Responsibilities of the chief executive

The responsibilities of the chief executive vary from charity to charity. Generally speaking, the trustee board delegate the day to day decision making and management of a charity to the chief executive. The board hold the chief executive to account in carrying out this role.

The chief executive is often described as having leadership and management responsibilities. Some typical responsibilities might cover:

• Supporting the overall purpose of the charity and its mission
• Acting to high ethical standards
• Leading and managing the staff team
• Overseeing the organisation’s services and activities
• Oversight of financial management and fundraising
• Ensuring compliance with the law
• Managing external relationships between the charity and its stakeholders and acting as an external spokesperson
• Working with the board to fulfil its governance role – for example, in relation to strategy and accountability
• Supporting the trustee board in developing its own effectiveness.