance
• Some experience in not-for-profit management and governance is desirable, and dealing with diverse stakeholder groups is preferred
• A high level of personal skills in order to make formal, persuasive presentations to groups and to deal effectively with people from all segments of the community.

Main duties / tasks:

Governance

• Works with the President to enable the Council to fulfil its governance functions.
• Facilitates optimum performance by the Council, its committees and individual Council members by assisting them to articulate their role and accountabilities and organising regular performance evaluation.
• With the President, focuses Council attention on long-range strategic issues.
• Manages the Council’s due diligence process to assure timely attention to core issues.
• Works with the Council, its officers and committee chairs to get the best thinking and involvement of each Council member.
• With the President, ensures the Council focuses in a timely way on succession planning.

Policy and planning

• Works with the Council and senior staff to determine AEMT’s values, mission, vision, and short and long term goals.
• Works with the Council and staff to monitor and evaluate AEMT’s relevance to the sector, its effectiveness, and its results.
• Keeps the Council fully informed on the condition of the organisation and on all the important factors influencing it.
• Identifies problems and opportunities and addresses them; brings those which are appropriate to the Council and/or its committees; and facilitates discussion and deliberation.
• Informs the Council and its committees about trends, issues, problems and activities in order to facilitate policy-making. Recommends policy positions.
• Keeps informed via personal and professional development of all relevant issues in managing all areas of non-profit organisations.

Management, finance, and administration

• Provides effective oversight of all AEMT’s activities, and provides strategic leadership to manage day-to-day operations, and assures a smoothly functioning, efficient organisation.
• Assures operational quality and organisational stability through development and implementation of standards and controls, systems and procedures, and regular evaluation.
• Ensures legal compliance in all areas. Oversees financial, tax, risk and facilities management. Recommends yearly budget for Council approval and prudently manages AEMT’s resources within budget while maintaining quality of service delivery in all areas.
• Assures a work environment that recruits, retains and supports quality staff. Assures process for selecting, developing, motivating, and evaluating staff.
• Recommends staffing and financing to the Council.
• Specifies accountabilities for management personnel and evaluates performance regularly.

External relations

• Acts as an advocate for issues relevant to AEMT, its services and relationships and serves as chief spokesperson for the organisation, assuring proper representation.
• Facilitates the integration of AEMT into the sector by using effective marketing and communications activities.
• Listens to members, volunteers, donors and the community in order to improve services and generate involvement, as well as responding to defined needs.
• Initiates, develops, and maintains cooperative relationships with key stakeholders.
• Works with legislators, regulatory agencies, and representatives of the not-for-profit sector to promote legislative and regulatory policies that address issues for AEMT’s various stakeholders.

Further specific responsibilities include:

• Maintain existing member services and develop new services to support member operations and, where possible, reduce bottom line costs.
• Ensure that members are kept fully informed and abreast of all relevant developments and news through regular personal contact and relevant channels.
• Actively promote membership of the organisation.
• Develop alternative revenue streams to reduce the organisation’s reliance on membership subscriptions.
• Undertake all other required activities as directed by the Council.

Autumn 2022