Head of Operations
Prospectus were engaged by The Stone Family Foundation through a recommendation due to their work specialising and supporting recruitment within the Trusts, Foundations and Grant Making sector. The organisation were looking for support to appoint a new Head of Operations to their team on a part time basis.
The Stone Family Foundation was established in 2005 by John Stone and his wife, Vanessa, following the sale of the business which he founded in 1991. John, an entrepreneur with a successful 40-year career in financial services, is the Chair of the Foundation. The Foundation is proud to have an approach which is radically different to that of many other charities and foundations. Inspired by John’s experience and expertise in the world of business and financial services, our vision is to be a pioneering, innovative and disruptive influence, constantly in search of new and better ways to solve entrenched problems.
The Head of Operations role is pivotal in ensuring that all internal operations run smoothly and effectively for their small team of 5 people. Organisational fit was paramount, not only with the programmatic team and its delivery, but also with their highly engaged board. In addition, the part time nature of the role commanded the search to be focused on experienced professionals who were able not only able to operate at a strategic level, but also someone who was able to be hands on where required. With funds being dispersed overseas, a high level of due-diligence was required operationally to ensure funds were transferred and monitored accurately.
Through an initial brief with the client, Prospectus was able to really understand the nature and culture of the organisation to ensure that the candidates represented were aligned and well briefed. From here we developed engaging advertisement copy and used imagery that represented the great work the organisation do internationally to engage the market and attract a wide range of candidates to the position.
This resulted in over 100 expressions of interest in the role and through screening interviews with a range of candidates, we were able to present a diverse and dynamic range of candidates with a broad spectrum of seniority and experience. This included a passionate and engaged cohort of candidates with experience of leading senior operations within similar foundations and international development organisations.
Having previously had challenges with the interview process for a similar role, we supported with the testing and interview process so candidates were prepared and informed throughout to keep engagement high. This resulted in two final interviews with appointable candidates and a successful placement.
Prospectus pride themselves in providing smooth and efficient recruitment processes that prioritise candidate and client experience. We are specialists in recruitment into the funding sector with a rich track record of supporting a wide range of different types of foundations.