Anna Freud is a world-leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Our purpose is to take everything that we have learned over the last 70 years, and to transform the mental health of current and future generations of children and young people, to close the gap between mental illness and mental wellness – and to create a more compassionate society for everyone. We listen to and learn from their diverse voices and integrate this with learnings from our science and practice to develop and deliver mental health care. We are now seeking a Commercial Director to join our team at an exciting point in our journey as a charity.

Over the past decade, Anna Freud has grown significantly in scope, influence, and impact. From our origins as a pioneering centre for child psychotherapy, we are now a national mental health charity with a unique blend of research, clinical practice, schools support, and workforce development – all underpinned by a commitment to evidence, collaboration, and lived experience.

We are proud of what we’ve achieved, but we also recognise that the scale of need among children, young people, and families continues to grow. With this comes increasing demand for practical, accessible, and effective support.

To meet this challenge, we are evolving once again. From 2026, we will launch a new long-term strategy focused on deepening our impact, scaling what works, and working with system partners to close the gaps that exist in science, services, and access to support. This will require us to think differently about how we generate income, build strategic partnerships, and strengthen our infrastructure to sustain and grow our work for the future.

We are now looking for our first Executive Director, Commercial to bring together income generation, brand and marketing, digital innovation, data, and business development into one strategic and values-led portfolio. We are seeking someone who combines strong commercial acumen with mission-driven leadership: a strategic thinker who can build and lead high-performing teams, collaborate across disciplines, and engage credibly with senior stakeholders.

As a key member of our Executive Leadership Team, you will contribute to the organisation’s overall direction and play a pivotal role in shaping our future strategy. You will lead a talented, motivated team across fundraising, partnerships, business development, digital platforms, and brand.

If you bring substantial experience in commercial leadership or income generation, a passion for our mission, and the strategic and collaborative mindset to help shape our next chapter, we would be delighted to hear from you.

We are partnered with Starfish search and hope you will consider making an application. If you have questions about the appointment and would find it helpful to have an informal conversation, please contact Starfish and we will be happy to arrange a call.

For more information and to make an application, please click on the Apply button. To apply, please upload the following to the Starfish website:

• Your CV (no more than three sides).

• A supporting statement (no more than two sides) that sets out why you think this role is the right move for you and how you meet the knowledge and experience criteria.

We would also be grateful if you would complete the Equality and Diversity monitoring form on the online application process. This form is for monitoring purposes only and is not treated as part of your application.

Closing date: Friday 5th September 2025

•         Preliminary interviews: w/c 22nd September 2025

•         First Stage Panel Interviews: w/c 13th October 2025

•         Final Panel interviews: w/c 20th October 2025