General Manager - Wiggly Charity

Hours: 25 hours per week, worked flexibly across Monday-Friday with potential to increase by mutual
agreement

Contract: Substantive

About Wiggly

Wiggly provides hands-on cooking experiences that empower individuals, particularly those who are
vulnerable, marginalised, or disadvantaged. Through inclusive cooking courses and community
programmes, we build confidence, develop life skills, improve health, and reduce social isolation.

We are a small, dedicated team who believe in the power of food to change lives. We are based in
Gloucester and work across the county to deliver social impact and empowerment through food projects.

Our cookery education projects, community meals and food-based activities are designed to support
vulnerable, marginalised and disabled people of all ages and abilities, helping them thrive and grow their independence and confidence in the kitchen.

The Role

The General Manager provides overall leadership and day-to-day management of Wiggly. Working
closely with the Board of Trustees, the postholder is responsible for translating Wiggly’s vision and
strategy into clear priorities, ensuring strong partnerships, sustainable income, effective operations and a supportive working environment for staff. This is a hands-on role suited to someone who enjoys leading a small organisation, balancing strategic thinking with practical delivery.

You do not need to have been a General Manager before. We are open to applicants who have
transferable leadership experience from charities, social enterprises, the public sector or community
organisations.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership, Strategy and Governance

• Provide leadership and direction for Wiggly charity in line with vision, mission and values, translating Wiggly’s strategy into clear, achievable plans and priorities
• Work closely with the Board of Trustees to develop and deliver the charity’s strategic plan and act as the main link between Trustees and the Wiggly staff team
• Report to the Board bi-monthly on Wiggly’s Business Development and prepare and oversee other Board papers and input for Strategy meetings as appropriate
• Track and maintain policies, ensure compliance with policies and develop and implement new policies as needed.
• Work with the Book-keeper and external accountants to prepare annual accounts and the Trustees’ Annual Report.

Partnerships and Collaboration

• Lead on developing and maintaining strong, trusting partnerships with other charities, voluntary, community organisations, statutory agencies and businesses in Gloucestershire
• Lead on strategy for developing sustainable income from social impact products, incollaboration with  other partners
• Initiate and develop collaborative projects with other Gloucestershire charities and CICs to deliver joint impact
• Represent the charity positively within local networks, forums and partnership boards, promoting collaboration rather than competition

Fundraising, Income Generation and Finance

• Develop Wiggly’s fundraising and income generation strategy in alignment with the Board and lead on its delivery
• Prepare high-quality funding bids for Wiggly and collaborate on joint bids with other organisations as appropriate
• Explore new income streams and business partnerships to support long-term sustainability
• Oversee day-to-day financial management, including monitoring income and expenditure, ensuring appropriate financial controls are followed, and making best use of Wiggly resources.
• Lead on monitoring Wiggly’s budget and medium-term financial planning, in alignment with the Board.

Operations, Services and Staffing

• Lead and manage the delivery and operations team of 3 staff, providing clear objectives, support and training
• Lead on recruitment, interviewing and onboarding for new recruits to Wiggly
• Develop Wiggly’s course and event delivery timetable, balancing team capacity with client requirements to ensure effective delivery of Wiggly services
• Develop and negotiate bespoke costed proposals for clients and ensure that Wiggly delivers high-quality, reliable services to meet agreed outcomes and reporting requirements
• Ensure safeguarding, health and safety and other key practice standards are embedded in day-to-day work of the Wiggly team and volunteers

External Relations, Branding and Communications

• Act as the face of Wiggly, representing Wiggly with the media and with key funders and stakeholders
• Host key stakeholder visits to Wiggly, ensuring appropriate briefing is provided in advance
• Manage Wiggly’s communications channels and platforms, including social media and the website, ensuring consistency of branding, mission and values.
• Develop and oversee systems for gathering robust evidence, case studies and statistics to demonstrate the impact of Wiggly’s work
• Produce high quality impact reports to demonstrate project outcomes for funded and commissioned projects
• Prepare and issue the charity’s annual impact report for stakeholders, funders and the wider community

For more information, please see details to the right of this advert.

How to Apply

To apply, please send:

• A CV
• A short supporting statement (no more than two pages) explaining why you’re interested and how your experience fits the role