Chief Executive Officer
World Physiotherapy
About the Organisation
World Physiotherapy is the sole global voice for physiotherapy, representing over 600,000 physiotherapists across 125 member organizations. We are an international non-profit organization, dedicated to strengthening our member organizations, advancing physiotherapy education, research, and practice, supporting professional development, and advocating for universal access to high-quality, equitable care.
Working with our member organizations, regions, specialty groups, and networks we connect a dynamic community of physiotherapists committed to advancing physical health, functional mobility, and quality of life for all people. We support this through diverse activities including policy and advocacy work, the biennial world congress, development programs, a portfolio of education activities to raise standards and quality assurance, and global data profiling of the profession.
About the role
The CEO serves as the association's primary staff leader and strategist, responsible for implementing the overall vision, management, and strategic direction, ensuring the organization achieves its mission of advancing global health standards and supporting the professional growth of its members.
Responsibilities
Leadership:
- Role-model World Physiotherapy values consistently – act with integrity; engage diverse experiences, expertise, and perspectives to inform decisions; demonstrate the courage to speak truth to power and make difficult decisions when necessary; and commit to ongoing personal growth as a leader.
- Demonstrate and advocate for an inclusive, collaborative culture through compassionate leadership, continuous learning, and psychological safety, supported by distributed leadership, and collaborative approaches.
- Foster a culture of evidence-led thinking and data literacy within World Physiotherapy, leading by example.
- Serve as a visible and exceptional ambassador on the international stage and across all forms of media to advance the interests of World Physiotherapy’s members, elevate the organization’s profile, and raise public awareness of physiotherapy’s critical role in healthcare.
- Network with senior leaders globally to bring innovative ideas, insights, and practices that help World Physiotherapy remain a leading organization in its field.
Governance:
- Build strong working relationships with the President and the Executive Board, ensuring open communication and mutual alignment on strategic goals.
- Ensure World Physiotherapy complies with relevant legal, regulatory, and financial requirements, advising the Board on any changes needed in governance structures, policies, or standing orders.
- Provide the Board and its Committees with the necessary information, guidance, and support to enable informed decision-making on behalf of World Physiotherapy’s members.
- Oversee fair and transparent governance elections and promote positive action to ensure diverse representation in World Physiotherapy’s leadership.
- Ensure that Congress runs efficiently and transparently to uphold accountability to the broader World Physiotherapy membership.
- Forecast issues the President, Vice-President, and Board will need to be informed about relevant strategic and operational developments impacting the organization.
Management:
- Work alongside the Directors to account for achieving the strategic goals aligned with World Physiotherapy’s global mission, including regular reporting to the Board on progress and performance.
- Oversee the Directors’ delivery of World Physiotherapy’s annual operational and financial plans to achieve the organization’s objectives.
- Ensure sound financial management practices, overseeing budgeting, funding, and financial reporting.
- Secure sustainable funding sources and enhance the organization’s financial stability by harnessing innovation and diversifying the funding streams.
- Foster data literacy across World Physiotherapy to enhance decision-making, transparency, and accountability at all levels.
- Collaborate with relevant staff representatives and groups to uphold values of equity, diversity, and inclusion across the organization.
Skills, Competencies & Experience
Knowledge and Experience:
- Executive-level experience in a membership organization, not-for-profit organization, and similar.
- Reporting to volunteer boards, councils, or activist groups, with a track record of engaging these stakeholders through diverse communication channels, including social media.
- Leading and managing an organization or service through periods of significant change, ideally in an international or multicultural context.
- Strategic experience in developing and delivering an organization’s vision and mission, with measurable impact.
- Experience in acting as the primary spokesperson and representation for an association globally, ideally through large-scale international congresses.
- Demonstrated success in working with senior stakeholders across complex, global, and sometimes politically sensitive environments to achieve shared objectives.
- Experience in audit, finance, and risk, ensuring sound financial management practices and overseeing budgeting, funding, and financial reporting.
- Strong knowledge of equity and diversity principles, including an understanding of privilege, allyship, and the importance of engaging with marginalized and historically excluded groups.
- Understanding of organizational development, leadership, and change management, with a commitment to good governance and familiarity with different governance models.
- Knowledge, experience, and competencies within the global health landscape, alongside a detailed understanding of physiotherapy’s critical role within the sector.
Desirable:
- Experience in engaging with the press and other media to enhance organizational visibility and public advocacy.
- Working knowledge of an additional official United Nations language besides English (Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic) and preferably another language is desirable.
- Ensure a deep understanding of health systems, strategic planning, and organizational leadership.
Required Qualifications
- Undergraduate Degree in Health Management
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive Salary
- Others Benefits
Working locations
- London office with occasional travel required
How to apply
- Send an email to [email protected] with a CV and a cover letter by Monday 16th December 2024 at noon
Interviews
- Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview
Policies
- World Physiotherapy is committed to reflecting the diversity of the global profession. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and experiences, valuing the unique perspectives they bring to our mission of making quality physiotherapy accessible to all.