Trustee - financial / legal in Coventry

Become a Trustee at Coventry Cyrenians – help us become a Registered Provider of Social Housing. Coventry Cyrenians is seeking three new Trustees to help us become a Registered Provider (RP) of social housing and expand access to genuinely affordable housing in Coventry.

We’d welcome an initial informal conversation to explore whether your experience (especially in finance, housing, or commercial and regulated environments) could strengthen our Board at this pivotal moment. Every night in Coventry, people are without a safe place to call home – not through choice, but because they fall through gaps in housing and support. For over 50 years, we’ve supported single people facing homelessness. Increasingly, we’re also supporting people who are simply priced out of housing.

Each year, we support 350 people through our supported housing and specialist provision. We provide more than accommodation – we offer a pathway to stability:

• Safe, supported housing (self-contained units and shared homes)
• Specialist provision, including female-only and culturally sensitive accommodation

We work closely with the local authority, but we focus on single people who might not be able to access statutory support and have few other options. Registration will expand our impact beyond supported housing, increase access to genuinely affordable homes, and help us respond to the growing number of people experiencing homelessness due to housing costs. This includes strengthening Board assurance, risk management, financial sustainability, asset strategy, and compliance.

As part of this transition, the Board will evolve from a traditional charity Trustee model to a Non‑Executive Director model, reflecting RP regulatory expectations while retaining our charitable mission and purpose.

We also welcome applications from people with lived experience of homelessness/housing insecurity and from underrepresented communities in governance. Just as important is your commitment to our purpose and your willingness to contribute thoughtfully and constructively to the Trustee team and the wider organisation. Trustee roles are currently voluntary and are unremunerated. Eligibility requirements apply, including compliance with charity law and appropriate checks.

You’ll join an experienced, collaborative Board with strong roots in the local system – including senior leaders from public services, commissioning, and the private sector. Shape the future direction of a respected local charity and contribute at a pivotal moment of transformation. As a Trustee, you’ll be part of shaping an organisation through a significant period of growth and regulatory transition as we move towards RP status.

On this occasion the Board is particularly interested in appointing Trustees with experience in the following areas: housing, regulation and/or financial governance.

This Trustee role brings housing-related insight to support the Board’s strategic oversight, risk management and decision-making as the organisation prepares for Registered Housing Provider status. Experience may include social housing or local authority housing; housing governance, regulation or assurance; building safety, asset management or compliance; housing growth or organisational transition.

This Trustee role brings regulatory insight and judgement to support the Board’s oversight of compliance, risk and assurance. Experience may be drawn from regulated sectors such as housing, social care, health, financial services or local government, including familiarity with regulatory frameworks, inspections, assurance processes and regulatory change.

This Trustee role brings financial insight to support the Board’s responsibilities for financial sustainability and stewardship of resources. Experience may include financial governance, budgeting, financial reporting, reserves, treasury or investment decisions, and understanding financial risk within complex or changing organisations.

Key attributes include:

• Sound judgement - weighing evidence, risk and lived experience
• Curiosity and a learning mindset - open to new information and continuous development
• Willingness to complete induction and ongoing training
• Ensure decisions reflect the needs of tenants, customers and communities
• Governance and Compliance - Ensure the organisation meets all regulatory, legal and constitutional requirements, including those associated with Registered Housing Provider status
• Performance and Accountability - Hold the executive to account for delivery, quality and impact
• Ensure KPIs, tenant feedback, audits and assurance reports inform decisions
• Ensure equality, diversity and inclusion are visible in decisions and behaviour
• Tenant and Community Focus - Keep tenant voice and lived experience central to Board conversations
• Support meaningful engagement and a strong service-quality culture
• Attendance at strategy days, training and occasional tenant or community events.