CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Appointment Brief September 2025
WELCOME
The
Foundation
It is with great excitement that I welcome you to the 1001 Critical Days Foundation and thank you for your interest in becoming our first Chief Executive Officer. This is a unique moment in our journey: I established the Foundation in March 2025 and we have been working at pace ever since to lay the groundwork for the global change we are determined to see.
was created with a bold and urgent mission: THAT EVERY BABY SHOULD EXPERIENCE THE BEST START IN LIFE.
Decades of scientific research confirms that the first 1001 days – from pregnancy to age two – are when the building blocks for lifelong emotional and physical wellbeing are laid down. It is a time of great opportunity but also great vulnerability, and too often, parents and carers are not given the support and education they need to give their baby the best start in life. Our charity exists to change that for every baby.
We are a small team but will have a big impact, built on three pillars: funding frontline charities to deliver direct support, commissioning innovative research that turns evidence into action, and championing the cause of babies on the international stage. Already, we have secured significant philanthropic investment, forged international partnerships, and launched groundbreaking projects. Now, with your leadership, we are ready to go further and faster.
As our first CEO, you will shape and grow our charity at an exciting stage of its development. You will work alongside a highly-esteemed and deeply committed Board of Trustees, expert advisory groups, and a talented team who share a determination to make the world better for babies and their families. The incoming CEO will preside over a fastgrowing charity, ensuring we have the right resources for the task ahead, and presiding over excellence in recruitment as our activities expand. Whether your experience comes from within early years or from other fields, what matters most is your ability to bring vision, energy, and compassion to this international cause.
If you are ready to lead a bold and ambitious charity that will deliver a global impact for babies, I would be delighted to hear from you. Together, we can deliver on our core mission that ‘Every baby should experience the best start in life’.
The Rt Hon Dame Andrea Leadsom DBE Executive Chair
ABOUT US
Our Vision and Mission
The 1001 Critical Days Foundation is determined that every baby should experience the best start in life. We are relentlessly focussed on the first 1001 days, from pregnancy to age two. The science is clear: the 1001 critical days are when the building blocks for lifelong emotional and physical wellbeing are laid down. While this biological fact is universal, many parents and carers are not supported to give their baby the best start in life.
We deliver our mission through grant funding frontline charities, commissioning pioneering research, and championing the importance of the 1001 critical days around the world. These three pillars ensure that we are have a real positive impact on babies.
Our Values
Our values drive everything we do. From the research that we commission to the charities that we support. They are at the heart of our charity, and reflect our emphasis on the difference we want to make and how we want to make that difference.
We are working to change the world by championing the unique importance of babyhood on a global stage, sharing what we’ve learned in the UK and learning from others doing brilliant work elsewhere. We support governments, researchers, practitioners and communities to put babies and their families at the heart of policy and practice.
By working together with academics, professionals, and policymakers, we can turn the science of the 1001 critical days into action so that every baby can grow up healthy, safe, and loved.
Compassionate
Demonstrating deep care and empathy for babies, parents, and carers in their most vulnerable early phase.
Collaborative
Working closely with global partners – from parents and practitioners to policymakers – to amplify impact.
Action-Centred
Ensuring every initiative drives real, measurable outcomes for babies.
Impactful
Using evidencebased methods to deliver tangible, longterm benefits while catalysing systemic change.
FUTURE PLANS AND DIRECTION
Our strategic direction is built around its three interconnected pillars of impact:
1. Grant Funding
We know that charities across the UK and internationally play a vital role in supporting babies and their families. We are the only grant-giving charity that is exclusively dedicated to babies in the UK. We support charities by offering much-needed multi-year grants to those delivering support to babies in family hubs or similar community settings. In our first year, we have pledged £2m to six UK charities over the next five years. We will continue to offer grants to UK charities and will extend this to international grants in the coming years.
2. Research Grants
The science of the first 1001 days is clear: our experiences in this time shape the adults we become. Supporting babies and their families leads to long-lasting positive outcomes. However, there is still much to learn. We fund innovative studies to demonstrate the long-term economic and social value of early intervention from pregnancy to age two. For example, we commissioned a world-first research study that found an estimated two dads die by suicide every week during the 1001 critical days. We are committed to turning insight like this into action, such as greater support for dads.
3. Advocacy
We know that supporting the 1001 critical days is a global social justice issue. By championing the importance of this time on a global scale, we can inform policymakers and leaders around the world about where they can have the biggest impact on society. We have an ambitious plan to get 1001 signatures from parliamentarians around the world on our declaration that “every baby should experience the best start in life”. We are also forging international partnerships, starting with Norway, the UAE, and South Africa. There is much we can learn from these countries and much that we can share. Together, we can make a real impact for babies. Our ambition is that countries have dedicated budgets for babies, much as they would have for educational provision.
KEY STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND MILESTONES
Grant rounds
We launched our first charity grant round in June 2025, with £1 million pledged to support frontline charities and a further £1m pledged as a partnership with Home-Start UK to roll out Dad Matters. We plan to open a second round in Autumn 2025 and continue these annually.
Pioneering research
We have developed a research strategy that will see us building a wealth of fresh insights to clearly demonstrate how we can best support babies around the world. We will commission two further research projects in 2025, as well as establishing a strategic partnership with a research group to evaluate our charity grants.
International advocacy
We are engaging leaders and parliamentarians in our three target countries of Norway, the UAE, and South Africa to begin our international advocacy. We will be commissioning research and projects in partnership with these countries in Year 2.
Scholarly dissemination
From September 2025, the International Journal of Birth and Parent Education joined the Foundation. This journal translates academic research for practitioners supporting babies and families in the 1001 critical days. We will power this Journal and ensure it helps more practitioners around the world to make a meaningful difference to babies.
OUR FINANCES
We are very fortunate to have supportive individuals and organisations that share our passion for ensuring every baby experiences the best start in live. Over our first five years, we have more than £20m pledged to support out cause. We have ambitious plans to grow further, so that we can better achieve our mission of supporting parents and carers to give their baby the best start in life.
OUR EXPERIENCE
Put simply, we want to make the world a better place. We are confident that if every baby were to experience the best start in life, then this would deliver positive change in the world for future generations.
We were founded by our Executive Chair, The Rt Hon Dame Andrea Leadsom. Dame Andrea has championed babies throughout her career, including her distinguished political career where she was the government’s Early Years Advisor and the Minister with responsibility for the Start for Life portfolio. Andrea’s strategic leadership across the sector has been widely recognised nationally and internationally.
With over a century of combined experience across public policy, early development, clinical care and research, our team brings deep expertise and longstanding advocacy to this vital field. Together, we have worked from the highest levels of politics to delivering frontline services for babies in the NHS and charity sector. This gives us a unique perspective on how we can achieve the biggest impact for babies.
We are particularly passionate about demonstrating the value of family hubs as a way to support babies and their families. By providing information, breaking down stigma, and joining up services, we know that this model is what families want as they navigate the support available for them and their baby.
Our work is supported by an esteemed and engaged Board of Trustees, with diverse experience including finance, marketing, communication, early years, and technology. We are also delighted that we have three Expert Advisory Groups providing challenge and support to our work. Members of these groups have deep subject matter knowledge in their field and work to support babies around the world.
Our groups include:
1. Academic Advisory Group
2. Professional Advisory Group
3. Parliamentary Advisory Group
EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION STATEMENT
We are dedicated to ensuring equitable outcomes for all babies, regardless of background. We invest in community-based, one-stop-shop models (e.g. family hubs) to ensure that trusted support is accessible to everyone, including under-served populations, during this critically important developmental window.
Our research and funding strategies prioritise measurable impact, targeting projects that can demonstrate long-term benefits and reach families who might otherwise face systemic barriers. Moreover, our international advocacy underscores a global commitment to inclusion: engaging a broad spectrum of countries and diverse stakeholders – policymakers, charities, researchers, practitioners – to ensure the benefits of early intervention are widely distributed.
ORGANISATION CHART
Executive Chair, Rt Hon Dame Andrea Leadsom
Board of Trustees
Dame Jayne Anne Gadhia, Lucia Hodgson, Maria Chapman, Freddie Leadsom, Alanna Clear
Advisory Group
Grants Officer
Group
Group Chief
ROLE DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO)
Salary: £100,000
Location: Central London-based
Reporting to: Executive Chair of the Board of Trustees
Direct reports: Director of Research and Grants, Senior Communications Officer, International Engagement Officer, and Charity Administrator
JOB
PURPOSE
• To promote the mission, vision, and values of 1001 Critical Days Foundation through the delivery of our strategy and business plans.
• To maximise 1001 Critical Days Foundation’s reach and impact, ensuring the best possible outcomes for babies.
• To inspire and lead the people of 1001 Critical Days Foundation, ensuring a culture of collaboration.
• To work with the Executive Chair on the strategic direction of the organisation and to ensure implementation of Board decisions.
• To ensure excellence in charity governance, reputation management, donor liaison and financial reporting.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Leadership
• Work in close partnership with the Executive Chair to shape and deliver the charity’s strategic direction.
• Represent the organisation externally, acting as a credible advocate and ambassador for its mission.
• Support the Executive Chair with fundraising ambitions, helping to build strong philanthropic and partnership relationships.
Team Leadership
• Build, mentor, and manage a highly motivated, high-performing team, expanding as required to achieve our strategic goals.
• Inspire staff to deliver their best for the 1001 Critical Days Foundation’s mission.
• Review organisational structure to optimally align team resources with strategic priorities.
• Promote a culture of accountability, professional development, and excellence within the team.
• Champion the organisation’s values in all aspects of leadership.
External Engagement and Advocacy
• Lead our external influencing strategy, with a particular focus on advocacy at a global level.
• Build trusted relationships with global parliamentarians, policymakers, children’s charities and international stakeholders to share the 1001 Critical Days Foundation approach.
• Represent the Foundation in international fora, building visibility and credibility among global partners.
• Ensure the organisation is recognised as an influential, values-driven voice in policy and advocacy affecting babies worldwide.
Operations and Governance
• Ensure operational systems, processes, and governance arrangements enable effective delivery.
• Oversee robust financial governance and management systems, including budgeting, cashflow management, and forecasting.
• Ensure robust governance and risk management of the charity.
• Provide detailed and timely financial and operational reports to the Board, ensuring accountability and transparency.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential Skills and Experience
• Proven senior leadership experience in advocacy, ideally at a global level.
• Proven track record of improving reach, impact, and growing income within the charity, private or public sector.
• Demonstrable impact of effecting social change or influencing public policy.
• Track record of working with policymakers and parliamentarians, with deep understanding of how to influence and drive policy change.
• Demonstrable experience of working in innovative organisations or environments.
• Experience of robust financial oversight and ensuring robust financial reporting.
• Experience of overseeing operational delivery and effective resource management.
• Skilled at working within sensitive environments and handling complex relationships with diplomacy.
• Strong external presence; credible and confident with high-level stakeholders.
• Ability to work closely and collaboratively with a high-profile Executive Chair.
• Experience of working with and reporting to a Board.
• Demonstrated ability to work at pace, while maintaining attention to detail.
• Strong people leadership skills, with experience of leading small teams.
• Clear commitment to values-driven leadership and to our life-changing work for babies.
We are looking for someone with the drive, ambition, and leadership skills needed to make a real difference for babies. Your experience does not need to be in the early years sector, as long as you share our passion and determination that every baby should experience the best start in life.
BENEFITS
• Annual leave of 22 days.
• Pension scheme contribution, matched up to 5%.
• A flexible and supportive working culture.
• The opportunity to travel, influence, and collaborate at the highest levels.
• Access to advisory and thought leadership networks, including academic, professional, and parliamentary groups.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply for the role, please upload your CV together with a supporting statement (of no more than 1000 words) onto the Prospectus website via the link.
For guidance on formulating your Supporting Statement, please review our guide here
Please ensure that you have included a telephone number, as well as any dates when you will not be available or might have difficulty with the recruitment timetable.
If you wish to apply using an alternative format please contact Prospectus on 020 7691 1920 or email executive.admin@prospect-us.co.uk
Applications via the Prospectus website should be made at: https://prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/192813
At Prospectus we believe passionately that a truly inclusive workplace leads to increased social impact. We are committed to supporting our clients build more inclusive teams. To understand how we are performing, we ask that you kindly complete the brief equal opportunities questionnaire when you submit your application via our website. Please be assured that your responses are kept confidential, separate from your candidate record, are not part of any application you make, and that the consultants never see individual responses to the questionnaire.
RECRUITMENT TIMETABLE
Deadline for applications: Wednesday 15th October 2025
Interviews with Prospectus: 21st – 28th October
Interviews with 1001 Critical Days Foundation: w/c 3rd November 2025
QUERIES
If you have any queries or wish to have an informal discussion about the opportunity, please contact our retained advisors Anna Gardet or Erica Ritchie via email with a copy of your CV:
Anna.Gardet@prospect-us.co.uk
Erica.Ritchie@prospect-us.co.uk
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