Accountable to: Board Chair.
Commitment: Four Board meetings per year (not including appointments to any
sub-committees), plus one annual away day [minimum of 4-6 hours per quarter]
Tenure: Three years, renewable.
Terms: Unpaid position with reimbursement of reasonable travel expenses.
Application Deadline: 30th March 2023
ABOUT OUR TRUSTEE VACANCY
We have two Trustee vacancies on our board following the recent retirement of two-valued members at the end of their tenure. At this exciting time in the organisation’s growth, and in pursuit of our 2025 strategy, we are seeking at least one Trustee with knowledge and networks in EdTech and /or digital transformation.
One of the key business objectives of Chance for Childhood is to develop our first digital strategy. This will consolidate the huge leaps we’ve made in digital fundraising and cloud-based back-office systems whilst looking more closely at digital systems integration, cyber security and the opportunities in growing our reach through digital solutions.
Alongside the development of our digital strategy, we are working with a corporate partner to digitize our disability detection toolkit. This has the potential to revolutionise access to knowledge and referral pathways for non-medical carers, parents and educators of children with disabilities and special educational needs in low-resource settings.
We’re really excited about the digital innovation happening across our organisation and we’re seeking a well-networked professional who will be able to add value to our Trustee board by supporting and challenging this exciting journey and steep learning curve.
MORE ABOUT US
At Chance for Childhood, we believe that no child should have to fight for a safe, happy childhood. We exist to ensure that every child in Africa can thrive from their early years through to adulthood. Together with partners, supporters, children and their communities, we protect, educate and create lasting change for every child threatened by violence, neglect and conflict.
We specialise in ensuring access to inclusive education and safe spaces so that children in Africa can play, grow, learn and thrive. We have staff and offices in the UK, Rwanda, Ghana and Uganda and community partners across West and East Africa.
Our 2025 strategy is the best place to digest our values and our current strategic objectives and workstreams. In a nutshell, we are a fast-past, energetic organisation with a diverse team and big ambitions to further our impact for the children and communities we work with. In the last year, we have grown significantly through several successful large-scale bids with the World Bank and UNICEF and our income projection is £1.5m in 2023. We’re also just about to launch an exciting campaign to call for the end to the unethical use of children’s imagery in charity appeals. This puts children’s rights at the centre of all our external communications and content and we’re overtly passionate about ensuring that we redress the power imbalance that exists between the donor community and the children and communities we work with.
As a Trustee, you have a number of responsibilities to be undertaken as part of your role. Some of your main duties will include;
• Ensuring the charity is carrying out its purposes for public benefit.
• Acting in the charity’s best interest at all times.
• Responsibly managing the charities resources.
• Acting with reasonable care and skill.
• Ensuring the charity is accountable.
In addition to the above statutory duties, each trustee should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the board of trustees reach sound decisions. This may involve scrutinising board papers, leading discussions, focusing on key issues, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, or other issues in which the trustee has special expertise.
We have two sub-committees of the Board (Finance Committee; and Remuneration and Nominations Committee) which trustees may sit on depending on their skills, experience and interest.
Your role will be reviewed annually by the Chair and evaluated against the following key performance objectives:
- Meaningful contribution to quarterly board meetings (including adequate preparation with papers read in advance and requesting further information if required).
- Keeping up to date with the context of the charity’s work through attendance of workshops for trustees and reading sector relevant developments.
- Engagement with the executive for advisory support in areas of your expertise as needed, being proactive where practicable.
- Meaningful contribution to an annual trustee away day.
- Probable involvement in at least one sub-committee to enhance the effectiveness of governance processes.
- Proactively highlight contacts or networks who could be engaged to further the charity’s effectiveness in fundraising, finance and operations or product development.
PERSONAL SPEICIFICATION
Chance for Childhood seeks to appoint a Trustee who will provide relevant insight to its Board, specifically in line with digital strategy, digital transformation, and education technology.
We are seeking a candidate to bring a commercial, entrepreneurial mindset, who shares Chance for Childhood’s ambition for growth of impact and sustainable solutions for safeguarding and education children in low resource settings.
The successful candidate will have sound judgement, strong communication skills and a willingness to commit the required time and effort to contribute meaningfully to the Charity. They must have high levels of integrity, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to challenge and advise the existing board and executive appropriately.
They do not necessarily need to bring prior non-executive experience but should have a senior background from within the private and bring experience of contributing to strategy, delivering results and holding others to account.
The ideal candidate will have the enthusiasm and the energy to build influential relationships with philanthropic decision-makers, such as potential donors and high-net-worth individuals. Upon establishing a mutually beneficial relationship, they will introduce potential funders to the executive team, and advocate compellingly on behalf of the charity.
Chance for Childhood is open to suitably qualified candidates from any geography and is particularly interested in candidates with a connection to sub-Saharan Africa.
HOW TO APPLY
Please submit your CV and a letter (maximum one A4 page) outlining what you could bring to the Board of Trustees to . Please ensure you add the job reference – Trustee2022 – to your email subject field.
Candidates are advised to apply early. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis.
SAFEGUARDING
Chance for Childhood is committed to safeguarding everyone we encounter.
We have a zero-tolerance policy toward any abuse, neglect, and exploitation of all people. Everyone that works with us is required to share and uphold this commitment through signing and complying with our Global Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct.
Pre-employment checks are undertaken to ensure high standards are maintained, including a police check (or equivalent) and references.
