Chief Executive Officer
Swansea Women’s Aid
(logo and charity number 1202082)
Location: Swansea
Salary: £45,000 - £51,250 pa (depending on experience)
Benefits: On-call allowance, TOIL, Flexible working, Contributory pension, 25 days holidays
Hours: 35hours per week – can be hybrid
Contract: Permanent
Start date – TBC but anticipated 1/3/27
Closing date: 23rd October 2026
Swansea Women’s Aid is seeking an inspiring, courageous and values-led Chief Executive Officer to lead our specialist women-only charity following the retirement of our current Chief Executive Lynne Sanders MBE after more than 40 years of outstanding service.
About Swansea Women’s Aid
Swansea Women’s Aid is a specialist women-only charity supporting women, with or without children, who are affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.
Our work includes refuge and safe accommodation, specialist support and advocacy, outreach, drop-in and group work, services for children and young people, prevention and early intervention, and specialist support for women experiencing sexual exploitation and multiple disadvantage.
About the role
Working closely with a well-established Board of Trustees, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across the charity. You will:
Provide clear, strategic and compassionate leadership.
Work with Trustees to shape and deliver the charity’s future direction.
Ensure strong governance, safeguarding, financial sustainability and compliance.
Represent Swansea Women’s Aid as a credible and influential voice for women and children affected by abuse.
Identify opportunities for service development, partnership working, fundraising and long-term sustainability.
About you
You will bring significant senior leadership experience together with:
Strong financial and organisational management skills.
Understanding of income generation, commissioning and accountabilityExperience of leading people and supporting positive organisational culture.
The ability to build trusted relationships and effective partnerships.
A genuine commitment to ending violence against women and children.
Knowledge and experience of the VAWDASV sector, charity governance, commissioning, fundraising and service development would be highly desirable.
You may not have followed a traditional route into senior charity leadership. We are interested in the skills, experience, values and perspective you can bring to Swansea Women’s Aid and its future.
Equality and inclusion
Swansea Women’s Aid welcomes applications from women with the skills, values and lived or professional understanding needed to lead a specialist service.
This post is open to women only. Swansea Women’s Aid considers that being a woman is an occupational requirement for this post under Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010.
How to apply
Please send a full cv and covering letter to Trustees@swanseawa.org.uk. For more information see the attached document and our website www.swanseawomensaid.com
Applications should be submitted by 23rd October 2026
First Interviews: w/c 2nd November 2026
Swansea Women’s Aid is committed to supporting an inclusive recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustment to enable you to participate fully in the recruitment process, please let us know.