Terrie Alafat CBE Chair of Trustees Expand Terrie retired in 2019 as the chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), the independent voice for housing and the home of professional standards and was appointed as Chair of Trustees for Hestia in December 2018. Before joining CIH in 2015 Terrie was director of housing in the then-Department for Communities and Local Government, with overall policy responsibility for the supply and management of housing across all tenures, housing growth, and homelessness prevention and support. As part of this, she also led on sponsorship of the Homes and Communities Agency. She has worked in the civil service covering various housing policies and programmes since 2003.
Where will I be based? Expand Our services work across London boroughs, so this depends on which service you will be joining and which role you are applying for. Take a look at our individual services for more information on where they operate. Our Head Office is located in London Bridge.
How do I apply? Expand Click on your desired role and you will be taken to our recruitment site. Here you can provide your contact details and upload your CV. Our current opportunities list is updated continuously so you can be sure you are viewing all currently available paid and volunteering vacancies. Browse our latest career opportunities.
How soon after the closing date should I hear back? Expand We aim to shortlist and inform candidates within 2 working days of the role closing however at times this can take a bit longer if your details are on a reserve list. We will get back to all applicants.
Can I volunteer at Hestia? Expand Yes, we are proud to have over 300 volunteers across London supporting adults and children in crisis. For more information about volunteering, please visit our volunteer page.
Does Hestia offer work experience? Expand We offer work placements to students currently enrolled on a social work university course. For more information, please contact Donna Kauffman +44 (0) 20 7378 3100 or email [email protected]
What are the benefits of working at Hestia Expand BHSF will give you access to a range of health, wellbeing and lifestyle tools such as GP helpline Advice, services and products for you or your loved ones’ care needs Telephone helpline providing practical and emotional support Pension scheme Season ticket loan Discounted memberships at over 2500 gyms Holiday trading Toil & flexible working Hundreds of money-saving offers Training & development Online health assessment proving a comprehensive health and wellbeing overview
Anil Shenoy Vice Chair Expand Anil Shenoy was appointed a Trustee in September 2015 and is Chair of the Finance and Fundraising Sub Committee. He is currently Head of UK Institutional at a global investment manager with responsibilities for managing relationships with large pension schemes and insurance companies as well as developing investment solutions for them. Prior to this, he was an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he worked on a range of audits and projects for UK insurance companies.
Brendan Sarsfield Treasurer Expand Brendan was the former Chief Executive of Peabody, a housing association owning and managing 68,000 homes in London and the South East. Brendan has worked in housing all of his professional life and is a campaigner for the needs of ordinary Londoners and the importance of diversity in the city. Brendan is also chair of the Sustainable Housing Standards Board which focusses on the relationship between the sector and the finance sector on ESG issues. Brendan was appointed a Trustee of Hestia in May 2021 and sits on the Finance & Fundraising subcommittee.
Vic Rayner Trustee Expand Vic Rayner joined the Hestia board of Trustees in November 2016 and has many years’ experience of working in the voluntary and community sector, with a particular focus on housing, care and support sectors. She spent seven years as the CEO of Sitra – a leading national membership body championing excellence in housing, health, care and support. As CEO, Vic sat on a wide range of governmental and sector wide bodies including DWP, DCLG, CQC and ADASS steering groups. Vic played a key role in the work that Sitra has been leading in the sector on the connection between health & housing, driving forward strength based working and personalisation. She represented Sitra on the European PUSH network, Housing First European learning group, and was responsible for Sitra’s status as lead partner in a Europe wide programme. Vic is the independent Chair of the Brighton and Hove Fairness Commission, tackling inequalities and promoting social justice within the locality. She is also a Director of the London Housing Foundation, funding innovation and best practice in homelessness provision. Vic has an MBA (Distinction), MA and BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
Mike Trup Trustee Expand Mike has some 35 years of international business experience, during which he held management positions with a family company, the international divisions of Fortune 100 companies and most recently grew his own company from start-up to successful exit.
Mel Cox Director of Human Resources Expand Mel joined Hestia in April 2013, bringing more than 25 years’ experience of establishing and leading high performing HR teams within a breadth of sectors including: Manufacturing, Blue Chip, Facilities Management, Public Services and Third Sector incorporating Research, Pharmaceutical and Retail. Mel’s career to date has bridged both specialist and generalist areas of Human Resources with a particular focus on organisational change and development. She was formerly Human Resources Director at Cancer Research UK and HR Change Director at OCS. She is a Psychology graduate and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Christopher Clarke Director of Finance Expand After graduating with a degree in Business Studies and Accounting from Edinburgh University in 1985, Chris trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in their Edinburgh office. Following qualification, Chris worked with a number of housing associations, including Berwickshire Housing Association, the first local authority transfer in Scotland. Chris also spent time as a Finance Manager with Scottish Homes in Dundee, the national housing agency, working on regulation and investment. In 2000 he moved to Surrey to take up the role of Finance Director with Elmbridge Housing Trust, and moved into the role of Group Finance Director at Paragon Community Housing Group, when Elmbridge merged with Richmond Upon Thames Churches Housing Trust. He took up the role of Director of Finance with Hestia in 2009.
Jo Tilley-Riley Director of Fundraising and Communications Expand Jo leads the Fundraising, Communications and Policy teams at Hestia. She is an expert in social sector strategy and communications, having led the communications team at Big Society Capital (where she was also founding Chair of Good Finance), worked as a communications consultant to social sector organisations and run a small digital agency that she helped found. Jo began her career as a fundraiser, working first with the British Red Cross, and then for five years with The Irene Taylor Trust ‘Music in Prisons’. She is a Trustee of Pro Bono Economics and was Chair of Relate London SE until 2014. She is a Clore Social Fellow 2015 and as part of her Fellowship was seconded with the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and published research on the impact of home raids on children.
Gayle Lowery-Jones Executive Director of Services Expand Gayle joined Hestia in 2014 as Deputy Director of Operations before becoming Regional Director in 2016. Gayle previously worked for St Mungo’s since 2001 and her previous roles included leading St Mungo’s national expansion programme, securing and implementing over £25m of new business across the South West. Gayle was previously the Substance Use Team Regional Manager for St Mungo’s, heading up organisational clinical governance around needle exchanges, BBV clinics and substitute prescribing provision and advising the organisational Alcohol Working Party. Gayle started her professional career as a volunteer with a small independent charity and is dedicated to supporting volunteers to bring their experience to Hestia and in empowering service users to co-produce services with us.Gayle is a Psychology graduate, a qualified trainer and holds numerous Health and Social Care vocational qualifications
Refuge support worker - Barking and Dagenham £20,124 rising to £20,760 per annum after 1 year Applications close 31st May 2018 Expand We are Hestia, a vibrant London based charity. Our Barking and Dagenham domestic abuse service is looking for a Refuge Worker to be part of their friendly team. We have 2 refuges in the borough where we provide temporary emergency accommodation to women and their children (if any) who have experienced or exposed to domestic abuse. We empower and support women in determining their own futures whether their decision to start a new life or return home safely. You will get to work with the local community, adding to the local VAWG strategy, and enjoy local training. We welcome applications from candidates with lived experience. Section 7(2) b & e of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 apply to this position – (Only Female applicants Please) Find out more
Refuge support worker - Wandsworth £20,124 rising to £20,760 per annum after 1 year Applications close 7th May Expand Want to be an advocate for women and children fleeing domestic abuse? Come join our service in Wandsworth. Working within the team of 5 refuge workers you will have the potential to perhaps save and certainly to change lives. Working with women and children at a pivotal moment in their lives the service provides a safe-haven, a place for them to catch their breath and gather their thoughts. You will work alongside the team to help the women recognise the massive step they have already taken and to start planning the next step they need to take on their journey. There’s never a dull moment – this job is not without drama and challenge but these are more than made up for with the rewards. We welcome applications from candidates with lived experience. Find out more
Patrick Ryan Chief Executive Expand Patrick joined Hestia as CEO in March 2002 from Centrepoint, where he had managed services, development and statutory income. Since 2002 Hestia has grown from a £4 million West London agency to a pan-London £24 million turnover provider of a range of services, while retaining its focus on its service users. Patrick has significant governance experience and has been trustee of a number of local, London wide and National agencies. Patrick has chaired a range of provider forums and has also been a co-opted to sit on Local Authority Oversight and Scrutiny committees. Patrick is a UKCP registered psychoanalytic psychotherapist and an NUI graduate.
I have some questions. Who can I talk to? Expand Please contact our Human Resources team on [email protected]. You should receive a reply with 48 hours.
I am currently employed, when should I hand in my resignation? Expand If you are currently employer, we recommend you do not resign until we have received your reference and DBS unless instructed otherwise by our HR department.
What is the shortlisting process? Expand Our Managers usually shortlist within 2 working days of the vacancy closing. You will receive an email from our HR department with a conditional offer and the relevant paperwork for you to complete. HR will arrange to meet with you in person to complete our pre-employment checks. Please don’t hand in your notice until HR informs you that everything is in order.
How shall I best prepare application? Expand We are looking for candidates with a passion to change lives who identify with our values. Your cover letter is your chance to tell Hestia all about this. Why you wish to work for Hestia Transferable skills Our vision is ‘Empowering people, changing lives’. How will you contribute to this if you are successful? We are looking for candidates who live our values; respectful, genuine, dedicated, collaborative, courageous. How will you ensure to incorporate our values in your everyday work? The experience a person has on their CV would not necessarily be an indication of how a candidate will live our values. Your cover letter is your chance to tell Hestia all about this. If you have any questions during the application process, contact our HR team on [email protected] (strictly no agencies). We aim to reply to any messages within 48 hours.
Is there a pension scheme? Expand Your pension scheme is a special type of savings plan designed to provide you with an income once you retire. As soon as you start with us, you will be automatically enrolled into the pension scheme where Hestia will match your personal contributions up to a maximum of 5% of your salary.
Christina Marriott Trustee Expand Following an early career in advertising, for 13 years Christina led the marketing consultancy she established in her 20s. She was tempted into academia as a research fellow working on health inequalities at the University of Central Lancashire and was seconded to health inspectorates to run a national census of mental health inpatients that investigated ethnicity-based inequalities. She moved into the NHS to spearhead a regional, place-based health equity programme before becoming National Lead for Health Inequalities in the then newly-formed NHS England. Her move into the third sector was via the Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Nacro before taking up the Chief Executive role at Revolving Doors Agency. Christina has served on a significant number of advisory Board including the Ministerial Advisory Board on Female Offenders, the Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Ministerial Advisory Group (RR3) and a Civil Justice Council working party. She chaired the Bradley Report Group and the Health Inequalities Reference Group. She was a Visiting Fellow at the University of Southampton and was a finalist in the Third Sector Awards Chief Executive of the Year 2019. Christina joined the board of Trustees at Hestia in December 2018.