Trustee / Treasurer - 2 posts

Listening Books – 2 Roles: Trustee and Treasurer.

Listening Books is recruiting for two Trustees roles: one general Trustee and one for the role of Treasurer. Both roles are voluntary.

Trustee Vacancy

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the important work of Listening Books, a national audiobook charity providing access to the wonderful world of books for people who cannot read in the usual way. The charity has achieved enormous growth in recent years and now reaches over 100,000  people with print impairments. Our charity receives no government funding.

Further information on our work can be found on our website:

What will you be doing?

If you are strategic, friendly and passionate about access to literature and learning  then we would love to hear from you.  You will help shape our strategic direction.

Primary responsibilities of a Trustee

·         Appreciate and support the aims and policies of Listening Books.

·         Work in partnership with fellow trustees and the CEO and jointly act in making decisions for the best interests of the charity.

·         Ensure the charity meets all Company law and charity commission requirements.

·         Actively participate in committee meetings and the Annual General meeting.

·         In conjunction with your fellow Trustees, ensure the proper management and control of all activities of the charity including those relating to the welfare of members and staff.

What are we looking for?

For the general trustee role, we are open to a variety of skill sets and backgrounds, but we are especially interested in hearing from those with experience and skills in any of the following areas:

·         Marketing, communications, including website, social media, PR

·         Charity governance

·         Publishing industry experience

To become a Trustee, you will need to be aged 18 or over.

Treasurer role

What are we looking for?

The Trustees collectively set the charity’s strategic direction. In addition to the role of a trustee, the treasurer role will include the following specific tasks, mostly on an exception basis:

·         The Treasurer will work with the CEO to present budgets and accounts to the board at their meetings. These will have been prepared by the CEO and Accountant.

·         Monitoring and reporting on the charity’s investments and interfacing with our investment house, CCLA. Accordingly, some experience of investments would be an advantage.

·         Reviewing with the accountant to ensure the appropriate accounting procedures and controls are in place and that we have appropriate financial policies, including a policy on reserves.

·         Ensure that budgets (prepared by CEO) are aligned with both short-term and long-term objectives each year.

·         Might need to occasionally liaise with the Auditor.

·         Protect the charity’s Reserves and ensure that the financial resources of Listening Books are sufficient to meet its present and future needs.

·         Co-ordinate efforts on financial risk management.

Accordingly, we are seeing someone with:

• ·         Proven ability to communicate effectively and explain financial information to members of the board and other stakeholders.
• ·         Analytical and evaluation skills, demonstrating good judgement.

Both the general Trustee and Treasurer roles are for three years with the possibility of re-election beyond that. Both roles are voluntary. There are 3-4 board meeting per year with each taking approximately 2 hours. Meetings are held at our offices in The Foundry, Social Justice and Human Rights Centre Limited, 17 Oval Way, London SE11 5RR. Trustees may also attend virtually as required. As the treasurer role has additional responsibilities, we estimate the additional time commitment to be approximately 2 hours per month. There may be occasions where a little more, or less, time is required.

How to Apply

In the first instance, candidates should send their CV and covering letter to Bill Dee, CEO, Listening Books before close of business on Monday 15th July.