Chief Executive Officer

All Opportunities

Animal Action Greece

Chief Executive Officer

Hybrid

£55,000 to £60,000

Ambition

Animal Action Greece stands at a defining moment in its history. After strong progress in 2025, we look to the future with confidence and a clear ambition to be Greece’s leading organisation for animal welfare delivery, innovation, and advocacy.

Our new strategic plan will strengthen capacity, deepen partnerships, and build sustainability, creating a resilient organisation able to scale care models, influence policy, and ensure every animal is protected.

Building on the Paros and Antiparos Community Cat Care Project, we will expand our community-based stray management programme nationwide and develop a national dog population project through new funding and partnerships. We’ll also extend our Equine Welfare and Disaster Response programmes, embedding animal welfare in national frameworks.

Organisational priorities include diversifying income, growing digital fundraising, and strengthening corporate and institutional support; investing in people, systems, and governance to enhance effectiveness and sustainability.

Intro

This is an extraordinary opportunity to lead one of Europe’s most respected and enduring animal welfare organisations at a pivotal moment in its history.

We sit at the very heart of animal welfare in Greece. Pioneering humane population management, providing vital care for working equids and responding to animals affected by disasters, our mission is both compassionate and practical to prevent cruelty and relieve suffering among animals in Greece.

Purpose

As our Chief Executive, you will be responsible for leading Animal Action Greece across all areas of strategy, operations, and representation, inspiring and empowering a talented team of staff and volunteers in the UK and Greece, while overseeing the effective delivery of programmes and driving growth in income, influence, and impact.

Reporting directly to the Board of Trustees and playing a central role in ensuring we remain financially strong, well governed, and true to our founding mission. A core priority of this role is income generation. You will bring proven fundraising leadership and will personally lead the organisation’s fundraising strategy, building strong relationships with donors, funders, and partners to secure sustainable, long-term income and enable the charity to grow its impact.

This is a role for a values-driven leader who is as comfortable engaging with grassroots communities as with international partners, policymakers, and donors.

Career Level

Leadership

Qualification

Degree educated, with evidence of continuing professional developmenmt.

Specialisation

Strategic & Operational Leadership, Fundraising

Responsibilities

Leadership & Culture

Provide clear, values-led leadership that inspires staff, trustees, and partners.
Foster a collaborative, high-performing culture built on trust, inclusion, and accountability.
Lead and develop a dispersed team in the UK and Greece, ensuring alignment, professional development, and well-being.
Build and maintain a strong partnership between staff and the Board of Trustees.

Strategy & Programme Delivery

Lead the development and implementation of the charity’s new strategic plan, setting ambitious but achievable goals.
Ensure effective delivery of all programmes, including our flagship Paros and Antiparos Community Cat Care Project and our expanding Equine Welfare and Disaster Response initiatives.
Oversee programme design, monitoring, and evaluation to ensure measurable outcomes and continuous improvement.
Strengthen relationships with local partners, municipalities, and government bodies in Greece to expand reach and influence.

Fundraising & Communications

Take personal responsibility for income generation, acting as the organisation’s lead fundraiser and setting the strategic direction for all fundraising activity.
Lead the development and delivery of a comprehensive fundraising and communications strategy, ensuring income targets are met and sustainable growth is achieved.
Build, steward, and personally maintain strong relationships with major donors, trusts and foundations, and corporate partners, securing long-term, strategic support.
Ensure effective storytelling and public engagement through digital channels, campaigns, and media.
Serve as a persuasive and credible ambassador for the charity in both the UK and Greece.

Finance & Governance

Work closely with the Treasurer and Head of Finance to ensure robust financial management and transparent reporting.
Prepare and manage annual budgets, forecasts, and financial performance reports.
Ensure compliance with all UK and Greek legal, regulatory, and reporting requirements.
Act as Secretary to the Board, supporting effective governance, planning, and decision-making.
Manage the charity’s investment portfolio and reserves in line with ethical and financial policies.

Advocacy & Influence

Represent Animal Action Greece in national and international forums, advocating for animal welfare reform and stronger enforcement of legislation.
Strengthen collaboration with organisations such as Eurogroup for Animals, contributing to shared campaigns and policy initiatives.
Promote the inclusion of animals in national disaster and emergency planning frameworks.
Act as a credible and inspiring spokesperson to advance our mission and influence public attitudes.

This is not an exhaustive list, and you may be asked to undertake additional responsibilities commensurate with the role.

Person Specification

We seek a strategic, emotionally intelligent leader with the vision, integrity, and drive to guide Animal Action Greece into its next era of growth. This is a role for a Chief Executive with a strong track record in fundraising who understands that leading on income generation is a central and non-delegable part of the role, essential to delivering lasting change for animals and the people who care for them.

Experience & Skills

Proven leadership experience at Chief Executive or senior management level within the charity or non-profit sector.
Demonstrable success in delivering strategic growth, organisational change, or programme expansion.
Strong financial acumen, including budget management, financial planning, and risk oversight.
Demonstrable success in personally leading fundraising and income generation at a senior level, including securing significant income from major donors, trusts and foundations, and/or corporate partnerships.
Confidence, credibility, and resilience to act as the charity’s senior external ambassador and lead fundraiser, inspiring confidence and investment among high-level supporters.
Experience managing geographically dispersed teams and fostering collaboration across cultures.
Sound understanding of governance, compliance, and charity regulation.
A deep personal commitment to animal welfare and social impact.

It would also be highly desirable if you came to the role with:

Knowledge of animal welfare issues in Greece or Southern Europe.
Experience in policy advocacy or campaigning.
Understanding of community-based animal care models.
Greek language skills or experience working cross-culturally in bilingual environments.
A diplomatic, empathetic leadership style with resilience and adaptability.

Organisation Profile

Animal Action Greece (formerly the Greek Animal Welfare Fund) is Greece’s longest-serving national animal welfare organisation.

Founded in 1959 and registered as a UK charity in 1966, we work to prevent cruelty and relieve the suffering of animals across Greece, encouraging people to care more deeply about animals’ lives by promoting compassion, education, and lasting change.

Operating through our London headquarters and Animal Action Hellas, we combine direct veterinary and community work with advocacy, education, and partnerships. Each year, our programmes focus on three priority areas: improving the welfare of stray cats and dogs, supporting working equids, and responding to animals affected by disasters. We reach thousands of animals and people through rescues, outreach, and training.

Our cat and dog programmes tackle overpopulation through trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR), microchipping, vaccination, and education; with our Paros and Antiparos Community Cat Care Project, delivered with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, now Greece’s largest and most comprehensive programme of its kind, modelling humane, sustainable population management.

Our equine work provides essential veterinary, dental, and farriery care to working, abandoned, and retired animals in remote areas, while training owners and vets to embed best practice, and our disaster response projects rescue and rehabilitate animals affected by wildfires, floods, and other crises and in partnership with ANIMA and ALKYONI Wildlife Hospital, and advocate for animals to be included in emergency planning.

Through broader advocacy, we also ensure Greek animal welfare is represented at the European level. As members of Eurogroup for Animals, the World Federation for Animals, and the European Cat & Dog Alliance, we promote stronger legislation and enforcement.

Behind these achievements is a small but dedicated team, three staff in the UK and seven in Greece, supported by our partners and an engaged Board of Trustees.

Industry Category

Company Size

Apply Now

If you would welcome the opportunity to become our new CEO, please forward:

A CV or an extended biography outlining your executive and non-executive appointments, achievements, and academic and professional qualifications.
A supporting statement (maximum 2 x A4 pages) demonstrating your motivation, skills, and experience relevant to the role, how you would hope to add value to the charity and any other relevant information.

Your application should be sent to our advising consultant, Philip Nelson, via email to philip.nelson@thehiringdept.com.

Please also let us know if you need any special provisions should you be called forward for an interview.

The appointment will be subject to the receipt of satisfactory references.

Timetable

Closing Date: Monday, 2nd February

First Round Preliminary Interviews (online): Monday 9th & Tuesday 10th February

Final Panel Assessment: Thursday 26th February

Queries

For an informal and confidential discussion, to ask a question on any aspect of the appointment process, or for additional information, please get in touch with Philip Nelson on 020 3590 9978 or via email at philip.nelson@thehiringdept.com.