Treasurer

About us – the Irene Taylor Trust: Creating Music. Transforming Futures.

We believe that creating original music collaboratively can have a powerful impact on people’s lives, bringing them new confidence, important transferable skills and raised aspirations for the future. Our programmes Music in Prisons, Sounding Out and Making Tracks support people of all ages in prisons, previously imprisoned people rebuilding their lives on release, and young people experiencing challenging circumstances in the community. We have a measurable impact on recidivism, helping people into training and jobs, and on enhancing wellbeing. We work with around 600 participants each year. The quality of our work was recently recognised by the Royal Philharmonic Society with their ‘Gamechanger’ award.

About you – who we’re looking for to join our board

We are looking for Trustees to join our welcoming and productive Trustee Board - in particular, we are looking for a Finance Trustee/ Treasurer to take a lead on overseeing our finances (c £500k and in good order). 

We are also starting succession planning for the Chair role, so please get in touch if this would be of interest to you and you have experience and skills in leading others. This is an exciting time to join the team, as we look ahead to celebrating 30 years of the Irene Taylor Trust in 2025. 

At the Irene Taylor Trust, we understand that diverse perspectives strengthen our work and help us better serve the communities we aim to uplift. We actively encourage applications from individuals who bring a wealth of different experiences, particularly those from Black, Asian, and other global majority backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ communities and neurodiverse individuals. We are also eager to hear from those who may not have previous trustee or board membership experience but are passionate about making a difference. Your voice is valuable. We are open to applications from people with a criminal conviction (and could help you to check your eligibility under the Charity Commission rules). We will deliver an induction and support working collectively as team. 

Our terms of office are three-years, renewable up to twice. The time commitment for Trustees includes attending quarterly meetings (in-person in London or online), attending our project performances when possible, and supporting the office team on emerging issues in your areas of skills and interest.

Finance Trustee role details

We are looking for someone with a skill for numbers to take the lead at the Trustee Board concerning keeping our finances in good order, meeting financial governance requirements and thinking strategically. This role is formally referred to as the Treasurer. We have a Fundraising and Finance Committee which you would also join alongside our Vice Chair, who is an investment professional; this meeting is also attended by the office staff responsible for our fundraising and finances; you would chair this committee. You would also have occasional involvement with the office team in approving larger payments or verifying financial aspects of reports for funders.

This role would suit someone with the following particular skills and attributes:

·         Knowledge of charity finances and the Charity Commission's requirements, or the willingness to develop this knowledge.

·         An accountancy qualification and/or good financial management experience

·         The ability to provide, communicate and explain financial information and advice to members of the Trustee Board and other stakeholders.

·         A collaborative approach to working with others