Treasurer to support an arts charity - Volunteer in Norwich

OUTPOST is seeking a Treasurer to join the Board during an exciting period of transition and growth. Use your financial expertise to help shape the future of our artist‑led charity, support ambitious contemporary arts programming, and champion early‑career artists in Norwich and beyond.

As Treasurer, you will play a vital role in helping OUTPOST strengthen its financial sustainability and organisational resilience during an important period of transition and growth. Your support will help ensure the charity can continue delivering ambitious contemporary arts programming while building a more stable and sustainable future for the organisation. Like many small arts charities, OUTPOST operates within a challenging funding environment. The Treasurer will help the Board make informed financial decisions, improve long‑term planning, and strengthen the systems and financial oversight needed to support the organisation’s future ambitions.

Your contribution will help the charity manage resources responsibly while continuing to support artists, exhibitions, public programming, and creative opportunities for early‑career practitioners. The role will also support the organisation as it works to diversify income, strengthen governance, and develop a more resilient operating model. Your financial insight will help guide conversations around budgeting, fundraising, reserves, organisational development, and future planning, ensuring the charity is well positioned to respond to both opportunities and challenges.

As a member of the Board, you will contribute to wider strategic discussions about the future direction of OUTPOST and help shape how the organisation grows over the coming years. This is a particularly valuable time to join, as the charity is actively reviewing its structures, ambitions, and long‑term sustainability. Your involvement will directly support the continuation of artist‑led activity in Norwich and help ensure that emerging artists continue to have access to opportunities, platforms, and creative communities that support the development of their practice.

Beyond financial oversight, the role offers the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the future of a small but ambitious organisation where trustee input has a genuine and visible impact.

What are we looking for?

We welcome applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences who are passionate about supporting artist‑led and community‑focused contemporary arts activity. We are looking for a Treasurer who can bring strong financial oversight, strategic thinking, and a collaborative approach to supporting a small charity during a period of transition and growth. The ideal candidate will feel comfortable contributing to board‑level discussions around financial sustainability, governance, organisational development, and long‑term planning.

The most important qualities we are looking for are:

• Strong financial awareness and organisational skills
• The ability to interpret, analyse, and communicate financial information clearly to a mixed board
• Sound judgement and strategic thinking
• Integrity, reliability, and a collaborative approach
• An interest in supporting the long‑term sustainability of a small charity
• A willingness to actively contribute to board discussions and organisational development

We are particularly interested in hearing from individuals with experience in:

• Finance, bookkeeping, accounting, banking, business management, or charity finance
• Budgeting, financial reporting, forecasting, or cash flow management
• Financial governance and internal financial controls
• Accounting software such as Xero
• Funding applications, grant reporting, or fundraising strategy

As OUTPOST continues to develop, we would also welcome experience or interest in:

• Fundraising and development within the arts or charitable sector
• Organisational growth and strategic planning
• Property, real estate, or capital investment planning
• Supporting organisations through periods of transition or change

Previous trustee or board experience would be beneficial but is not essential. We recognise that many people bring valuable transferable skills from professional, voluntary, or community settings, and we welcome applications from first‑time trustees. Experience within the arts, cultural, or voluntary sectors would be advantageous, particularly an understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing small arts organisations. However, we are equally interested in people who can bring fresh perspectives and new expertise from outside the sector.

We are committed to improving diversity within our organisation and actively encourage applications from individuals who are currently underrepresented within the arts and charity sectors. This includes people from ethnically diverse backgrounds, disabled people, LGBTQ+ communities, people from lower socio‑economic backgrounds, and those with different lived experiences and pathways into leadership.

Above all, we are looking for someone who is enthusiastic about supporting the future of OUTPOST and who wants to play a meaningful role in helping a small artist‑led charity grow sustainably and continue supporting artists and audiences in Norwich and beyond.

What will you be doing?

OUTPOST is seeking a Treasurer Trustee to join the Board at an exciting and important stage in the organisation’s development. As a small artist‑led charity, we are currently going through a period of transition and growth, with a renewed focus on strengthening our governance, diversifying income, improving organisational resilience, and building long‑term sustainability for the future. Our Board is made up of artists, curators, producers, and cultural practitioners who are passionate about supporting contemporary art and early‑career artists. We operate collaboratively and are committed to creating an inclusive, ambitious, and supportive organisation that responds to the needs of artists and audiences both locally and nationally.

As Treasurer, you will play a central role in helping the Board navigate this next phase of development. You will act as the lead trustee on financial matters, supporting the organisation to maintain strong financial oversight while helping shape strategic decisions around growth, sustainability, fundraising, and future planning. The role involves working closely with the Chair, fellow Trustees, and Steering Committee to oversee financial reporting, monitor budgets and cash flow, and support the development of financial forecasts and longer‑term planning.

You will help ensure that appropriate financial controls and procedures are in place and operating effectively, and support the charity in meeting its reporting obligations to funders and the Charity Commission. A key area of focus for the organisation over the coming years will be strengthening financial resilience and developing a more sustainable operating model. We are particularly interested in welcoming someone who is excited by the opportunity to help shape a growing organisation during a period of change and who can bring strategic financial thinking to conversations around organisational development, fundraising, and future ambitions.

The Treasurer will also support the Board in monitoring financial risk, reserves, and restricted funding, helping ensure that the charity can continue delivering ambitious contemporary arts programming while remaining financially sustainable. There may also be opportunities to contribute to future fundraising, capital planning, or organisational development projects as the charity evolves.

Although the role carries responsibility, our Board culture is collaborative, friendly, and supportive. We recognise that trustees bring different experiences and perspectives, and we are committed to creating an environment where people feel welcomed, valued, and able to contribute meaningfully. This is an opportunity to play a genuinely influential role within a respected artist‑led organisation and to help shape the future of a charity that supports experimentation, emerging artistic practice, and contemporary culture in Norwich and beyond.