Focus – Non-Executive Director and Chair Recruitment

About Focus

Focus is a contemporary and progressive not-for-profit organisation registered with the NDIS, supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities. Operating across the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston, it has a long and proud history of more than 50 years, with a strong balance sheet, profitable operations and a vision to grow.  

Most importantly, Focus works hard every day to ensure the people it supports live the life they want, ensuring they have choice and control over the services they receive.  

Focus serves ~100 adults with disabilities with ~250 professional staff and a passionate and experienced board across 22 owned properties. They provide…

For more information about Focus and its board visit: focuslife.com.au/about-us/

The Board and Executive Team

Focus has an experienced and established board made up of skills-based and lived-experience directors who provide the appropriate experience, skills and expertise to oversee the safety and quality of the services provided.  

The board is Chaired by Paul Thomson – a Senior Partner at KPMG. He brings a deep experience working with government and an understanding of the need to balance policy, financial and social objectives. His leadership of the board has supported the organisation through the transition to the NDIS and beyond.  After a long tenure, Paul has indicated his desire to resign from the board in late 2024.

The Future

Focus is a financially stable, progressive, not-for-profit organisation that has a desire to continue to grow.  It is well-regarded across the industry and by all of its stakeholders and has had strong governance in place for many years.  The most recent NDIS Certification Audit had zero non-conformance.  The board is passionate, professional and diverse, with both external directors and family representation, providing business acumen, healthcare experience and perspectives from the families of people it supports.  

For all of these reasons, the future is exciting. Focus leverages their very healthy financials, large asset base in both equities and property, a circa $30M turnover and profitability (a rarity in the sector) to do things other providers in the sector simply can’t. 

The future provides much opportunity. In particular, they:

• collaborate with local communities to build disability awareness;
• partner with sector experts to imbed best practices; 
• work with the higher education sector to develop the next generation of active support workers;
• are working with a university to design new properties specifically for those with intellectual disabilities and
• are continuing to build new properties and diversify their living and lifestyle options. 

Person Specification

With the impending retirement of directors due to the end of their allowable tenure, up to two Non-Executive Director positions have become available on the Board.  

This represents a significant opportunity for individuals with a passion for supporting those with disabilities to join an established, highly successful, and commercially minded organisation with the resources and appetite to make a difference.

It is hoped that one of the appointed directors will become a candidate for the Chair role in 2024.

The evaluation criteria that Focus will apply to candidate applications include:

1. Non-Executive experience: Prior governance and non-executive director experience is desirable – but not essential.  
2. Skills and Experience: Evidence of utilising one or more of the following skills and experience at board or senior management level:
   1. Disability sector experience, in particular within the NDIS
   2. Marketing and marketing strategy
   3. Commercial & Financial
3. Passion & Fit: Evidence of having a genuine passion for the disability sector.
4. Location: Focus is looking for the best candidates to help the organisation flourish.  As the majority of meetings are over video, location is not an issue; however, we would be especially interested in hearing from people who have connections with Frankston or the Mornington Peninsula. 

Chair Appointment: Please indicate whether you would like to be considered for the Chair role in the future; this is not a pre-requisite.  

Commitment, Remuneration & Timings

Board Meetings: Held six times a year, primarily virtually. In-person attendance at the AGM and strategy planning weekends/days are also required (expenses paid).  Each board member also sits on one of the two board committees, Finance and Governance; each of these committees normally meets about 6 times a year as well.  

Remuneration: These appointments are voluntary; however, to keep board members up to date and appropriately trained, a professional development budget is allocated to board members.

Timings* 

• Applications due – 5.00 pm Friday 3rd November 2023
• Applications reviewed – wc Monday 6th November 2023
• Shortlist meeting – wc Monday 20th November 2023
• Candidate interviews – wc Monday 27th November
• Board Appointment confirmed – Thursday 7th December (at the first board meeting)

* Anticipated timeframe based on board and candidate availability.

To Apply

You MUST complete and submit the form below and attach your Board CV prior to 5 p.m. Friday, 3rd November 2023.

For questions or to arrange a confidential discussion about these roles, please email ua.mo1728480475c.noi1728480475tceri1728480475ddrao1728480475b@tca1728480475tnoc1728480475.

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