Finance Trustee

This role offers an exciting opportunity to join Public Law Project’s (PLP) Board in a key governance and leadership role, providing expertise and insight on financial matters. The role of “Finance Trustee” is an informal title designed to attract the interest of and be accessible to people with a high level of finance skills who might not necessarily have previous experience of the charity sector or at Board level. As a PLP trustee you will be part of the governance of the charity that successfully challenged the prorogation of Parliament, helped survivors whose assets are controlled by their abuser to access legal aid, and are currently representing the lead case opposing the Government’s Rwanda deportation scheme. You will ensure we are able to continue this important work by ensuring the best management of the resources at our disposal. You will play a crucial role in ensuring PLP operates within a framework of good governance and financial stability. The PLP Trustee Board consists of the Chair and up to 12 total members. As a Board member, you and our other trustees take on responsibility for overall governance of our organisation, including the financial health and oversight of our strategic direction. The Board delegates core governance functions to sub-committees including the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee (FARCOM), Fundraising Committee and the Personnel Committee. The purpose of FARCOM is to provide scrutiny and oversight of policies, processes and practice relating to finance and risk. The Chair of FARCOM leads the committee and ensures it fulfils this overall purpose. The duties of a traditional treasurer are held by the Chair of FARCOM. We envisage you joining as one of four trustee members of FARCOM. You will provide recent, relevant financial expertise to FARCOM and its Chair in order that the responsibilities of the committee and of the treasurer role are fulfilled. We anticipate that your role will in turn benefit from the guidance and support of the Chair of FARCOM. To be the successful candidate, you will have financial management experience (highly likely but not required to be a qualified accountant). You will bring financial expertise and experience to PLP’s activities. You will be able to confidently communicate financial issues to non-finance experts including other board and committee members You will be an independent, strategic and creative thinker with a strong commitment to collaborative working and PLP’s values. This role is voluntary and unpaid, and reasonable expenses will be reimbursed. PLP is an equal opportunities and Disability Confident Committed employer, and we place a high value on diversity. We are proud of our strong diversity right across the organisation and at all levels of seniority. We have significant numbers of staff and trustees who come from underprivileged or minoritised backgrounds (including people of colour, women, LGBTQ+ people, disabled people, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds). Whether you are part of all or none of these groups, you will be welcomed at PLP. We are keen for our Board to be reflective of our beneficiary groups, which include those with lived experience as users of asylum, welfare, and legal aid systems, and experience of migration and discrimination; we particularly invite your application if this is your experience.