Our work began in 1945 when Dr John Bowes Morrell and his elder brother Cuthbert established Ings Property Co for the purpose of ‘rehabilitating’ neglected buildings of historic interest and merit in the City of York. The Trust has continued to play a significant role in the conservation of the historically important City of York and has strong partnerships and relationships across the City. In order to continue our ongoing commitment to the conservation of historic buildings across York, the Trustees approved a new strategy at the end of November 2021. We are proud to be part of an active conservation community and the team in York continues to expand its knowledge of and approach to both conservation and the evolving business of conservation across its many dimensions. We learn from other projects, specialist trades, professional contacts and experienced contractors and are considering ways in which additional skills and experience can be introduced to the charity in a non executive capacity.

THE ROLE

We are seeking a new Chief Executive who will lead the Trust into our next phase of growth and development. Following a strategic review we have identified some key priorities for the Trust and this provides clear direction for our new Chief Executive as well as scope to develop our future strategic direction. Principally, as a result of our review, The Trust is undertaking a continued programme of building condition surveys across the portfolio, which enables us to better understand and budget for the conservation work involved to bring the properties to the our required standard. In order to achieve this we will be undertaking the sale of some targeted property and launching a programme of new revenue generation, including fundraising, to supplement the income from our rentals. Despite our heritage as a charity this will be the first time that the Trust will have directly fundraised and we are keen to find a new Chief Executive who is motivated by the delivery of our strategy and the opportunity to diversify our income and to work with a committed, experienced and dedicated small staff team and Board to build our charitable impact in the City. 

You will be an established leader of people who enjoys being both strategic and hands on. We are a small close knit team at the Trust and you will bring exceptional interpersonal skills – able to work closely with the staff team, our Board and our myriad external stakeholders. Strong project management skills are essential for this role – we have a demanding and extensive schedule of work ahead and you will bring a keen eye for detail and the ability to remain abreast of our portfolio. With the ongoing rising costs in our sector, it is also imperative to have highly tuned commercial acumen and you will bring a strong track record of income generation. This need not be in the charitable sector, although fundraising experience would be valuable. A background in conservation is also not essential. However, it goes without saying that you will bring an appreciation of the built environment and be committed to ensuring the preservation and conservation of historic properties alongside the ability to think creatively about their future use.