Chair volunteer roles in england

Volunteer Trustee English Language Teaching Experience – International House London

Job Description 

Trustee - International House London (English Language Teaching (ELT) background preferred) 

International House Trust Ltd (trading as International House London, IH London), a registered UK charity is seeking passionate and dedicated new Trustee to join their Board and help drive the mission of delivering high-quality language and communication training that unlocks human potential. As a global leader in language teaching, teacher training, and trainer development, IH London is committed to creating meaningful change in the world by fostering effective communication. 

 We are particularly committed to creating an inclusive environment and are actively seeking applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds, including women and individuals from underrepresented communities, to ensure that our Board truly reflects the communities we serve. Your unique perspective and expertise will help us expand our impact and create lasting change. 

Vision: Do you want to be part of an ambitious, forward-thinking organization that brings people together and acts as a force for positive change? If so, we want to hear from you! 

Specific Expertise: We are actively seeking for candidates with specific expertise and experience in English Language Teaching (ELT) to offer strategic oversight on language training programs. 

Location: Remote 

Report to: Chair of Board of Trustees 

Time commitment: Quarterly Board and Committee Meetings (normally remote), ad hoc issues etc. 

Remuneration: This is an unpaid voluntary role, with reasonable expenses reimbursed 

Responsibilities: As a Trustee, you will play a vital role in shaping the future direction of IH London. 

 Key responsibilities include: 

• Contributing to the strategic and long-term direction of IH London 

• Ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and aligning resources with objectives 

• Protecting and promoting the reputation of IH London and acting in the best interests of the charity 

• Ensuring financial stability, sustainability, and effective risk management 

Person Specification: 

We are looking for candidates who can bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to provide oversight at a senior level to join our strong and committed Trustee Board including: 

Essential 

• A strong track record in education, with clear evidence of career progression including teaching experience and holding a senior position of responsibility. 

• Proven leadership skills. You will display a record of leadership and a proven track record of working at strategic and senior levels, with an ability to provide sound governance and oversight alongside objective, independent judgment. 

• Communication skills. Demonstrable effective written and oral communication skills, the ability to influence others and to advocate on behalf of IH London. 

• Strategic thinking ability. You will demonstrate a proven ability to think strategically, analyse complex concepts and actively contribute to the strategic direction setting of IH London, both over the long and short term. 

Desirable 

• Extensive experience in English Language Teaching (ELT), both in the UK and internationally. 

• Demonstrated engagement with wider industry bodies and professional networks. 

• A history of sharing expertise and knowledge with colleagues and peers. 

• Experience of working within a commercial education environment. 

• Awareness of recent developments and innovations in learning technologies. 

Application process 

If you are interested in joining the Board of one of the world’s most respected English Language educational brands, please submit a CV and a brief covering letter explaining your interest in the role and how your skills can contribute to our success. 

Applications should be sent by 5pm 16 October 2025 

The selection process for shortlisted candidates will include an online conversation with the Chief Executive and a meeting with a group of Trustees. 

Do you have a passion for improving outcomes for all children? Could you use your professional skills to help shape the future of education? Are you wanting to make an impact within your community?

As a school governor, you’ll operate at board-level and develop strategic leadership skills and assist in making decisions on a wide range of topics; all while collaboratively improving education within your local community.
We’re currently recruiting volunteers for schools in Newmarket to strengthen their governing boards and enhance outcomes of pupils within your communities. If you feel, you want to make a difference within your community, read on for more details about the role of a governor and how to apply.

Governors make decisions that affect schools and their pupils for years to come; our recent impact survey found that our volunteers bring £9.9 million worth of value to schools each year, and 9/10 volunteers would recommend being a governor to a friend. Becoming a governor gives you ample opportunity for personal and professional development, including exposure to finance and budgeting, safeguarding, HR, strategic planning, and more.
As a governor, you can visit the school to gain an understanding of the culture and ethos and to get the most out of the role as well as have the opportunity to meet children, parents, and teachers, and see the impact of your work first-hand. Governors act as a ‘critical friend’ to their head teacher ensuring accountability and helping to monitor and evaluate the schools progress, budget and staffing. You’ll also help to shape and implement future plans and guide the schools aims, ethos and values.

You don’t need to be a parent or have any specific skills to become a governor as long as you’re over 18 and happy to have a DBS check, you can apply! Professional skills such as HR, finance, law or project management are useful but governing boards are often needing softer skills such as leadership, communication and problem solving alongside a fresh perspective and lived experience within their communities. As a governor, you’ll be supported by the Chair, head teacher and the rest of the governing team.

This vacancy is for a primary school looking to find a governor to sit on their board with experience of Finance and HR. The school is a friendly and caring school with a commitment to providing a quality education for every child that passes through their doors. 

If you’re interested in becoming a school governor, fill out the short application form on our website.

Group B Strep Support (GBSS) is seeking new Trustees to join our Board and help guide the charity through its next phase of growth and impact.

Following a recent skills audit, we are keen to strengthen our Board with individuals who bring expertise in key strategic areas, including fundraising, change management, external/public affairs, financial accounting, and governance. Whether you're a seasoned professional or someone with transferable experience and a passion for our mission, we would welcome your application.

About GBSS

GBSS is the UK’s leading charity working to prevent life-threatening group B Strep infections in babies. Our Trustees play a vital role in shaping the strategic direction of the charity, ensuring it remains true to its mission, well-governed, financially sound, and impactful.

You will be part of a committed and collegiate Board, working alongside fellow Trustees, our Clinical Advisory Panel and our Staff Team to uphold GBSS’s values and objectives.

Key Trustee Responsibilities

Trustees contribute actively to the Board, which:

• Sets and maintains the vision, mission and values.
• Develops strategic direction and longer-term strategies.
• Establishes and monitors policy.
• Ensures compliance with the Governing Document and the law.
• Ensures accountability and that resources are used exclusively in furtherance of GBSS’s objectives.
• Maintains proper fiscal oversight.
• Promotes the charity externally.
• Appoints, supports and monitors the performance of the CEO and Senior Leadership Team.
• Maintains effective Board performance.

We have four Trustee positions available and we’re particularly interested in candidates with experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Fundraising & income generation
• Change management
• External/public affairs
• Finance, accounting & governance

We especially welcome applicants with recent UK maternity care experience and those from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic communities.

***This is a voluntary role, open to UK residents only. We are looking for people who are normally resident in the UK. This is to ensure compliance with governance, legal, and operational requirements relevant to our charity’s work.***

The Registration Advisory Panel are seeking a someone with a Legal, Regulatory or Governance background for this panel. As a member of the Registration Advisory Panel, you will offer independent, objective, and public-focused insights that ensure compliance with required standards and regulations for the Wider Psychological Workforce. The Registration Advisory Panel are responsible for strategic oversight of the Wider Psychological Workforce Register and reports directly into the Board of Trustees with the following role and remit:

· Provide assurance that competency, safe practice and high standards are maintained for the Wider Psychological Workforce Register and that the register continues to fulfil its objective of public protection.

· Engage with relevant stakeholders and works in partnership with other bodies where appropriate to ensure registrants continue to meet the required standards for entry and maintenance on the Wider Psychological Workforce Register.

We are looking for someone with a legal, regulatory or governance background and should demonstrate the following: 

• That they are an accountable individual responsible for own professional actions and adherence to professional codes of practice.

  In addition, the following knowledge, skills and attitude are required to have:  

• Possesses an understanding of regulatory bodies and their function within the Health and Social Care sector

Welcoming people out of the cold for a hot drink, or out of the heat for an ice cream, you know exactly what our visitors need as part of their visit to us.

By getting involved, you could… 

• Join an enthusiastic team and make new friends 

• Support visitors to gain the best from their day 

• Learn about our access support equipment and how to welcome support animals in to the café 

• Get the low down on the latest Ickworth bake to share with others 

• Develop your hospitality skills and put them into practice 

• Use your smile and customer service skills, so people feel at home 

• Help us raise money so we continue our work looking after special places 

What’s involved?  

• Meet and greet visitors when they enter the café with a warm smile. 

• Help with queue management and direct visitors. 

• When visitors leave say goodbye and thank them for their visit. 

• Undertake tasks ranging from clearing and preparing tables for the next visitor, to supporting families with pushchairs and wheel chair users navigate the pathways between tables. 

• Use your smile and customer service skills to engage with visitors, share knowledge of the estate and generally enhance their visit

• Have a strong working knowledge of our menu and sharing this with visitors.

• Playing your part to continue our work looking after special places 

• Learning and developing a range of skills such as exceptional service, access support knowledge and sharing what’s on at Ickworth.

This role will suit you if you are:

• Are cheerful and like being around people – you’ll meet a lot at lunchtime! 

• Are looking for a varied role – you’ll be looking after a whole range of visitors 

• Are keen to be part of a team 

• Are good at keeping places looking tidy and welcoming  
  Have a keen eye to detail to notice when a visitor needs help 

• Love chatting about food, new recipes and where our ingredients come from

Join the Board of Via, the charity delivering vital person-centred and well-being care to people and communities affected by substance use across the UK.

Applications for this role close Monday 10th November.

Location: Flexible (Via has services across London, NW England and SW England)

Who we are

Via is an exceptional charity that puts people at the heart of everything we do. Over three decades, we’ve evolved from our origins as Westminster Drug Project, with a new now award-winning name and brand, into a dynamic, multi-service organisation delivering vital support across substance use, mental health, employment, sexual health, smoking cessation and youth services. With a turnover of £36m for 24/25 and remarkable growth of over a third in 2023/24, we’re now supporting over 12,500 service users annually across an expanding geographical footprint from London to Gloucestershire.

Our commitment to excellence and innovation is evident in our industry-leading services, which consistently perform significantly above the national average. We’re particularly proud to be pioneering the development of the UK’s first women-only detox facility, demonstrating our commitment to addressing crucial gaps in service provision.

Our Approach Makes Us Different

At Via, we believe in doing things differently. This starts with our commitment to staff well-being, including up to six months of full sick pay – a policy that exemplifies our trust in our people and our understanding that supporting our staff enables them to better support our service users. We achieved Investors in People Gold certification and were nominated for UK Employer of the Year and Third Sector Employer of the Year at the Investors in People Awards 2024, recognising our dedication to creating an outstanding workplace culture.

Our active Diversity, Equity and Inclusion group drives real organisational change, ensuring our services are accessible and effective for all communities. These aren’t just initiatives; they’re expressions of our core values: Care, Be Human, and Do the Right Thing, which guide everything we do.

The opportunity

As we have experienced growth and welcomed a new Chair to the Board, we are looking to appoint new Trustees. We are looking for three dedicated trustees to join our Board, each bringing distinct expertise to support our next strategic phase. We are particularly looking for trustees with:

• clinical experience in substance misuse or mental health services, who can provide valuable insights into clinical risk and governance, and service delivery.
• HR expertise, specifically in organisational development, who can guide our people strategy and support our workforce development initiatives.
• legal expertise, ideally someone with in-house legal experience who understands corporate operational challenges and can provide challenge and support.

These roles offer the opportunity to make a meaningful impact while contributing your professional expertise to advance our strategic objectives and ensure we deliver the highest quality services to those we support.

This is an exciting time to join with a new Chair, and next summer we will begin to plan our next strategy.

Diversity in governance isn’t just a goal for Via – it’s a necessity. Our services support people from every part of society, and we want our Board to reflect this diversity. We actively encourage applications from people with lived experience of addiction/recovery (whether personal or as family members/carers), and people from communities currently underrepresented at board level.

• Time Commitment: The equivalent of a day a month

The Board meets quarterly, usually in person. Including preparation time, representation at events, and strategic input, we estimate a commitment of the equivalent of a day per month. This includes:

• Four Board meetings per year
• Quarterly committee meetings
• Annual strategy away day
• Preparation for meetings
• Ad hoc conversations with fellow board members and the Executive
• Occasional representation at events and meetings with key stakeholders, including at services.

Making a Difference Together

This is an extraordinary time to join Via as we expand our geographical reach, innovate our evidence-based offer and increase access to more people. We’re not just growing – we’re evolving. You’ll help shape innovative services like our women’s detox facility while ensuring we maintain our unwavering commitment to quality, innovation, and person-centred care.

Please click 'Redirect to recruiter’ to be redirected to the Peridot Partners website, where you can find full details of the candidate profile and register your interest to apply.

Applications for this role close Monday 10th November.

Few institutions are or Students Unions are developing as fast as we are. Both UCB and the Guild of Students aspire to being models of excellence serving our unique a diverse student body.

We serve students from 6th form, vocational courses and degree and post grad, local and many international students. We have an exciting plan to take us into the next few years and need someone brilliant, experienced and enthusiastic to help steer us on this ambitious, challenging journey.

We think someone with experience as a senior Students' Union and perhaps some broader experiences and interests too would be great for the role but we would be happy to talk to someone who has a good understanding of governance and students' unions acquired during their varied history.

About the Guild of Students

Since becoming an independent charity six years ago, the Guild of Students has become a hub of student life and advocacy, in line with our mission to help every student at University College Birmingham achieve their potential. We run a Course Representative scheme of over 400 volunteers, lead change campaigns in students’ interests, facilitate around 25 student-led clubs and societies, and organise exciting social opportunities.

We’ve been recognised with several accreditations, including Investors In People, Disability Confident, and most recently the National Union of Students’ ‘Quality Students’ Union’ status.

The Guild is led by three elected full-time Officers: an Education Officer, Equalities and Wellbeing Officer, and Societies & Activities Officer. They, in turn, are supported by a team of 6 part-time volunteer Officers and a small but dedicated staff team, which we are keen to expand to develop the quality and breadth of our services.

About our Members

UCB is home to a wide range of courses with a particular emphasis on skills-based education. We are proud to welcome a diverse student body, including many from the West Midlands who have traditionally faced barriers to accessing further or higher education.

The Guild represents around 10,000 students, including apprentices, college-level students, UCB’s new Sixth Form, and university-level students. We engage with a clear majority of our members each year, and are keen to deepen our reach — especially with FE students.

About the Role

As Chairperson, you will lead a Board comprising external trustees, student trustees, the three full-time Officers, and a member of UCB’s governing body. The Board meets quarterly for around three hours, and the chairperson will be expected to provide additional support and guidance between meetings (which can be done remotely).

The initial term of appointment is four years, with the option of renewal.

We ask candidates to note the following key dates:

• Applications close: Friday 7th November, 16:00
• Interviews: Week commencing 17th November (to be confirmed)
• First Board meeting (if appointed): Thursday 27th November in an observing capacity

Further Information and Adjustments

For an informal conversation about the role or to discuss the appointment process in greater detail (including any adjustments we can make to ensure accessibility) please send us a message for the attention of Alex Harden-Way, Guild Director.

Do you want to support a local school in enhancing its outcomes for its students? Do you want to develop your board level experience? Have you got a passion for making a difference in your communities?

As a school governor, you’ll operate at board-level and develop strategic leadership skills and assist in making decisions on a wide range of topics; all while collaboratively improving education within your local community.
We’re currently recruiting volunteers for schools in Spalding to strengthen their governing boards and enhance outcomes of pupils within your communities. If you feel, you want to make a difference within your community, read on for more details about the role of a governor and how to apply.

Governors make decisions that affect schools and their pupils for years to come; our recent impact survey found that our volunteers bring £9.9 million worth of value to schools each year, and 9/10 volunteers would recommend being a governor to a friend. Becoming a governor gives you ample opportunity for personal and professional development, including exposure to finance and budgeting, safeguarding, HR, strategic planning, and more.
As a governor, you can visit the school to gain an understanding of the culture and ethos and to get the most out of the role as well as have the opportunity to meet children, parents, and teachers, and see the impact of your work first-hand. Governors act as a ‘critical friend’ to their head teacher ensuring accountability and helping to monitor and evaluate the schools progress, budget and staffing. You’ll also help to shape and implement future plans and guide the schools aims, ethos and values.

You don’t need to be a parent or have any specific skills to become a governor as long as you’re over 18 and happy to have a DBS check, you can apply! Professional skills such as HR, finance, law or project management are useful but governing boards are often needing softer skills such as leadership, communication and problem solving alongside a fresh perspective and lived experience within their communities. As a governor, you’ll be supported by the Chair, head teacher and the rest of the governing team.

This vacancy is for a primary school looking to find a governor to sit on their board with experience of SEND and Safeguarding. The school is a small friendly village school set in an old building and embraces the natural environment to ensure the children have a strong relationship with their communities. 

If you’re interested in becoming a school governor, fill out the short application form on our website.

If you have charity retail or retail management experience, we would love to hear from you.

Your experience can ensure our existing 3 charity shops generate sustainable income for our branch, which goes to fund the care and rehabilitation of animals in need to find their forever homes. 

About us:

RSPCA Lincolnshire Mid, NE & Lincoln Branch rehabilitates and re-homes animals rescued by the RSPCA's national Inspectors. We also promote responsible pet ownership and hold animal action days such as for microchipping.

We currently run 3 charity shops and regular fundraising events, to support more than 100 animals escape cruelty and neglect, to find their forever home each year.

What you can bring to our board:

The Trustees make extremely important decisions for the branch, for example deciding on how to raise income for the branch, as well as meeting in sub-groups to consider important subject matters with recommendations being made to the full board of trustees.  Our branch is an extremely passionate branch with 8 trustees currently forming the committee.

We are looking for someone willing to bring their retail management experience to our board. We want to ensure our current shops generate sustainable income for the branch, as well as grow our shop network across our branch area over time. You will support our decisions around revenue models, customer service, marketing, data analysis and pricing. You may have experience of increasing revenue through strategic partnerships, gift aid, online sales, employee and volunteer engagement/training, volunteer recruitment and much more. 

You will ideally live and/or work in our branch area in Lincolnshire, UK, to bring local insight to our retail decisions.

We meet monthly as a board, with most of these online but we like to also meet at least 3 times each year in-person, as well as take part in the branch's local fundraising events. 

If you would like an informal chat about the opportunity, please contact the Chair, Sophie Easteal.

Are you looking for a skilled volunteering opportunity to support your career progression? Do you have a passion for improving outcomes for all children? Could you use your professional skills to help shape the future of education?

As a school governor, you’ll operate at board-level and develop strategic leadership skills and assist in making decisions on a wide range of topics; all while collaboratively improving education within your local community.
We’re currently recruiting volunteers for schools in Eastbourne to strengthen their governing boards and enhance outcomes of pupils within your communities. If you feel, you want to make a difference within your community, read on for more details about the role of a governor and how to apply.

Governors make decisions that affect schools and their pupils for years to come; our recent impact survey found that our volunteers bring £9.9 million worth of value to schools each year, and 9/10 volunteers would recommend being a governor to a friend. Becoming a governor gives you ample opportunity for personal and professional development, including exposure to finance and budgeting, safeguarding, HR, strategic planning, and more.
As a governor, you can visit the school to gain an understanding of the culture and ethos and to get the most out of the role as well as have the opportunity to meet children, parents, and teachers, and see the impact of your work first-hand. Governors act as a ‘critical friend’ to their head teacher ensuring accountability and helping to monitor and evaluate the schools progress, budget and staffing. You’ll also help to shape and implement future plans and guide the schools aims, ethos and values.

You don’t need to be a parent or have any specific skills to become a governor as long as you’re over 18 and happy to have a DBS check, you can apply! Professional skills such as HR, finance, law or project management are useful but governing boards are often needing softer skills such as leadership, communication and problem solving alongside a fresh perspective and lived experience within their communities. As a governor, you’ll be supported by the Chair, head teacher and the rest of the governing team.

This vacancy is for an alternative provision looking to find a governor to sit on their board who is passionate about making a difference. The school is passionate about offering young people the chance to realise their unique talents and potential. 

If you’re interested in becoming a school governor, fill out the short application form on our website.

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

At Cats Protection we help thousands of cats and kittens each year thanks to our dedicated and passionate volunteer groups. We have branches across the UK, all of which help our cats in different ways. Branches take in stray and abandoned cats and ensure they receive the veterinary care and attention they deserve; help raise funds, promote neutering and help spread cat welfare messages. Our branch team leader volunteers lead their local team by supporting and managing volunteers within their group, maintaining communications with both volunteers and employees, and helping promote a positive and professional image of Cats Protection.

You can expect us to

• Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
• Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
• Cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
• Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities

What we need from you

You’ll be:

• Supporting your team of volunteers in all aspects of their roles, making sure volunteers are happy and confident
• Making sure the team observes charity best practice and compliance
• Collaborating with your Branch Development Manager (BDM) to plan volunteer activity
• Leading the team to follow Cats Protection policies, procedures and guidelines
• Monitoring expenditure and helping ensure long term financial stability of the volunteer group
• Organising and chairing team meetings
• Acting as an ambassador for Cats Protection

Time expectation

Our branch team leader volunteers usually spend 10 to 15 hours per week in this role, which is flexible and can be shared by more than one volunteer if needed. There will be times of year when more hours are required, such as towards the end of the financial year, but support and guidance are available.

You may be just the volunteer we’ve been looking for!

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better  with cats.

Trustee for the Mustard Tree

Can you help us grow our support for often-marginalised communities and people facing barriers to opportunities?

You could be a trustee for the Mustard Tree, a Reading-based Christian charity that reduces health and social inequalities, builds stronger communities, and gives a voice to the unheard.

About us

Set up in 2003, the Mustard Tree Foundation (Reading), known as The Mustard Tree, is a charity where we are passionate that every individual has the opportunity to thrive. Our vision is to develop the work we do in Reading, identifying unmet needs and innovating and growing projects which support individuals who are marginalised and facing disadvantage, delivering high-impact services to some of Reading’s most underrepresented people.  As a charity with a Christian ethos, the projects we generate are inspired by our faith and are thus are designed to serve all sections of our diverse community.

We are an incorporated charity, with a financial turnover in 2024 of £335k. Our three focused projects: Engage, Rahab and Starting Point, all support different communities, whilst linked to our common vision.

The role and what we are looking for in a new trustee

Trustees are the people who make the top-level decisions for our charity. Our Board includes people with experience and skills in our work and we’d expect new trustees to have strong empathy with our cause and with the needs of our beneficiaries. 

You don’t necessarily need prior experience of charity trusteeship, although that would be welcome. You need to have a Christian faith and participate with us in prayer.

We are especially looking for people with skills and understanding of financial management in a not-for-private-profit context; a grasp of fundraising strategy; or understanding of HR management and compliance, but we don’t expect you to have all three of those abilities!

If you can think strategically and plan long-term, you have the primary skills needed by our trustees; you’ll also need to be able to work collectively with other Board members. Support from our paid employees is always available, as they will be dealing with the day-to-day running of the organisation.

We are a charity not a business, but we apply business principles to governing our organisation. We are looking for people from a variety of backgrounds to join our charity. We want to expand the diversity of our board, in all meanings of the word, and strongly welcome applications from people from less-represented groups. 

We ask for at least five hours of your time per month, which includes all meetings, discussions, etc.  You will need access to digital communications, as much of our charity’s business is run that way.

What do you get as a volunteer trustee with our organisation? 

• An opportunity to exercise your strategic planning skills, probably in a different environment or context 
• An opportunity to influence and collectively-lead an organisation supporting often-marginalised communities
• A chance to expand and implement your understanding of our work
• A chance to augment your experience of charities 
• A boost to your career and CV, if needed 
• Satisfaction of helping an organisation that supports communities in Reading, thus giving something back to your community 
• Induction training from us; training, support and assistance from local charity-support & advice agencies

What do we get? 

• Your strategic skills, knowledge, understanding or experience
• Your abilities to influence plans for our charity’s future
• Enhancement to our overall governance and the Board of trustees; improvement in our charity governance and operational growth
• Your participation in our collective decision-making, contributing to all areas of our charity work
• Your enthusiasm

What do our beneficiaries get? 

• The ability to continue our support to access opportunities, as we plant hope and cultivate change
• A forward-looking and agile organisation, with a well-informed and well-managed Board of trustees

How to apply  

This appointment is being managed for us by inVOLve Community Services, a charity-support organisation, who offer a no-obligation discussion by phone or video. A detailed Role Description and Person Specification can be made available to you upon request.

Trustee appointments are subject to satisfactory references, to completion of an online Safeguarding course and an Enhanced DBS check. 

Your CV or similar will be read by our existing trustees, and an interview offered as soon as mutually convenient.

I need to know more 

Contact Mike Allen via Apply Now below for more information and arrange to have a no-obligation initial informal discussion (Teams/Zoom/phone)

Join Us as a Trustee 

The Woolwich Service User Project (WSUP) envisions a community free from hardship and housing insecurity, with the ambition of preventing homelessness and housing insecurity in our area. 

We work towards this vision by delivering compassionate, practical support services that empower individuals to rebuild their lives with dignity, stability, and hope. 

We are a charity governed by a small, committed board of trustees who provide oversight, governance, and strategic direction. As we grow and strengthen our impact, we are looking to expand the skills, perspectives, and diversity of our board. 

What we are looking for 

We are particularly keen to appoint trustees with experience in the following areas: 

• Legal and Governance 

• Housing and Homelessness 

• Facilities & Operations 

• Finance & Fundraising 

• Digital & IT Systems 

• Community Voice & Lived Experience 

• Public Health 

Trustee Responsibilities 

As a trustee, you will share responsibility for: 

• Ensuring the charity complies with its governing documents and legal obligations 

• Providing strategic direction and constructive challenge to help us achieve our mission 

• Overseeing the charity’s financial health and the effective use of resources 

• Acting as an ambassador for WSUP and upholding our reputation 

• Supporting the Chair and fellow trustees with decision-making, risk management, and planning 

Time Commitment 

• Board & Sub-Committee Meetings: Monthly, a mix of in-person (Woolwich) and online – 2 hours 

• Additional Involvement: Attending occasional events and functions 

• Projects: Contributing to specific tasks or initiatives within your area of expertise 

What you will gain 

• The chance to make a real difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our community 

• An opportunity to give back and help shape a fairer, more compassionate local community 

• Experience in charity leadership and governance 

• Being part of a supportive, passionate team of trustees and staff 

As life becomes ever more difficult for migrants across London, the UK and the world, Waltham Forest Migrant Action (WFMA) are committed to fighting back in solidarity and supporting our fellow human beings who are often suffering in the most extreme of circumstances. Since 2013, we’ve run a weekly Drop-in Centre providing visitors a warm welcome, free advice on immigration, accommodation and welfare issues, and opportunities to socialise with the local community. Last year, we helped 366 people from 71 nationalities, and our numbers continue to grow. WFMA is currently in an exciting phase of development. In recent years, we have transformed from an all-volunteer organisation to having six part-time staff, navigating a period of sustainable growth.

The role
We are looking for 2-3 compassionate individuals with a strong interest in migrant justice to contribute to an organisation that centres migrant voices and experiences. Whether you bring experience in HR, marketing & communications, finance, legal, fundraising, operations, service delivery, or another area, your insight and guidance has the potential to strengthen our organisation. We welcome applicants from all ages and backgrounds, and we are open to first time Trustees!

We strive to have a board that is diverse and representative of the communities we work with and for, and we are particularly keen for those under 30 and / or with lived experience of the UK migration system to apply. We value skills gained both through formal professional experience and through grassroots activism, voluntary work, or community organising.

Essential

• A strong interest in migrant justice and anti-racism

• Commitment to the aims and objectives of WFMA, and its vision 

• Willingness to devote the necessary time and effort required

• Good oral and written communication skills in English

Desirable but not essential
Following recent a skills audit, we have identified priority areas and skills needed for our board, and we are particularly keen to hear from candidates who can contribute one or more:

• Lived experience of the UK migration system and the difficulties faced by migrants in accessing services

• Fundraising and bid writing experience

• Financial oversight and accounting experience (we are keen to recruit and train a potential future Treasurer)

• Experience and/or willingness to serve as Chair

Time commitment
This role requires around 10 days commitment a year, and this includes attending bi-monthly board meetings, sub-groups, strategy days and reading board reports prior to meetings.