Managing Director

The Humane League UK is seeking a strategically-minded individual to lead our organisation.

Responsible for the overall vision and mission of THL UK, the successful candidate will be passionate and knowledgeable about our mission of ending the abuse of animals raised for food.

Proven experience as a senior visionary strategic leader with an understanding of animal protection and/or food systems is essential, with experience in campaigning and/or influencing highly desirable.

We will be holding a webinar on Wednesday 8th April at 7pm BST for you to find out more about the role and ask any questions you may have. The webinar will be hosted by our Board Chair, Ben Wickham and Hannah Yates, Head of Communications. If you’re interested, please register here.

As it’s a webinar you’ll only be able to see the presenter and not others watching. The webinar will be recorded and available here, with captions, within 48 hours of the event. If you would like to be emailed a link to the recording you can request this via hiring@thehumaneleague.org.uk.

In addition, if you wish to have an informal discussion about the opportunity, you can contact Erica Ritchie (Erica.Ritchie@prospect-us.co.uk) or Anna Gardet (Anna.Gardet@prospect-us.co.uk) at Prospectus, who are supporting us with recruitment for this role.

Salary:

• Starting Salary of £84,078 or £92,486 for Inner London Weighting.

• For more information about the Managing Director salary please

  click here.

Hours:

As an organisation we work a four day work week. This is a full time position of 30 hours per week over Monday to Thursday. You can read more about our decision and process of moving to a four day work week here.

Person Specification:

Essential Requirements:

• You have knowledge and understanding of the animal protection and/or food systems sectors, including an understanding of the key stakeholders, challenges, and strategic priorities.

• You have a strong ability to conceptualise, communicate, and manage strategic initiatives to further THL UK’s mission, making sure our day-to-day activities support those initiatives.

• You can manage high level strategic discussions and decisions, creating a sense of unity among the Leadership Team, whilst engendering trust across the wider organisation.

• You're a natural problem-solver with the ability to deal with the present while foreseeing and addressing future issues.

• You're a confident spokesperson and advocate of THL UK’s mission.

• You’re able to make challenging decisions that best serve THL UK’s long-term objectives and handle difficult prioritisation questions about how to spend our limited resources.

• You deeply believe in THL UK values, building a culture of effectiveness, relentlessness, innovation, collaboration, inclusivity and agility, leading this from the top.

• You're well-organised and efficient, and can multitask effectively. You can effectively use technology to manage a varied and diverse workload, and maintain communications with your staff and key stakeholders.

• You're a great listener, and this informs your decision-making.

• You are able to build and motivate strong teams, fostering an environment where staff feel empowered to take bold and impactful actions, and make effective decisions.

• You can maintain strong internal communications, maintaining clarity across the organisation, even in complex situations.

• You will have excellent interpersonal, communication, and networking skills, with the ability to engage diverse audiences.

• You have the ability to assess and foresee key major risks to the organisation, and to plan and mitigate these accordingly to ensure the long term viability of THL UK.

Desirable:

• You have experience of successful income generation, whether that be direct experience of grant funding applications and reporting, stewarding and making major donor asks, or more generally supporting wider fundraising functions to ensure long-term financial viability.

• You have strong financial acumen and experience in budget management and reporting.

• You have proven experience in governance and regulatory requirements in the UK charity sector, as well as in building productive, collaborative relationships with a Board of Trustees.

• You have an understanding of our key audiences and supporters, such as the Effective Altruism community.

• You have experience of high profile media and speaking engagements, with the ability to think on the spot and communicate effectively under pressure.

Primary Responsibilities:

Reporting to the Chairperson of the Board, the Managing Director oversees a number of areas:

Leadership:

• Collaborates with the Board of trustees (BOT) and Chairperson of the Board, and leads the Leadership Team, to create overarching multi-year organisational priorities and goals, working with Heads of Department to align these to more specific department level strategies.

• Working with the Leadership Team and the BOT, set the annual budget and forecast fundraising priorities for the future.

• Shapes the overall long term strategic direction, priorities, and success of the organisation. Anticipates future challenges and growth needs in a timely way and positions the organisation to thrive in a competitive charity landscape so it can deliver meaningful improvements for farmed animals.

• Manages the relationship with the BOT, ensuring the trustees are adding value to THL UK. Co-creates the agendas for Board meetings with the BOT chair and works with the Senior Leadership Team to provide the Board timely and critical updates to inform the organisation’s risk management, governance, and strategic effectiveness.

• Coordinates our relationship with THL in the US, acting as a primary contact and intermediary between US and UK leadership.

• Acts as a public face of the organisation in the UK through speaking events, the media and through THL UK publications.

• Builds and strengthens high-level collaborative relationships with animal protection groups and other stakeholders.

• Builds a culture of effectiveness, relentlessness, innovation, collaboration, inclusivity and agility, through leading by example and creating the right policies and processes.

• Actively models inclusive leadership, setting the tone for a culture of equity, psychological safety, and belonging across the organisation. Champions equity and inclusion at every level and holds leaders accountable for modelling inclusive leadership.

Overseeing and supporting strategic functions:

• Oversees the programmatic work in the UK. This will also involve working closely with the Open Wing Alliance and THL US’ Executive team.

• Champions a campaigning culture, by attending protests, supporting campaign actions and leading by example.

• Raises the profile of THL UK to key audiences through media and speaking engagements, and by utilising social media channels, such as LinkedIn, to show themselves as a sector leader, and THL UK as a leading animal protection charity.

• Supports the Head of Development in securing funds to achieve our fundraising targets, both short and long-term, which could include identifying new funding prospects, making direct asks, drafting and submitting funding applications, supporting the creation of cases for support, and reporting progress to funders.

• Stewards and cultivates key donors and funders, including attending meetings, as identified by the Head of Development.

• Maintains a strong working knowledge of relevant developments in subject areas the organisation is engaged in.

Governance, Finance, and Risk Management:

• Works with the BOT, the Operations department, Leadership Team and outside counsel to reduce risks and holds overall responsibility for risk management across the organisation. Works with the Head of Communications in crafting emergency communications when necessary.

• Works with staff and the BOT to prepare a comprehensive annual budget (currently £1.6 million for 2026-27), and to devise longer-term three-year budgets, in line with our strategic cycles.

• Supports the BOT to maintain charitable status, ensuring all charity laws are followed and that charity documents are managed and filed in a timely manner.

• Approve expenditures within the authority delegated by the BOT.

Personnel Management:

• Manages and leads the team to achieve agreed objectives and to encourage the professional development of individual team members.

• Sets/clarifies job expectations and provides regular feedback & guidance.

• Supports Heads of in strategies and staff management.

• Manages Time Off requests from direct line managed staff.

• Signs off expenses of direct line managed staff.

Key Competencies:

Leadership: Has a clear, strategic vision for the organisation and rallies the team toward realising that vision. Balances and coordinates the interests of different departments. Leads with integrity and mutual respect, and inspires trust and confidence with a wide range of people representing various backgrounds and levels of experience. Believes firmly in promoting a healthy work culture, leading by example and building a culture of effectiveness, relentlessness, innovation, collaboration, inclusivity and agility.

Thought Leadership: An informed opinion leader on the mission of THL UK and outcomes we’re seeking. You are the go to person to represent and advocate for THL UK, what our work means in the context of reducing suffering, and why it is so important.

Strategic Thinking: Looks at consequences, implications, interdependencies, and indirect effects, all in both the short and longer term. Looks beyond the immediate goal or issue and within the greater context, not just the context of the moment. Is able to think and act creatively in difficult situations.

Management: Builds a team of high-performing staff members, appropriately structures jobs so that staff members can succeed, develops and motivates staff members, and acts from the perspective of an organisational leader that empowers their team.

Tenacity: Has the ability to display confidence and relentlessness, especially when faced with confrontational or particularly difficult situations and interactions.

Decision-making: An active listener with the ability to critically think and evaluate. You can think quickly and make calculated decisions in both high-pressure situations and broader strategy discussions, consulting appropriate team members where necessary.

Problem solver: Identifies issues, effectively structures problems, analyses information to produce insights and generates wise, actionable recommendations. A forward-looking thinker who anticipates the needs of the organisation and Board.

Communication: Ability to write, present and speak clearly and effectively. You are an exceptional communicator and can adapt to different tones and styles. A confident public speaker, including on camera, and happy leading public campaign actions.

You can see our Organisation chart here.

• Locations
• Remote, UK Based
• Employment type
• Full-time
• Salary
• Starting Salary of £84,078 or £92,486 for Inner London Weighting
• Closing Date
• 19 April, 2026

BENEFITS

• ​A fully remote work environment and team (all equipment is provided)

• A 4 day working week (30 hours over Monday to Thursday for full time staff)

• A pro rata share of 20 days leave plus 8 days for bank holidays that can be used at a time of your choice

• ​Flexible working hours

• ​A workplace pension

• An annual learning and development budget

• Support for mental and physical wellbeing -

  see hereto read more about what we are doing about wellbeing

• £25 per month reimbursement towards home working costs

About The Humane League UK

The Humane League UK is a charity ending the abuse of animals raised for food by influencing the policies of the world's biggest companies, demanding legislation, and empowering others to take action.

We're a mission-driven, energetic team focused on problem-solving and effective teamwork, and have grown significantly over the last few years.

Thanks to our effectiveness, The Humane League has been named Top Charity by the independent evaluator Animal Charity Evaluators for every rating period since 2012.

To find out more about what it's like to work for us, click here to explore.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

THL UK is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to furthering equity and inclusion, and we value diversity. We seek people from a wide range of backgrounds who will bring a fresh perspective to the team, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because it makes us stronger.

We make employment decisions by matching our organisational needs with the skills and experience of candidates, irrespective of race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, neurodiversity, age, or veteran status.

​We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer, demonstrating our commitment to recruiting, retaining, and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, based on their skills and talent.

You can read more about how The Humane League UK is working on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion here.

You can read about how we prioritise Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in our recruitment process here.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility, please contact us via hiring@thehumaneleague.org.uk and we will be happy to discuss, via email or telephone, reasonable adjustments that you may require throughout the process.

Process and Timeline

All applicants will be contacted within one week of the closing date to let you know if you have been successful in reaching the next stage.

Our full interview process comprises of the following stages:

• 24th-27th April:A skills test to give us an opportunity to see your skills in action (completed remotely).

• 5th-6th May: First interview: join an online interview (via video call) so we can learn more about each other.
• 18th-19th May:Candidates who are successful at the first stage will be invited to deliver a presentation via video call. We will provide full details of what we require along with one week of preparation time (w/c 11th May).
• 26-28th May:Final Interview: a small number of candidates will be invited to a final interview (via video call as above).

For full details of our recruitment process please click here.  (please note that the full process detailed on the linked page differs slightly to the one for this position)

Good to know!

At The Humane League UK, animal welfare is at the forefront of our everyday work and as such, many of our employees are vegan by personal choice. All of our events and workshops offer only plant-based meals. We welcome all mission-aligned candidates to apply, no matter where you are in your journey to end the abuse of animals raised for food.

We are looking to speak to a wide range of candidates with diverse backgrounds - #NonGraduatesWelcome

Our employees all work remotely but still enjoy a supportive, collaborative environment.

To find out more about The Humane League UK, explore our site.

All applicants need:

• To have the right to live and work in the UK

  (We are unable to consider applications from those without the right to work in the UK).

• To be fluent in spoken and written English

• To be committed to our mission to end the abuse of animals raised for food