Trustee

Five Talents is currently seeking 2-3 new trustees to join our UK Board. This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing, impactful charity as we embark on Year 3 of a five year growth plan seeking to double the number of members we serve through community savings groups in eastern Africa.

We are particularly interested in people with the ability and desire to open doors into our key networks (City of London, Philanthropy, Faith, Women’s Empowerment, International Development) as growing our network of supporters is essential in this growth phase. We would also love to hear from anyone keen to be our cyber security / GDPR lead trustee.

Governance Structure
Five Talents UK is a member of Five Talents International, alongside Five Talents USA and Five Talents Kenya.Five Talents is a registered charity and company, and the Board of Trustees are also Directors of the Company, which is limited by guarantee. A copy of the governing documents and guidance on Trustee Roles and Responsibilities are made available to new Trustees as part of the Trustee induction.

The Board meets four times each year, typically in central London / Zoom. The Q1/Q2 meeting serves as the AGM at which the previous financial year’s audited accounts are approved.The Board has a Finance sub-Committee to review finance related matters and make recommendations to the Board. Historically it has also had a Programmes sub-Committee / Small Group which scrutinises and advises on the programmes which the charity supports, but this has evolved to become a sub-Committee of Five Talents International called the PQC - Programme Quality Committee.

Typically the Chair and two members of the UK Board are elected to serve on the Five Talents International (FTI) Board. This currently involves two in-person (or Zoom) meetings and two conference calls each year. FTI owns the licence to the brand name ‘Five Talents’ and sets overall strategy and mission for the different Five Talents entities, and has a particular focus on the programmes.

The Executive team consists of nine dedicated staff who work out of a small office in central London.

Purpose of Trustee Position
To provide leadership to the organisation in close co-operation with fellow Board Members and the Executive team, ensuring that all involved remain focused on achieving the Charity’s mission within its values and ethos.

Principal Responsibilities
- To be personally and visibly supportive of Five Talents’ Mission and Values.
- To attend Board meetings and Board away-days regularly and if unable to attend to provide comments / questions on the papers to the Chair and/or staff as appropriate.
- To contribute to setting the strategic direction and policies of the organisation, monitoring performance in meeting plans and key objectives.
- To serve on one or more working groups or sub-committees, as desired / invited.
- To ensure that management work effectively within a framework of clearly stated organisational strategies and policies.
- To ensure effective and appropriate risk management.
- To ensure financial stewardship and regulatory compliance.
 - To undertake visits to Five Talents’ Projects as is feasible.
- To promote strong relationships between Five Talents and partner / potential partner organisations.Knowledge and

Experience
Specific professional knowledge experience and skills in at least one of the following areas are required: Financial expertise; Organisational development/strategy; Fundraising; Marketing and communications; Law; International development.Terms of

Appointment
This is a voluntary non-executive role. Reasonable travel expenses can be reimbursed if required. Term of office is four years, with a possible re-appointment for a second term of four years (i.e. maximum of eight years). All Trustees will be required to sign Five Talents’ Safeguarding, Data Protection and Confidentiality Policies, and a declaration to confirm that they are not disqualified from acting as Trustees and there are no other reasons which would de-bar them from serving as Trustees. They are also required to declare any conflicts of interest at the start of each meeting.

How to apply
The usual process is for a trustee candidate to have an initial meeting with the Chair or CEOs, followed (if both parties wish) by your submission of a CV and short statement of interest which is shared with the Board. If, after reviewing your application and further discussions with you, both parties remain interested, the Board would invite you to attend a Board meeting as an observer, so that you can meet other Trustees. After that, a formal appointment could occur, followed by our new trustee induction process.

The Trustees are committed to ensuring diversity and representation on the Board.