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This is an exciting opportunity to get involved as a Learning Trustee in an engaging, decision making role in a charity that inspires and empowers young disabled adults to live fulfilling, independent lives – promoting personal development through the arts.
About the Orpheus Centre
The Orpheus Centre is a charity and college which supports young disabled adults aged 18-25 to learn essential life skills, gain formal qualifications and prepare for future employment.
There are currently 66 students with 21 living on site in Godstone, Surrey. Students come from across the UK and all have a love of the arts.
Started by lyricist and musician Sir Richard Stilgoe, the organisation offers learning, care and development opportunities at the college and in the wider community, working with professional artists, businesses and other charities.
The overall aim is to equip the students with the skills they need to live as independently as possible and to pursue their chosen careers.
Our core values are to be Joyful, Bold, Inclusive, Resilient and Determined. These values are the foundations for all our work and are what the organisation stands for.
Why should you apply?
Orpheus is a vibrant Independent Specialist college for young disabled adults who have a passion for the arts and a desire to live independently. Orpheus believes that disabled people should have the same opportunities as their non-disabled peers.
The Board of Trustees are looking for a new Trustee who is passionate about our vision to empower and equip young disabled people with the skills and confidence they need in order to live independent and fulfilling lives in the community.
Time commitment
The time commitment is between 10 and 15 days per annum, including four Board meetings including the AGM (mainly in person), four committee meetings (mainly virtual), one or two awaydays and ad-hoc attendance.
What will you be doing?
The Board of Trustees is responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of Orpheus, developing the organisation’s aims, objectives and goals in accordance with the governing document and with legal and regulatory guidelines.
The role of the Learning and Care Committee Co-Chair includes but also goes beyond the role of other Trustees. So in addition to your duties as a Trustee, you will take a leadership role in ensuring that the Board fulfils its responsibilities for the governance of the Orpheus Centre in relation to Learning and Care. You will also work closely with the Chief Executive, Principal and Head of Care to support them in achieving the aims of the Orpheus Centre in the areas of Learning and Care, and will act as the channel of communication between the committee and the Board.
You will lead the committee, ensuring that it fulfils its responsibilities for good governance, and will work in partnership with the Principal and Head of Care, helping them to achieve the department’s aims.
Your responsibilities will include:
- providing effective scrutiny, challenge and questioning related to curriculum and learner progress;
- supporting the learning management team with quality activities, including annual trustee learning walks and quarterly deep dive activity;
- ensuring that you undertake a thorough induction programme;
- leading the Learning and Care Committee, including chairing committee meetings effectively;
- monitoring progress in implementing decisions taken at committee meetings and keeping in close touch with the work of the Learning and Care Departments in general – while always respecting the boundary between the respective roles of executives and non-executives;
- acting as a spokesperson for Orpheus when requested and as appropriate;
- providing a written and oral update of the last committee meeting at each Board meeting;
- assessing and monitoring risks relevant to the Learning and Care functions of the Orpheus Centre;
and
- monitoring and scrutinising performance data within the Learning and Care Departments.
How to apply
If you wish to apply for this position, please supply the following:
- A detailed CV setting out your career history, with responsibilities and achievements.
- A covering letter (maximum two sides) highlighting your suitability for the role and how you meet the person specification. Please note that the covering letter is an important part of your application.
- Contact details of two professional referees together with a brief statement of their relationship to you and over what period of time they have known you; referees will not be contacted without your prior consent.
The Orpheus Centre is proud to be a disability confident employer
We have made a positive commitment to employing disabled people. Reasonable adjustments will be made to the recruitment procedure as required in consultation with the applicant to ensure no-one is disadvantaged because of their disability. If a disabled person is selected for a position, reasonable adjustments will be made to the workplace, including premises and equipment, work duties and practices or policies, as appropriate. All disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role as set out in the role profile and person specification will be considered for interview.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we are:
- Challenging attitudes towards disability
- Increasing understanding of disability
- Removing barriers to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions
- Ensuring that disabled people have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspiration
Registered Charity
51 - 100
We are focused on inspiring and empowering young disabled students to live fulfilling, independent lives
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Do you want to help promote social mobility, and diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM)? Can you play a valuable strategic leadership role in a charity that supports young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds to achieve their potential and progress to careers in STEM?
Remuneration: The Trustee role is not remunerated, travel and other reasonable expenses may be claimed.
Location: Remote, with one in person strategy meeting in London per year.
Time Commitment: Four board meetings per year, plus up to three virtual committee meetings per year (depending on committee membership) and a small amount of support and advice as required between meetings.
Application Submission: The application deadline is 17:00 on the 2nd of June 2025
Overview of In2scienceUK
In2scienceUK is a charity with a mission to empower young people from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to achieve upward social mobility by unlocking their potential to access degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
Responsibilities
The role of a Trustee is to ensure that In2scienceUK fulfils its duty to the young people with whom it works and delivers on its vision. The trustees of In2scienceUK fulfil an essential and influential role, and have the opportunity to both support the activities and strategic decision making of the charity.
Trustees have collective responsibility for the strategy and oversight of the charity and the trustee board works as a team to fulfill its statutory role, to provide help and advice to the staff team, and to represent the organisation in their respective networks.
The expected duties of an In2scienceUK trustee are:
- To contribute actively to teamwork within the Board of Trustees, providing strong strategic direction to the organisation in line with its mission and purpose.
- To safeguard the reputation and values of In2scienceUK and ensure the effective and efficient administration and financial stability of In2scienceUK.
- Support the effective running of the organisation, by scrutinising the work of the leadership team in a way that is supportive and motivational. Trustees collectively hold executive staff to account for their performance, are involved in executive appointments as appropriate and appoint a Chief Executive Officer whenever necessary.
- Serve in one or more subgroups of the board for a deeper dive into Income/Growth, Operational Assurance, Evaluation & Learning, and People.
- To ensure that in2scienceUK complies with articles of association and fulfils charity commission responsibilities.
Experience and skills
The most important characteristic of our trustees is a commitment to helping young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds access social mobility through careers in STEM, and so helping to ensure that the STEM professions are populated by people reflecting diverse backgrounds, in all respects including socio-economic background.
We need the right mix of skills overall and anticipate making 4-6 appointments in this round who will work collaboratively to ensure good governance and the success of the organisation. Specific areas where we would like to strengthen the team, bearing in mind our natural turnover and our strategy for the future, are listed below. If you are able to contribute in one or more of these areas, please make this especially clear in your application.
Lived experience: Personal experience of transitioning into STEM degrees and careers from an underrepresented background.
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We are interested in applications from young people still going through this transition, for example undertaking undergraduate study, and for whom we can provide additional support in the trustee role as needed; we see this as an excellent development opportunity and a chance to get governance and leadership experience on the CV in line with our overall mission.
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We would welcome applications from current In2scienceUK participants and alumni. Trustees are required to be 18 years or older.
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We are also interested in hearing from people with current experience of working with young people undertaking this transition.
Professional expertise: Finance, Communications, HR, Governance, Entrepreneurship, Fundraising and philanthropy, Career advice/coaching
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The whole of the board is responsible for key decisions such as budget setting, strategy, policies and prioritisation, however it is useful to have subject experts who can take a functional lead on helping ensure colleagues are asking the right questions and getting good answers.
Commercial contacts: An understanding of corporate social responsibility and sponsorship, networks in industries and organisations that employ STEM professionals
Subject areas: Personal experience and industry or academic contacts in the following subject areas
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Maths/Computing/AI,
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Life Sciences,
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Physical Engineering.
Treasurer: We are currently seeking a Treasurer to join the board of Trustees and take the lead on finance. This is an immediate vacancy with our current Treasurer coming to the end of their term. The Treasurer will be a qualified accountant. We are looking for people who have pre-existing experience or desire to support an organisation of our size. As such, the role will be both providing financial oversight and governance as well as providing advice, support and guidance to our executive team. Those applying without prior charity accounting experience should be willing to undertake any relevant training.
Chair succession: While not an immediate appointment, as part of managing Chair succession we are interested in people who would be candidates for a chair designate role and chair in due course, probably via an initial Vice Chair position within the organisation.
For those who have any further questions or would like an initial discussion about these roles with our current Chair, Jonathan Flowers, please contact us. ( Our email address can be found in the documents under 'Application resources').
Recruitment Process
The application deadline is 17:00 on the 2nd of June 2025
Please send a covering letter and CV about how you would contribute to the work of the trustee board . Please ensure you set out specifically how you would want to contribute and the experience, skills or insights you would offer us, based on the list of skills and experiences above. We would like each applicant to include a concise (no more than 2 sides of A4) cover letter that goes beyond repeating their CV.
Equal opportunities
In2scienceUK is committed to promoting diversity and equality of opportunity for all staff and trustees. Applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of ethnicity, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, and marriage and civil partnerships.
As part of our commitment to creating a more inclusive environment, we ask all applicants to complete an equality and diversity monitoring form ( link can be found in the 'How to apply' section on Charity Job). This information is collected anonymously and used solely for monitoring and reporting purposes. It helps us to better understand who we are reaching, identify gaps in representation, and ensure that opportunities at In2scienceUK are accessible to all. All responses are kept confidential in line with data protection regulations.
Governance
We kindly ask all prospective trustees to complete a Declaration of Interest form as part of the application process. This helps ensure transparency and allows us to assess any potential conflicts of interest, ensuring the best governance for our charity. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated as we work to strengthen our board and further our mission.
Interview and selection
Successful candidates from the application stage will be interviewed by existing trustees. The interviews will all be held via Zoom and take place between the 7th and 21st of July.
Safeguarding
In2scienceUK is committed to our responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults as outlined in Working Together to Safeguard Children. We are committed to recruiting trustees who share this commitment to safeguarding, and therefore we apply robust recruitment and selection procedures to ensure that the people selected are right for the job, and that all candidates are appropriately screened prior to appointment.
The following checks will be undertaken as applicable:
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References
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DBS check and/or Overseas criminal records check where applicable
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Self-Disclosure
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Identity check
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Confirmation of registration with applicable registered body where applicable
Further information can be found in the documents below.
Registered Charity
11 - 20
In2scienceUK exists to unlock the potential of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and boost diversity and inclusion in the STEM sector.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.