Trustees and Non-Executive Directors - multiple board opportunities

We are looking to recruit a new Vice-Chair, four trustees and three non-exec members of either our Finance, Audit, Risk and Governance, Remunerations or Nominations sub-committees. We are particularly looking for candidates with experience in the following areas:

• Leading a food bank
• Leading or working in a church
• Digital, AI and/or Technology
• Safeguarding
• Managing investments

Role profile

Role outline and purpose

Trustees have collective responsibility for the governance of the organisation and for all decisions made by the Board. They set the strategic direction for the organisation, ensuring alignment to our values, and are responsible for setting organisational policy, defining goals, agreeing the financial plan, evaluating performance, and ensuring that strong relationships are maintained between the Trustees and the Senior Leadership Group.

Role responsibilities

Organisational purpose:

• Drive, embrace and commit to the organisation’s vision, mission, strategy and values.
• Ensure the charity complies with its governing document and charity law.

Leadership

• Commit to uphold our trustee code of conduct.
• Ensure that the charity has a clear and relevant set of aims and an appropriate strategy for achieving them.
• Lead by example, ensuring the charity’s values are reflected in all of its work, and that the ethos and culture of the organisation underpin the delivery of all activities.

Integrity

• Safeguard and promote the charity’s reputation by living its values and by extension promote public confidence in the wider sector.
• Act in the best interests of the charity’s purposes and its beneficiaries, creating a safe, respectful and welcoming environment for those who come into contact with it.
• Make objective decisions about delivering the charity’s purposes, without undue influence by special or personal interests.

Decision-making risk and control

• Ensure clear focus on strategy, performance, and assurance, rather than operational matters.
• Promote a culture of sound decision making, monitoring and management of resources whilst understanding that being over-cautious and risk averse can itself be a risk and hinder innovation.

Board effectiveness

• Uphold board collective responsibility.
• Make reasonable use of own skills and experience to support the work of the Board and the wider organisation.
• Commit sufficient time and energy to the role of trustee.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

• Ensure the principles of equity, equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded in the organisation and help to deliver the charity’s public benefit.
• Work to reduce obstacles to participation, ensuring the organisation’s work is designed and open for everyone included within its charitable purposes.
• Actively challenge inequality and achieve improved equality of outcomes.

Openness and accountability

• Ensure that the charity’s performance and interaction with its stakeholders are guided by the values, ethics and culture put in place by the board.
• Take seriously the responsibility for building public trust and confidence in the organisation’s work.
• Ensure the charity is seen to have legitimacy in representing its beneficiaries and stakeholders.

Person specification

• Demonstrate a strong and visible passion and commitment to the charity, its strategic objectives and cause and a heart for the people in crisis who we serve.
• Demonstrate Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
• Exhibit strong inter-personal and relationship building abilities and be comfortable in an ambassadorial role.
• Demonstrate tact and diplomacy, with the ability to listen and engage effectively.
• Strong networking capabilities that can be utilised for the benefit of the charity.
• Ability to foster and promote a collaborative team environment.
• Ability to commit time to conduct the role well, including travel and attending events out of office hours.
• Broad knowledge and understanding of the charity sector and current issues affecting it.
• Strong leadership skills, ability to motivate staff and volunteers and bring people together with an overarching commitment to working effectively and harmoniously with other board members and the staff team.
• Good understanding of charity governance issues, including the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of a trusteeship.
• An understanding of and commitment to the principles of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
• Bring relevant skills that help the Board perform its role effectively and achieve the charity’s vision.

Key stakeholders

• Chief Executive
• Senior Leadership Group
• Food banks

Our values

Trussell is a charity that works to end the need for food banks. It is founded on and shaped by Christian principles. Our values of dignity, justice, compassion and community, are central to all that we do and therefore supports our aim to be an organisation where the diversity of all employees is valued. We welcome people of all faiths and none and those that are committed to these values.

We recognise that we have under-represented groups within our workforce. As part of our commitment to diversity and equality of opportunity we are actively encouraging applications from under-represented groups such as returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people who are LGBTQIA+, from racially minoritised communities such as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, with a disability, impairment, learning difference or longterm condition, with caring responsibilities, from different nations and regions and those with a lived experience of poverty as well as any other underrepresented group in our workforce.

We are committed ensuring the safety and protection of our employees from all forms of harm.

Time commitment: 3 Board meetings per year plus attendance at least one subcommittee (3 meetings per year each) plus contact with the Chair between meetings.

Remuneration: Whilst the Trustee role is unpaid, reasonable expenses, such as those incurred in travelling to meetings, are payable in line with Trussell’s standard expenses policy.