Health safety volunteer volunteer roles

About WAST

We are a grassroots organisation led-by and for women seeking asylum in Greater Manchester. We campaign for social justice and women's rights through a peer-led support model that helps women find their place in the UK. Women seeking asylum continue to live in a hostile environment where they often feel vulnerable and isolated. WAST (Women Asylum Seekers Together) seeks to combat this by offering a safe space where women can be heard, build confidence, and develop new skills.

The Roles

Due to the retirement of three long-standing trustees, we are recruiting four women to join our diverse Board of Trustees and help us deliver projects that the women themselves have identified as priorities.

One of these positions is for a Treasurer, who will support the Board in overseeing the charity’s finances, ensuring strong financial management and sustainability.

We are also particularly interested in recruiting more Trustees with lived experience of the asylum system, or the immigration system. WAST’s Chair and Honorary Chair have lived experience, and we would very much value more women with lived experience on our board. 

The current Board have a diverse range of skills. We particularly welcome applications from women with experience of campaigning, fundraising or human resources. However, this should not put off any potential applicants who may bring other qualities to the Board.

If you feel that you have the energy and time to contribute and are committed to improving the lives of women seeking asylum, we would love to hear from you.

Please see the Recruitment Pack and Role Description for further information. If you have any questions or would like to arrange an informal chat about the role please contact the email given in the Recruitment Pack.

Please note: This is a voluntary position. This role is also open to women only, as permitted under Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010, in line with WAST’s commitment to providing programmes and initiatives led by and for women seeking asylum.

​Who are Governors for Schools?

Governors for Schools operates across England and Wales to improve educational standards and ensure all children and young people have the chance to realise their full potential.

We believe the key to improving school performance is effective governance. By finding, nurturing and supporting a committed network of governors, we drive positive systematic change that benefits each and every student, regardless of their background.

Governors for Schools recruits and matches volunteers with school governing boards and provides ongoing support.

What’s involved?

There are governor vacancies across England and Wales. Some schools are also looking for remote governors who don't need to live near the school they support.

Governors volunteer at board level to set the strategic vision for their school. This involves constructively challenging current processes, using your unique skills to support senior leaders, and overseeing school finances. You’ll be involved in areas such as monitoring, budget management, and data analysis. As well as putting your expertise to good use, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your professional skills. Ultimately, you’ll work towards facilitating the delivery of a broad and exciting curriculum and oversee wellbeing and inclusion initiatives. Governance represents a fantastic opportunity to develop yourself while making a real impact on the education of children and young people.

Governors work collaboratively with the headteacher and other members of the board, including parents and school staff. In most schools, full board meetings are held termly, as are committee meetings. Many governors will sit on a committee linked to their expertise or interests, such as teaching and learning or finance and resources. In addition to attending meetings, governors will need to read the papers in advance, complete training courses, and occasionally visit their school.

Governors usually support schools for a period of four years and with an estimated time commitment of 7 hours per month. During these hours, you will attend meetings, read papers, attend training sessions, and make occasional visits to school.

Who can be a governor?

The most important part of being a governor is the ability to ask questions, provide support and have the best interests of the school at heart. You don't have to be a parent or have experience in education to become a governor. Schools seek a  wide range of skills to support the board, including finance, HR, and data analysis.

Boards also need governors with a diversity of backgrounds and lived experiences to ensure a range of perspectives are considered during board meetings.

Schools welcome professional experience, as well as community insight and experience of working collaboratively.

You need to be aged 18 or above and there are certain criminal convictions that would exclude you from the role. A Disclosure and Barring Service check will be carried out by the school.

What’s the process?

You can find out more about the school governor role by attending one of our recruitment webinars.

You can complete your online profile on the website, including your motivation to take on the role, your skills and your school preferences. Your regional Partnership Manager will then look at vacancies that match your requirements. Once a school is identified, you will have the opportunity to discuss the role with them in more detail, visit the school, and observe a meeting. If appointed, a DBS check will take place and, in some cases, the school will seek references.

Ongoing support

Governors for Schools isn’t just a matching service. We want to help you thrive in your role through bespoke and ongoing support. We provide eLearning and monthly webinars covering a variety of topics to increase your knowledge of the education sector and governance. You’ll also have access to The Key for School Governors, an information hub designed to show new governors the ropes and offer a useful point of reference for existing governors.

Connect: North Korea works with North Korean escapees to recover, rebuild, and succeed. We were established in 2018 to address the complex challenges North Koreans face in building new lives after escaping the North Korean regime and reaching safety.

We are seeking a Legal Trustee to join our Board of Trustees at an exciting stage of growth. As we scale our programmes and deepen our impact in the UK and internationally, we are looking for an individual with strong legal expertise to support our governance, regulatory compliance, and strategic development.

If you have a legal background, this is an excellent opportunity to play a highly rewarding role in supporting our mission. The successful candidate will help ensure robust governance, provide legal insight on risk and compliance, and support the organisation to grow sustainably. Individuals are sought who have a strong empathy with our work and vision and share our values and commitment to social and racial justice. 

CNK’s small Board of Trustees is committed, friendly and comprises trustees from a broad range of professional and personal backgrounds at different points in their careers. If you are invested in CNK’s mission and from a legal background but have questions about the role or are unsure if your experience matches the criteria below, please do get in touch for an informal conversation.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

POSITION: Legal Trustee

LOCATION: Remote / 78 Coombe Road, New Malden, KT3 4QS

We usually hold board meetings online, but this is open to change.

COMMITMENT: 2 – 3 hours per month. We hold one annual away day we’d expect the board to attend.

Our Board meets every quarter for 2 hours. There is expected support between meetings. Our terms are capped at 3 years with potential for renewal for one additional term.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Contribute to good governance and strategic decision-making, ensuring the Board fulfils its responsibilities in line with our constitution, governance framework, and applicable legislation.

• Provide legal insight and oversight on regulatory compliance, risk, and organisational development, ensuring alignment with relevant legal frameworks

• Support the Board in maintaining high standards of governance, accountability, and transparency

• Use your networks and influence to promote the charity’s mission, acting as an ambassador to build relationships with donors, partners, and advocates.

• Work collaboratively with fellow trustees and the Chair to maintain a supportive, ambitious, and effective governance environment.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS

• Demonstrable experience in a legal role (e.g. solicitor, barrister, in-house counsel).

• Understanding of legal and regulatory frameworks relevant to charities

• Interpersonal and relationship-building skills and comfortable in an ambassadorial role.

• Demonstrable communication and teamwork skills with proven ability to foster and promote a collaborative team environment.

• Able to make difficult evidence-based decisions, negotiate challenging conversations, and be able to balance competing interests

• Experience working or volunteering in diverse and cross-cultural environments.

DESIRED EXPERIENCE

• Experience of charity law, regulatory compliance, or governance

• Lived experience of migration or of a refugee background is highly desirable.

• Korean speaker

• Be actively engaged in refugee and migrant rights, social change, and/or a related field

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Due to the nature of CNK’s work with people in vulnerable circumstances, including at times children, a DBS or criminal record check is required for this role, although a criminal record is not necessarily a barrier to working at CNK. 

• Candidates are required to commit a minimum of 2-3 hours per month to this role for at least one term of three years. 

• Charity trustee positions are unpaid voluntary roles. Any reasonable expenses will be reimbursed inline with CNK’s expenses policy. 

CNK’s values are rooted in inclusivity and equity and we encourage applications from people of all ethnicities, working ages, genders, sex, sexual orientations, faiths (or non), marital status (or non) and pregnancy status. People with refugee or asylum-seeking backgrounds are experts by experience and are particularly encouraged to apply. 

We also respect that people’s identity is not defined by their past experiences and do not expect candidates to describe their lived experience during the interview process unless they wish to. 

HOW TO APPLY

Please send a CV and cover letter for the attention of Emma Shore, Chair of the Board of Trustees. Interviews will take place on a rolling basis.