Chair of the board of trustees

Job title                                               Chair of the board of trustees

Appointment type                               Part time & voluntary

Appointment term                               5 years

Time commitment approx                   25 days per annum

About Brightside

Brightside is on a mission to help young people make confident and informed decisions about their future. For over 20 years, we have used technology to connect young people facing barriers with inspiring mentors. We deliver online mentoring programmes in collaboration with schools, universities, businesses, and charities to provide young people with access to networks, online career information and high-quality mentoring. Find out more by reading our latest impact report.

Our ambitious goal is to increase the number of young people we work with each year to 30,000 over the next five years. We are now seeking an effective, compassionate, and inclusive Chair of the board to help us achieve our ambition.

 

Our values

We have a successful track record in attracting brilliant and mission-driven people to work with us to grow our impact with young people. We're excited to offer the opportunity for someone to join our board in the position of Chair to support us to be even more ambitious.

We are a fast-moving charity, and we pride ourselves on our friendly, professional and supportive culture. We embrace new ideas and celebrate the talent and contribution of all team members. As an organisation, we have five values that we commit to as individuals and as a team:

1. We are ambitious; we strive for positive and lasting impact.

2. We foster creativity and new ideas, so that our work evolves as we learn.

3. We ground our work in collaboration.

4. We celebrate individual strengths and empower people to fulfil their potential - our team is our greatest asset.

5. We are committed to quality in everything we do.

Brightside is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community where everyone can be themselves and succeed in the workplace and beyond. Our culture is inclusive to staff and volunteers from all backgrounds, and we provide flexible policies to support their differing needs.

About the role

The chair of the board of trustees (“the Chair”) leads the board’s activities and supports the day-to-day running of the organisation by acting as a sounding board for the senior leadership team. The Chair helps to develop the strategy of the organisation, ensures appropriate governance structures are in place to support the safe, successful delivery of operations together with the safeguarding and wellbeing of staff. The Chair is responsible for the smooth running of the board including the recruitment of new trustees, managing trustee meetings, and acts as a role model in line with our core values.

 

Key responsibilities

·       Provide effective, compassionate, and inclusive leadership of the board

·       Ensure high-quality quarterly board meetings are held and recorded

·       Line manage the Chief Executive (generally through monthly 1:1 virtual meetings), providing support and constructive challenge to them and their senior leadership team

·       Work closely with the Treasurer (likely through monthly 1:1 virtual meetings) to maintain a clear understanding of the organisation’s financial health ensuring that assets are managed appropriately and robust governance practices are in place

·       Ensure trustees comply with their duties and the charity is properly governed

·       Ensure an appropriate, effective, and representative board of trustees is in place

·       Act as a link between the board of trustees and staff

·       Work with the Chairs of the subcommittees to ensure delivery of key responsibilities and support to the senior leadership team

·       Act as an ambassador for Brightside, promoting its reputation, helping to secure valuable platforms and audiences

 

What we’re looking for

The successful candidate will ideally be a strategic leader, passionate about creating positive futures for young people, and with experience of charity governance.

 

Key to success in the role is the following:

·       Experience in a leadership role

·       Knowledge and experience of charity governance

·       Excellent communication skills in writing, meetings, and the public forum

·       The ability to engage multiple audiences

·       Commercial acumen

·       Diplomacy with the ability to lead discussions and turn them into clear actions

·       Demonstrable experience of leading change and driving growth

·       Demonstrable experience of managing diverse opinions

·       Experience of successfully developing and implementing an organisational strategy

·       Experience of line management

·       Passionate about social equity and the power of mentoring

·       Committed to helping young people succeed

Desirable:

·       Understanding of the social mobility sector and related geo-political climate

·       Understanding or experience of digital interventions

·       Widely networked in a sector relevant to our work

·       Experience of charity fundraising

·       Lived experience related to our mission

 

It’s an exciting time to join us. We have innovations in our technology launching in the coming twelve months that will open up new opportunities as we continue to see social mobility play an important role in cross-party political priorities. We are looking for someone to leverage these opportunities, and help Brightside achieve its potential so, in turn, thousands of young people can achieve theirs.

 

To apply 

Please submit your CV and covering letter outlining your suitability for the role and expressing your interest.

Deadline: 11.59 on Friday 23 August 2024.

Brightside will be conducting a blind recruitment process where names and genders are removed from the applications before being reviewed for shortlisting.