Chief Executive Officer

• Salary: £45,000 to £53,000 (fte) depending on skills and experience

• Hours: 37 hours per week, open to job share or less-than-fulltime candidates

• Reports to: Chair of Trustees

• Direct Reports: Deputy CEO, Finance Manager, Project Leads

• Location: York/Hybrid

• Closing Date: 6th September 2026

Nobody is irreplaceable… but it has to be said, some people are a very tough act to follow. After more than 8 years leading York Travellers Trust, Violet Cannon is moving on to some new and exciting projects.

Violet’s contribution as CEO has been truly transformative for York Travellers Trust; we have grown from a tiny charity run on a shoestring by a handful of people, into one with an annual turnover of almost £500,000. We have four clearly identified strategic pillars of work, and are developing a more community-led sociocratic way of working.

We also have a core group of dedicated volunteers, and a hard-working, resourceful and committed team of nine staff - who are now looking for the right person to lead us in the next part of our journey.

As our Chair of Trustees has said, “The range of services YTT provides is exceptional. We support wellbeing, provide housing advice, work alongside young people and their families to improve access to education, advocating for the rights of Gypsy and Traveller communities through everything we do - including strategic work to try to shape York's Local Plan. But perhaps most importantly, we celebrate the resilience, culture and vibrancy of communities that continue to thrive despite systems that too often exclude them. 

That also means never standing still. As an organisation, we're continually asking how we can share power better, involve people more meaningfully in decisions, and become a more democratic and sociocratic organisation. It's an ongoing journey, and one that I hope our next CEO will be excited to continue.”

We’re open to applications from people who want to job share or who are looking for less than full-time hours. We’d particularly love to hear from candidates who come from Gypsy and Traveller Communities, or have experience of working in these communities.

Our job advert and application pack set out the skills and experience we're looking for, but we know that the right person may not tick every box. If you think you could be who we are looking for, please check the advert here Chief Executive Officer | York Travellers Trust | CharityJob for more details or to apply.

After all, eight years ago we didn't know that it was Violet that we were looking for, until we found her! And if it's not you, we'd really appreciate you sharing the opportunity with your contacts and networks.