Role Description and Person Specification
Role Title: Trustee
Role Type: Governance & Leadership
Salary: Unremunerated (reasonable expenses paid)
Term: A fixed term of 3 years with the option to extend for a further 3 years
Role Purpose
The post-holder:
- is a trustee and a director of Sustrans (a charitable company limited by guarantee)
- works in partnership with the Chair, Trustees, the Chief Executive and the Executive Team to ensure that the Charity is effectively managed, accountable to its stakeholders, and achieves its strategic goals and objectives.
Main Responsibilities
- Ensure that Sustrans complies with its governing document (its Articles), charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations
- Ensure that Sustrans pursues its purposes for the public benefit
- Contribute actively to the Board of Trustees’ role in providing strategic direction to Sustrans: setting overall policy; defining goals and setting targets; evaluating performance; and ensuring Sustrans pursues its strategic objectives
- Manage Sustrans’ resources responsibly and contribute to ensuring the sustainability of Sustrans
- Appoint and support the Chief Executive and monitor his/her performance
- Act at all times in Sustrans’ best interests and follow the standards for public life – selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
Person Specification
- Significant Board experience – in a charitable, public sector or commercial organisation
- Experience of operating at a strategic leadership level
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and an ability to challenge constructively
- Sound judgement and ability to think corporately and strategically; ability to handle competing priorities and make informed decisions
- A knowledge of the key issues involved in running a large and complex organisation, and a willingness to learn about the relevant statutory and regulatory requirements of a charity
- Interest in the benefits to society of sustainable transport and active travel
- Committed to Sustrans’ vision and strategy – including Sustrans ambition to be an organisation ‘For Everyone’ – our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
We are particularly looking for Trustees that can demonstrate at least one of the following:
- Demonstrable experience of leading and overseeing large and complex projects and programmes
- Financial management experience, ideally as a Chief Finance Officer/Finance Director
- Expertise in and experience of IT/digital strategy implementation, including cyber security, ideally as a CIO/CTO
Time Commitment
- Four Board meetings per year + two away days
- Board meetings may be virtual or include a reception in the locality the night before followed by a day board meeting
- Trustees are also expected to serve on one subcommittee, which meet approximately 4 times a year
Committees of the Board:
- Audit & Risk Committee
- Finance & Performance Committee
- Estates Committee
- Remuneration Committee
Sustrans is a charity ‘for everyone’ and the Board is particularly interested in welcoming applications from people who are currently underrepresented on our Board and/or can show significant achievement and impact in promoting diversity and inclusion.