Officer volunteer roles in canvey island, essex

Position Overview
This is an exciting and unique internship opportunity supporting SEED Madagascar’s media and communications output. This position will focus on social media management support, visual content design, and image selection and arrangement. It is ideal for a motivated individual interested in learning new skills and gaining practical experience within the communications team of an international development and conservation organisation.

About the organisation
SEED Madagascar is a British Charity working in partnership with communities in the southeast of Madagascar. We integrate high quality community health, livelihoods, education infrastructure and conservation programmes to support sustainable change and add to international best practice through research and publication across all of our programmatic areas.
Location: Remote
Timeframe: 6 months extendable – flexible 2 days a week
Contract: Voluntary, unsalaried
Reporting to: Media and Communications Officer

Duties and responsibilities 
1. Responsible for planning and drafting platform-specific content for SEED’s social media accounts and support with the implementation of a new TikTok strategy, following a clear briefing from the Media and Communications Coordinator and Officer. 
2. Using video editing software CapCut to produce video content for use on SEED’s TikTok and Instagram accounts. 
3. Using Canva to produce exciting visual content for use across SEED’s social media accounts, ensuring that all brand guidelines are adhered to. 
4. Monitoring and reporting on performance KPIs for SEED’s online output. 
5. Support the management and arrangement of SEED Madagascar’s image drive, suggesting images that are appropriate for use in our online output from a bank of photographs.
6. Gain a detailed understanding of all of SEED’s programmes.
7. Any other tasks the Media and Communications Officer deems necessary within the broad remit
of this role.

Qualifications
● Hold or be studying towards an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in or relating to media
and communications, international development, or have comparable field experience.
● Have experience managing social media accounts.
● Have experience writing high-level copy, appropriate for varying audiences.
● Proven high standard of written and verbal communication and editing skills.
● Proven experience in following clear instructions and staying in keeping with brand guidelines
and expectations, sometimes in sensitive circumstances.
● Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to SEED’s ethos and approach and be a good
ambassador for the organisation at all times.
● Be punctual and be able to work to tight deadlines in an organised manner and to a high
standard.
● Ability to work well under pressure to meet targets and deadlines.
● Proactive, creative and resourceful.
● Experience of both collaborative team and independent working.
● Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
● Proficiency in the use of the visual design platform Canva.
● Proficiency in the use of video design platforms such as CapCut.
● Be able to financially support themselves for the duration of their internship as there is no
stipend.

AMR Action UK (formerly Antibiotic Research UK) is the UK Patient Organisation for Antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Its legitimacy to advocate for patients, with policy-makers and with NHS systems, comes from its insight, and therefore through its patient support services, patient-focussed research and direct patient and public engagement activities.

The organisation is at an exciting stage of its development. Following the appointment of a new Chief Executive in late 2024 it has a new strategy in place and by greatly increasing its impact over the next 3 years intends to significantly reduce the harm from AMR across all four nations of the United Kingdom. The charity is also committed to expanding its services to meet the growing demand from patients and families directly impacted by AMR. This growth will be underpinned by a new name and new brand, a fresh approach to communications that will greatly increase awareness of the charity’s work with the UK public, and a new fundraising strategy that will both grow and diversify income and also increase sustainability.

The charity is now looking for a dynamic new Chair of Trustees who is excited by our plans, and by the difference this will make to peoples’ lives. Given the growth agenda for the period 2025-28, the suitable candidate at this point in time is likely to come from a commercial background, with a strong understanding of strategy, investment, business development, and communications in the context of a rapidly changing environment. They are also likely to have a track-record of successfully managing risk v reward in a growing business. Increasing donations from corporates and philanthropists is important to the charity at this stage in its development and the new Chair will be comfortable operating in these environments.

A key part of the role will be to support the new senior executive team charged with delivering the growth agenda, including establishing and maintaining a strong working relationship with the CEO.

Please note we are in the process of updating post name change, email addresses and website may still reflect previous name of Antibiotic Research UK. 

This is an opportunity to become Chair of a Charity which has recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. If you are someone who is looking to make a “real difference” for mothers/birthing people and their families facing one of the most challenging and unexpected periods of their lives, then we would like to hear from you.  We are also looking for a Chair who can lead and “harness” the range of skills present within our existing Board members, who come with a range of experience.

Now into our second decade as a charity, it is exciting time to join Mummy’s Star as the Chairperson. We have broadened the conversation about cancer and pregnancy nationwide, and internationally too despite our small stature. We now must sustain what we have built and help take the charity to that next level where we can elevate the voices of those we support, so that their needs are not only understood, but are also prioritised and used to inform policy and planning.

Somebody goes missing in the UK every 90 seconds. Missing People exists to ease the heartache experienced by those missing someone, and to help people who are away from home find their way back to safety. 

What will you be doing?

Missing People's vision is for every missing child, adult and family left behind to find help, hope and a safe way to reconnect. We are a non-judgemental, highly skilled team of staff and volunteers working for everyone who needs us. We provide free, confidential support, help and advice by phone, email, text and live chat.

In our 30th anniversary year, The Trustees and Executive launched a new 2023-2028 Strategy 'From Crisis to Hope' in consultation with people with lived experience and key stakeholders. The three key goals are:

1. Going missing is understood as a crisis that can be a matter of life or death
2. All missing people and their loved ones get the right help at the right time
3. Fewer missing people come to harm.

The new Chair of Trustees must be passionate about Missing People, its purpose and its values. We are looking for a new Chair of Trustees who brings valuable experience, skills and expertise. This might relate to the issue of missing (including personal experience of going missing), senior financial experience, charity experience, policing, legal experience and safeguarding. We are keen to further broaden thinking and perspectives and welcome applications from all areas of the United Kingdom, from all communities, which is important as missing touches every community. We believe diversity is important, and we aim for our board to have a mix of people, talents and backgrounds..

What are we looking for?

We are looking for a new Chair of Trustees who brings valuable experience, skills and expertise. This might relate to the issue of missing (including personal experience of going missing), senior financial experience, charity experience, policing, legal experience and safeguarding.

You will need to be aged over 18 and have:

• A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort to your duties as the Chair of Trustees - approximately 2-3 days per month
• Leadership, strategic vision and creative thinking
• Ability to manage a trustee board and take decisions for the good of the charity
• Ability to chair board meetings effectively and manage diverse perspectives
• Strong communication, interpersonal and networking skills
• Independent judgment and be willing to speak your mind
• The ability to read, understand and question reports including financial plans and information
• The ability to follow the rules of governing documents and any professional advice
• The ability to work effectively as a member of a team and encourage team working
• A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices
• Prior experience of committee / trustee work (desirable) 
• Knowledge of the type of work undertaken by the charity (desirable) 
• Wider involvement in the voluntary sector (desirable)

What difference will you make?

Our Chair of Trustees is integral to the mission and purpose of the charity, holding the Board and Executive Team to account for delivering the mission and achieving our ambitious goals. The Board of Trustees is made up of an experienced team of individuals who bring breadth of background, a range of deep skill sets, lived experience of the issue of missing and demonstrable empathy and passion for the work of Missing People. The Chair of Trustees will be responsible for the effectiveness of the Board of Trustees, planning and guiding meetings to ensure broad dialogue, good decision-making and clear actions.

Our Chair will work closely with the CEO and the Board to develop the charity’s strategy and to oversee its implementation and progress against its business plan. As part of this the Chair will provide support and challenge to the CEO and their senior team. 

As the Chair of Trustees at Missing People you will be driven by a powerful mission to be a lifeline when someone disappears. You will work closely alongside the Board, Executive team and Chief Executive in a collaborative way to lead the charity. The role provides a good opportunity to be involved in strategic planning in an organisation grounded in the issue of missing with a diverse group of committed and motivated Trustees.

Trustees meet quarterly at online and in-person meetings (usually in London). The Board has dedicated Committees for Finance, HR, Ethics, and Safeguarding, and Advisory Groups representing people with lived experience of the issue of going missing, policing, fundraising and policy. The Chair will attend and be a member of other committees or working groups and ensure that the governance arrangements are working in the most effective way for the charity.

Before you apply

Please apply through Reach or the application form on the Missing People website, attaching your CV and a supporting statement (maximum 2 A4 pages) that demonstrates how you meet the criteria listed in the role description attached. 

On the 'Work for Us' page of the Missing People website you will also find a Letter to Applicants detailing more information about the role and the charity. 

Active Humber trustee vacancies

Support us to encourage people across the Humber to benefit from an active lifestyle

Due to the four-year term ending for a number of our trustees, Active Humber are looking to recruit to the following Board vacancies:

• Chair of the Board
• Senior Independent Director
• Welfare and Safety Director
• Non-Executive Trustee

These are crucial roles for our Board, and we are looking for people who share our passion and energy to work with us to create a happier, healthier and stronger community across the Humber.  To achieve our goals, we need a board of trustees who are as diverse as the people we are trying to reach.

Active Humber is a registered charity and is one of 42 nationwide Active Partnerships who are funded by Sport England to improve lives through physical activity and sport. 

Our vision is that the Humber is a place where everyone, everyday is physically active.

Our mission is to get the most physically inactive to be active.

Our role is to help people think differently about physical inactivity.

What is it like to be a Board Member at Active Humber? 
The Board at Active Humber is integral to what we are trying to achieve in the Humber.  If you join us as a trustee you will help to lead Active Humber to achieve their mission and purpose - you might ask questions to challenge us to think differently, make suggestions to move things forward, or act as a sounding board for ideas.

To learn more about Active Humber and what we have achieved and what we are hoping to achieve, please explore our website.

What we’re looking for:

We’re seeking individuals who are enthusiastic about our vision and have the time and skills to contribute to the board. We are particularly looking for expertise in one or more of the following areas;

• Experience of chairing a Board
• Knowledge of Safeguarding and Welfare, in relation to Children and Young People and/or Adults at Risk
• Experience of governance matters, or legal issues
• Experience within environmental sustainability matters
• An understanding of equality and inclusivity

Application Process
Each of the vacancies has its own areas of responsibility, and there are role descriptors for each of the roles that we are advertising. We also have a recruitment pack giving more details about the expectations of being an Active Humber trustee, which is relevant to all the roles. 

This information is available via our vacancies pages.  Please read these documents fully to support you in making a decision about whether to apply.  You should also consider which role suits your skills and experience so reading each of the role descriptions is recommended. 

We would suggest an informal chat with our CEO, David Gent or our Chair, Richard Smith as the first step in your application.  Please email the hr email address and we would be happy to arrange this.

If you then wish to go ahead and apply, please send the following information:

1. A covering letter expressing which role you are applying for.
2. Your covering letter should explain why you are interested in being an Active Humber trustee, and how your skills and experience meet the criteria set out in your preferred role and person specification.
3. A copy of your current CV.

Applications should be submitted by 9th July 2025.

Interviews will be held in person at the Aura Centre on 23rd or 24th July 2025.

If you have any queries about the role or the application process, please do not hesitate to email HR who will be happy to help.

We are seeking to appoint a treasurer (voluntary role) to sit on the board of trustees at Know Your Worth. Know Your Worth is a charity dedicated to helping teenage girls grow self-esteem. Trustees are at the heart of this mission. As a trustee, you help shape the future of our charity. You bring your experience, insight, and care to help guide our strategy, hold us accountable to our values, and ensure our resources are used wisely. 

 We are specifically looking for someone with:

• A passion for the cause of helping teenage girls to grow self-esteem
• Senior finance experience (10+ years).
• Previous treasurer experience on another board (ideally within the charity or non-profit sector).
• An ability to work as a team, courage to challenge constructively where appropriate, whilst being self-aware.
• An awareness of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship. Being available (within reason) to support the CEO with any financial queries or issues

We'd love to hear from you, if you'd like to find out more.

We are looking for a dynamic and innovative fundraising specialist individual with drive and passion that aligns with the purpose of The Iolanthe Midwifery Trust to join our Board of Trustees. As a proven fundraising specialist, you will work in collaboration with the Board of Trustees, The Executive Director and the Philanthropy Officer as we roll out our fundraising strategy.The Fundraising Trustee will sit on the Board as well as The Finance and Fundraising sub committees.

Iolanthe has an endowment fund which provides some of the income needed each year to fund awards. As part of our 3 year strategy we will  diversity our income streams and focus on the following areas

• Individual

• Legacies

• Philanthropy/Corporates

We have recently appointed a Philanthropy Officer who is working to roll out our fundraising strategy and have a legacy consultant working with us to develop this area further.

Key responsibilities for fundraising lead trustee

• Oversight of Fundraising Strategy

• Digital fundraising

• Support with dealing with Donors

• Support with Fundraising Events/Event Management

• Identification and support with HNW/Philanthropic Fundraising

• CSR

Meetings: 

The Board meets three times a year in March, June and October.  All but 1 meeting (October combined AGM/Board meeting/Award event) are  held remotely.  Meetings generally last no longer than 2 hours and with the exception of the October meetings are held on a weekday evening.

The Finance sub committee meets remotely 3 times a year approximately 10 days ahead of the Board meetings.

The Fundraising sub committee will meet remotely and feed through to the main Board meetings.

Fundraising trustee - this is what we need from you

Proven experience of executing successful fundraising campaigns, who can provide support with the following key areas:

• Strategy development: Working with the Board of Trustees, Executive Director and Philanthropy Officer to help shape an effective fundraising strategy, fostering long-term sustainability and growth in line with our values

• Strategy execution: Support as necessary the process of fund identification 

• Partnership Development: Targeted and strategic identification of partnerships to advance our goals and support to manage key stakeholders 

The Coroners' Courts Support Service (CCSS) is a registered Charity whose trained volunteers give emotional and practical support to bereaved families and other witnesses attending an inquest.

We need volunteers to provide emotional support and practical help to bereaved families, witnesses and others attending Inquests at Coroners' Court. Our volunteers at court also provide help and assistance to the Coroners' Officers, as and when required.

We are looking for reliable, supportive people with excellent communication skills. A mature and calm attitude is needed in order to be able to talk to people during a sometimes bewildering and emotional experience. Volunteers must be willing to undergo a period of observations and shadowing, as well as attend a 3 day training course. A minimum commitment of one day (9:00am - 5:00pm) per fortnight is asked for. Training and mentoring is provided and travel expenses to the court are reimbursed.

New volunteers should possess good communication and listening skills and the ability to empathise with people they support.

Charity Trustee

You and Me Counselling are currently recruiting volunteer trustees to complement the committee members already in their role.

This is a home working role and will be for immediate start.

Our charity

You and Me Counselling is a charitable organisation established in 2011. We are a counselling and psychotherapy service based in Hornchurch, Essex that works with children, young people, adults, and their families in the boroughs of Havering, Barking & Dagenham, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest. Our counsellors and therapists work both within schools and from our counselling rooms located in Hornchurch and Ilford.

You and Me Counselling are an organisational member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP). This means we are fully governed by the BACP’s Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.

Job Description

As a trustee you will need to:

• Acknowledge emails at least once a day.
• Give a minimum of one hour per week to the role.
• Attend quarterly trustee meetings online.
• Ensure that You and Me Counselling pursues its stated objectives
• Ensure there is regular review of changes that might affect the organisation (political, financial, demographic, etc.)
• Ensure that the charity complies with charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations.
• Monitor finance to ensure that the charity applies its resources exclusively for its charitable objectives.
• Uphold the good name and values of You and Me Counselling.
• Ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation, including having appropriate policies and procedures in place.
• Ensure the financial stability of the organisation.
• Supervise, support and appraise the chief executive officer.
• Hold the chief executive officer to account for the management and administration of the charity.
• Ensure that the organisation acts in accordance with employment law and exercises a duty of care to its employees.
• Identify major risks to the organisation and put systems in place to mitigate or minimise the risks.
• Ensure that the organisation has a governance structure that is appropriate to a charity of its size/complexity, stage of development, and its charitable objectives
• Regularly review your own training needs and create an expectation of continuous professional development throughout the organisation.
• Ensure that trustees have an agreed code of conduct and comply with it, and that there are mechanisms for the removal of trustees who do not abide by the principles stated therein.

Person Specifications

All trustees should demonstrate the following skills and values:

• A commitment to the organisation.
• A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort.
• Good, independent judgement.
• An ability to think creatively.
• A willingness to speak their mind.
• An understanding and acceptance of their legal duties and responsibilities as a trustee
• An ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
• Ability to evaluate and interpret management information and other data.

Specific Skills

The ideal candidate would have one of more of the following:

• Experience in charity law and governance
• Experience in charity fundraising
• Knowledge of counselling or psychotherapy (as a therapist or client)
• Experience in accounting or financial management
• Experience in business development
• Experience in social media or marketing
• A parent of a young person who has experience of mental health issues

Purpose of the Role

You will support the Digital Marketing & Communications Officer with marketing and communications tasks, helping promote Equality in Tourism’s work across our website, social media, newsletters and PR. Typical tasks might include researching and writing blog posts, creating our monthly newsletters in HubSpot, and social listening. 

Person Specification 

This role would suit students or recent graduates looking to gain more experience in marketing and the non-profit and/or tourism sectors. 

We’re looking for someone who has…

• An excellent understanding of digital marketing and social media, with some relevant work experience; 

• Strong writing and proofreading skills;

• Good organisation and time management, able to manage deadlines and keep the team updated on progress;

• Committed to gender equality and has enthusiasm towards our goal of creating a fairer, more sustainable tourism industry. 

It’s a bonus if you have…

• Graphic design experience, using tools like Canva or Adobe; 

• Video editing skills;

• Knowledge of SEO and keyword tools; 

• Familiarity with CMS, especially WordPress and HubSpot. 

Why Volunteer With Equality in Tourism?

You’ll be joining a small team but one with a wealth of knowledge on gender, tourism and marketing. While most of your contact will be with the Digital Marketing Officer, you’ll also get to work and connect with our directors, trustees and fellow volunteers. 

You’ll have the opportunity to influence our campaigns and make a difference with your ideas. We’ll work with you to ensure you’re developing skills to enhance your CV and portfolio. 

Trustees required – Evolve Counselling CIO (1181861) 

• Location: remote/Cambridgeshire area 

• Voluntary role: reasonable expenses paid 

• Time commitment: 0-5 hours per month (estimated), mostly outside office hours 

• Term: negotiable, e.g. interim/three years/extendable by re-election 

• Application closing date: 7 July 2025 

The Role: 

Dynamic Trustees needed, with charity and commercial skills, to support mental health CIO. With an ambitious development programme up and running, we need to expand our Trustee Board. This is an exciting opportunity to join us at a crucial time of growing demand for our services. 

About Us: 

Evolve Counselling is a long-established charitable social enterprise, providing low cost, affordable or funded mental health counselling to adults in mainly Cambridgeshire and surrounding counties. Our counselling community is made up of 50 – 60 qualified self-employed practitioners, working part-time. We deliver talking therapies to adults – online and in person. Our service delivers around 500 counselling sessions per month to a broad range of individuals, many of whom would not otherwise be able to access counselling support. Evolve also provides supervision, reflective practice, critical incident support, and mental health awareness and related training, to organisations and businesses large and small. 

What We’re Looking For: 

Our Trustee Board is currently drawn from the counselling and therapies community, plus commercial and other charity backgrounds. Now, with crucial development of the CIO ahead, we are looking for new members to expand the Board to its maximum ten places and to gain skills and insight from an equal, diverse and inclusive group that takes in business skills, knowledge of charities, and experience of not-for-profit finances to make growth plans a reality. 

The Board will keep us on track with good governance through oversight of our work and will also help our keen new CEO to secure a sound financial base from which to grow our operations to meet the ever-increasing demand for our services. 

We welcome applications from individuals with backgrounds in any of the following areas: 

• Business strategy and planning 
• Commerce/industry 
• Governance 
• Working within the charity/CIO sector 
• Financial management 
• Legal expertise 
• Health and wellbeing services 
• Mental health counselling 
• Health service commissioning or delivery planning 
• Advocacy or advice services 
• Data protection/GDPR knowledge 
• Adherence to the Nolan Principles of Public Life 

Application process: Please email with your CV and letter of application, stating why you’d like to become a Trustee at Evolve Counselling and how your skills and experience align with our plans for growth. 

We seek a Chairperson to head our Board at Evolve Counselling who will guide our strategic direction in the provision of lowest cost mental health counselling for individuals and businesses. 

Location: Cambridgeshire area of operations. Chair can be fully remote. 

Voluntary: Reasonable expenses paid 

Commitment: Initial term of 1 -3 years. Flexible hours per month 

Closing date: Wednesday 2nd July 2025

Overview 

For over 40 years Evolve Counselling has provided lowest-cost professional mental health counselling for adults in Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Northamptonshire and beyond, through the skill and dedication of our team of 60+ BACP-registered counsellors.

The role 

We are looking for a new Chair who understands the growing demand for our services and the challenges of competing as a medium sized charitable business at this time. We shall look to our new Chair to build trust and engagement with our CEO, the Trustee Board, our volunteers, and supporters, as we capitalise on great recent work to stabilise and find new opportunities for significant growth. 

The new chairperson will ideally bring health and wellbeing experience and commercial skills, as well as a demonstrable empathy for charitable working and commitment to the Nolan Principles of public life. 

The role of the Chair is hugely rewarding and the scope under the leadership of the current CEO for Evolve to grow and innovate is significant. You will have significant senior leadership experience to drawn upon as you take ultimate responsibility for directing and inspiring the Trustees, making sure we are financially sustainable, and well run for our clients. Our ethos is to look upwards and outwards as we strive for a leading position in mental health services for all, and your commercial acumen, professional contacts, and powers of persuasion in business will be a huge support for our ambitions. 

Including quarterly board meetings, committee sessions (at present virtual), a face-to-face AGM event, plus away days, and regular meetings with our CEO and the trustees, we anticipate a flexible time commitment of around 2 - 5 days per month. 

For further information or an informal discussion on the role, please contact Kevin Bottrell.

Application process: Expressions of interest in the first instance by email to our CEO Gordon Ackroyd.

Could you be a trustee for Avenues?

Avenues Group is a specialist provider of adult social care, supporting people with complex needs to enjoy life. We always want to do things better, and as part of our development we are now looking for new trustees.

Our trustee group has to reflect the diversity of the people we support and the communities in which we work, and we welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds.

We would particularly like to hear from people with lived experience of disability, encouraging people who are accessing support services, and neurodivergent people.

Do you have experience in any of the following?

• Care Sector Financial Experience to join our Board and Finance Committee
• Health and Social Care Experience (outside Avenues) to join our Board and one committee (to be decided).
• People management and organisational development to join our Board and the People, Culture and Reward Committee
• Risk Management (specialising in a quality, compliance and regulatory environment) to join our Board and our Audit and Risk Committee.

If so, we'd like to meet you, apply today and to find out more about us and the role please download the attached trustee pack and role profile. 

Still unsure if this role is for you? We are happy to offer an informal chat with our Head of Governance so feel free to contact us and we can organise this.

Why join us?

You’ll be part of an organisation that instils its values at all levels of the business, ensuring the people we support are at the forefront of our decisions.

Our people love working here, and most trustees stay for many years, becoming as passionate as we are.

This opportunity will be useful for anyone wanting to learn more about being a trustee, full training and support will be provided, and wishing to develop a more rounded skill set. It can also be a fantastic opportunity for someone with many years of experience to share their skills.

As part of our recruitment process, the successful candidates will meet and be interviewed by different stakeholders including people we support and Chairs of Committees as well as our CEO, current Group Boards Chair and other trustees of the board.

Interviews are planned week commencing w/c 18th August and w/c 25th August (subject to any changes due to availability of stakeholders).

We will process your data in line with our privacy policy. To find out more read the Privacy Notice on our website. We want you to have control over your data. You can contact us at any time to request or change the data that we hold about you or even if you just have a question relating to the data, we hold about you.

Are you passionate about creating a culture of welcome for refugees in the UK? Do you have extensive experience in the governance of a charity or public sector organisation? This could be the perfect role for you! 

STAR is a dynamic and exciting national charity which makes a huge impact on a small budget. We are looking for our new Co-Chair of Trustees. We are looking for individuals who are passionate about creating a culture of welcome in the UK for refugees ,who believes in the power of young people as changemakers and who wants to empower refugees to reach higher education to join our board of trustees. 

 The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in the governance of a charity or public sector organisation and be able to commit to at least 2 years in the role.

We are in particular looking for applicants who: 

• Have lived experience 
• Have HR experience 
• Have campaigns experience, in particular hybrid campaigning.
• Have charitable fundraising experience. 

 Applications from persons with lived refugee experience are highly encouraged. 

Role Description

To provide strategic oversight of:

• STAR’s compliance with its Articles of Association, policies, and law; 
• STAR’s compliance with all funding conditions and contracts;
• Whether STAR is best using its resources to meet its objectives; 
• The effective and efficient administration of STAR;
• Monitoring and reporting of financial information; 
• STAR’s funding and expenditure situation; and
• Implementation of STAR’s Equal Opportunities Policy and Safeguarding Policy in employment and service delivery.

Also to:

• Contribute actively to STAR by giving strategic direction and evaluating performance against targets
• Attend and prepare for board meetings
• Appoint board members and officers via the procedures in this policy
• Approve accounts
• Ensure that STAR and the board safeguard STAR’s values and reputation
• Provide any other assistance the board or STAR may require, as appropriate, particularly utilising any specialist skills or experience they may have.

Specific responsibilities of the Co- Chair

• Ensure the proper management of board meetings, including setting agendas in consultation with the Director, chairing meetings, facilitating discussions and decision;
• Oversee the administration and coordination of any sub-committees; 
• Monitor implementation of board and sub-committee decisions;
• Take "Chair’s action" between meetings, where an immediate decision is required;
• Serve as line-manager to the Director, and conduct regular planned supervision and appraisal;
• Represent Board as required to the public or external parties such as funders and government; and
• Keep other officers fully informed so that they can deputise if necessary
• Working alongside and in collaboration with the other STAR trustee co-chair, sharing responsibilities and ensuring excellent communicative shared working.

Person Specification 

Essential 

• Experience of governance of a charity or public sector organisation
• A commitment to STAR’s values
• An awareness of issues affecting both STAR and the wider refugee sector, the ever shifting landscape of refugee policy and media coverage, or a willingness to learn and stay abreast of these current topics and new developments. 
• A willingness to devote the necessary time and effort to prepare for and attend regular STAR meetings for at least 2 years
• Integrity and good independent judgement
• Strategic vision and an ability to stay focused on strategic objectives
• Willingness to take part in STAR discussions, contribute constructively and listen to others
• Understanding and acceptance of the legal duties and liabilities of trustees of a charitable company
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• A commitment to the principles of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, as well as an understanding and acceptance of the Equal Opportunities Policy
• Willingness to undertake training required to allow them to fulfil their duties.

Desirable 

Five years experience in one or more of:

• Working with people seeking asylum and refugees;
• Other work with the asylum/refugee/migrant sector;
• Charitable fundraising;
• Voluntary sector issues, such as trends for charities and partnership/network formation;
• Organisational development, growth or change;
• Human resources;
• Financial management/accountancy;
• IT;
• Negotiations;
• Marketing and public relations;
• Lobbying, advocacy and campaigning regarding social justice or social policy;
• Management and administration of a charity, for example as a director or trustee;
• Campaigning;
• Social Media/ Communications 

About Student Action for Refugees

STAR (Student Action for Refugees) is the national network of students building a society where refugees and asylum seekers are welcomed and can thrive. 

Set up by students at Nottingham University in 1994, STAR is creating a more understanding, just and welcoming society by: 

• empowering young people to be changemakers; 
• providing practical support and connecting local communities through volunteering and student volunteer led community projects; 
• challenging the structural barriers that refugees and asylum seekers face when seeking protection and building new lives in the UK; 
• Sharing trusted information about asylum and the lived experience of refugees to combat misinformation, hostile narratives and instead spread compassion and humanisation 

We have a small staff team who train and support the network and lead on national campaign and advocacy work, with expertise in improving access to higher education for forced migrants.

Here are just some of our highlights from last year:

• 37  STAR university student society groups, across 28  towns and cities, run by 222 STAR student leaders. 
• 262 events were organised by STAR groups to educate, campaign, and fundraise for a more welcoming UK, from art exhibitions to cookery classes and film nights.
• 1,280 refugees and people seeking asylum were supported by 413 volunteers  through 28 community projects and 25 one off volunteering events. 
• 100s of students mobilised to support calls for better treatment of refugees in the UK including standing against detention, for a fairer plan for refugees and to lift the ban on work.
• 88 UK universities now offer sanctuary scholarships for refugee students. The STAR staff team was involved in the development of many of these new scholarships and the improvement of  existing scholarships. We also ran workshops for hundreds of  university staff. 
• 15 STAR groups campaigned for Equal Access at their institutions and 4 won!
• 65 aspiring refugee students were supported by our mentoring project and we provided signposting and advice about accessing HE to over 470 people.

If you would like an informal chat before applying, please get in touch.

Deadline for applications: 11th July 2025

Interviews: Rolling