Chair Designate

Bring your strategic expertise and boardroom experience to Hugh Baird College, an outstanding organisation with no intention of standing still whilst seeking to be the best in the country.

Closing date: 9 a.m. Tuesday 22nd April

Who we are.

At Hugh Baird College, we offer a diverse range of educational pathways, including study programmes for young people, A Levels and apprenticeships. We also provide higher education courses, which we deliver in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Central Lancashire and the University of Cumbria.

We are recognised as a beacon of opportunity across the communities we serve and are proud of the many ways in which we continue to support a range of stakeholders, including our students, our staff, and an ever-growing number of local employers.

Our vision is a simple one; to be the best college in the country and to achieve this by living our values of excellence, accountability, innovation, collaboration, and integrity. Whilst we may now be recognised as outstanding, we continue to work with passion and determination to achieve our vision.

About the role.

As our new Chair, you will be tasked with providing effective leadership to our Board so this positive culture can be sustained, and our senior leaders continue to be supported and challenged in a way that leads to ongoing growth, improvement and success.

Your leadership of our Board will be demonstrated in several ways. You will work with our Director of Governance, Liam Conway, to ensure that our Board discharges its duties in accordance with our Instruments and Articles. You will help ensure that we remain compliant, following all appropriate legislation and reporting as required and you will hold our leaders to account for their actions.

Inside our boardroom, you will foster a culture of innovative ideas, curious questions and challenging scrutiny. Outside, like other members, you will be a vocal ambassador for our college, our staff and our students and will work with our SLT to further develop and grow the excellent reputation that we have with a range of stakeholders where required.

Finally, you will be a close, yet challenging ally to Rachael as she continues to lead our college with distinction. You will offer her support and advice on key decisions, risk mitigation and on maximising emerging opportunities so that our college can continue to flourish.

Who we are looking for.

Our new Chair will be a confident, experienced strategic leader who understands the challenges and pressures that come with leading a large and complex organisation which seeks to offer the highest quality service to thousands of people, each of whom has their own expectations of the College. You will bring a track record of having successfully developed and delivered long term strategies, achieving growth, financial sustainability and positive outcomes for your clients and/or service users.

You will bring previous – and perhaps current – experience in the board room, preferably as Chair or Committee leader in a non-executive context. This experience will bring with it an appreciation for the processes and procedures that make good governance, allowing you to work with Liam to ensure that our governance remains compliant and that our boardroom remains inclusive and respectful.

Candidates will understand the outcomes that Hugh Baird College has on our local communities and on the employers and other stakeholders we work in partnership with. You will also be able to demonstrate your understanding of the importance of the wider FE sector.

A key aspect of this process is for us to identify candidates who have a strong understanding of our local context in relation to demographics, economics, employment needs and social mobility. As such, we welcome candidates who either live or work within the Liverpool city region, as well as those who can clearly demonstrate their knowledge of our local area, the challenges we face and the opportunities we may seize. This understanding will be a valuable trait as we seek to appoint a candidate who is comfortable in engaging with our local stakeholders as an ambassador for the college, helping us to influence local decision-makers and ensuring that the actions we take are always in the best interest of our students – both now and in the future.

Finally, the golden thread that runs throughout our college is our culture which is underpinned by our values. As the leader of our board, you will play a key role in ensuring that we remain an inclusive, welcoming and vibrant organisation. As such, we welcome applications from candidates who will be able to help us to continue to shape this positive culture, but who will also stretch and challenge our thinking in this regard.

Peridot Partners and Hugh Baird College are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and our client expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references before any final offer can be made.

Please click 'Apply via website’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the candidate profile and register your interest to apply.

Applications for this role close at 9 a.m. Tuesday 22nd April.