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NEW TRUSTEES AND TREASURER WANTED FOR AGE UK MERTON BOARD

Age UK Merton is an independent charity operating within the national Age UK network. We provide services for older adults in the London Borough of Merton in south-west London. Our role is to ensure that older adults can easily access the support, services and care they need and to help older adults to live active and fulfilling lives. Our comprehensive services are specifically designed to support older people and reach around 3,000 Merton residents a year.

Age UK Merton has a strong and diverse Board comprising a group of Trustees from a wide variety of backgrounds. We are looking to recruit at least one new Trustee and a new Treasurer to join the Board at the AGM in November 2026, when our current Treasurer is due to step down.

Person specification – Trustee

Essential

· Commitment to Age UK Merton and our values

· Willingness and ability to devote the necessary time and effort to the role

· Strategic vision

· Experience of operating at Board or senior level professionally

· Good independent judgment

· Good interpersonal skills

· Ability to think creatively

· Understanding of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of Trusteeship

· Ability to work effectively as a member of a team

· Ability to use and access IT, including Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams and SharePoint

Desirable

· Experience of the adult social care or health sectors

· Experience of being a charity Trustee

· Understanding of Merton as a place

We are particularly looking for a new Trustee with experience of NHS primary care (either as a GP or as a practice manager) or with experience of NHS commissioning.

Person specification – Treasurer

In addition to the Trustee person specification, there are a number of specific requirements for the Treasurer role.

· Financial qualifications and experience. 

· A strong understanding of analysing management accounts and forecasting cash flow.

· A strong understanding of creating and monitoring budgets.

· Some experience of charity finance, fundraising and pension schemes. 

· The skills to analyse proposals and understand their financial consequences. 

· A willingness to be available to staff for advice and enquiries on an ad hoc basis.

Role description – Trustee

Trustees have a number of core duties, including ensuring the organisation complies with its governing document, charity law, company law, and relevant legislation; ensuring it pursues its objectives as defined in its governing document; actively contributing to Board discussions and giving strategic direction to the organisation; ensuring the financial stability of the organisation; and ensuring the effective and efficient administration of the organisation.

In addition, Trustees should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the Board to reach sound decisions, including by scrutinising Board papers, leading discussions, focusing on key issues and working on sub-committees and working groups.

Role description – Treasurer

The role of the Treasurer is to maintain an overview of Age UK Merton’s finances, ensuring financial viability and that proper financial record-keeping and procedures are maintained.

In addition to the duties of a Trustee, the duties of the Treasurer are: 

· Chairing the Finance Committee and reporting to the Board.

· Ensuring the financial resources of Age UK Merton meet its present and future needs. 

· Ensuring that Age UK Merton has appropriate reserves and investment policies. 

· Undertaking spot checks on payroll and online payments. 

· Ensuring that appropriate accounting procedures and controls are in place. 

· Advising on the financial implications of Age UK Merton’s strategic plans. 

· Ensuring that there is no conflict between any investment held and the aims and objects of Age UK Merton. 

· Monitoring Age UK Merton’s investment activity and ensuring its consistency with Age UK Merton’s policies and legal responsibilities. 

· Ensuring that accounts are prepared and disclosed in the form required by funders and the relevant statutory bodies, e.g. the charity commission and/or the registrar of companies. 

· Ensuring that accounts are scrutinised through the annual audit and any recommendations are implemented. 

· Keeping the Board informed about its financial duties and responsibilities. 

· Making a formal presentation of the accounts at the AGM and drawing attention to important points in a coherent and easily understandable way. 

Commitment required

Trustees have a significant responsibility within the organisation, so it is important that you can commit time to read and consider papers and reports, attend meetings and contribute to discussions and decision-making.

Trustees meet a minimum of six times a year, which usually includes four Board meetings, the AGM and an away day. Board meetings are held in the evening, with the AGM held in the afternoon and the away day held during a working day. We alternate between in-person and remote meetings. We also have sub-committees which meet several times a year, also in the evenings.

Trustees are expected to devote the necessary time to ensure they are fully prepared to actively participate in all meetings.

In addition to the above, the Treasurer would have a regular catch-up meeting with the Head of Finance.

To find out more and to apply

If you are interested in applying for either role, please apply with a CV (maximum 2-sides of A4) and cover letter (maximum 1-side of A4) for the attention of our Chair, Tobin Byers. If you would like to have an informal discussion about either of the roles with our Chair or Treasurer, please contact Tobin who would be pleased to facilitate this. There is no deadline, but interviews will be held on a rolling basis until a successful candidate is appointed.

The Organisation
Martin James Foundation (MJF) is a global network working towards one vision: a world where every child grows up in a safe and loving family. We support the transformation of child protection and alternative care systems, shifting away from institutional care and strengthening families and communities to keep children safe.
The unique composition of our Foundation brings together our Key Assets teams in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand and represents a network of over 1,000 foster care and child care practitioners. We combine this practical expertise with international advocacy and grant making through our MJF Global division to champion global care reform and support local organisations working to prevent family separation.

Structure
Our structure enables us to share and build on our collective experience, knowledge, practitioner skills, and proven best practice models as we continue to deliver innovative and quality services. Each organisation within the Martin James Foundation has its own strategy and mission of how it works towards our shared vision of a world in which children grow up and thrive in safe and loving families.
In addition, a set of shared strategic objectives enables us to achieve a greater combined impact. These objectives span a range of interventions that seek to support children, families and communities, as well as the structures and systems designed to protect them. Our work is informed and guided by the principles of the Guidelines of Alternative Care for Children, designed to enhance the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Role of the Martin James Foundation Board
The Board of Trustees has strategic oversight of the charity, ensuring that ambitious strategic goals are set and worked towards effectively. The Board of Trustees works in collaboration with the Executive team to make decisions on key issues, offering support and challenge on a range of matters. The Board of Trustees acts as a point of escalation for internal and external stakeholders, for example any complaints or grievances, in line with agreed processes. The Board of Trustees also has legal oversight of the charity, including responsibility for ensuring that statutory and reporting requirements to the Charity Commission are met.

Board Statement of Values and Decision Making
Board Members embrace the entrepreneurial ethos of the Martin James Foundation. The Board is keen to take innovative approaches to delivering the Foundation’s work and commits to working collaboratively and effectively, as a collective decision-making body, to ensure the success of the charity. In doing so, board members commit to upholding the seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

The Role of the Martin James Foundation Trustee
All Martin James Foundation Trustees contribute to the effective governance of the Foundation, through supporting the Board to make objective, long-term decisions on key issues in order to advance the charity’s mission and goals. Typically, such key issues will include: strategy, goal-setting, programme or project design, relationships with key stakeholders (e.g. government), public relations, finance, safeguarding, or any other legal matters. The Chair will hold the Board of Trustees and Executive Team to account for the Charity’s mission and vision, providing inclusive leadership to the Board of Trustees, ensuring that each trustee fulfils their duties and responsibilities for the effective governance of the charity. Each Trustee will support the Chair and Chief Executive and ensure that the Board functions as a unit and works closely with the entire Executive of the charity to achieve agreed objectives.

Person Specification
1. A strong and visible passion and commitment to Martin James Foundation, its strategic objectives, values and cause
2. Experience of operating at a senior strategic leadership level within an organisation
3. Experience of charity governance and working with or as part of a Board of Trustees. An understanding and experience of international issues and the challenges facing NGOs working internationally is desirable
4. Demonstrate tact and diplomacy, with the ability to listen and engage effectively
5. Ability to foster and promote a collaborative team environment
6. Ability to commit time to conduct the role well, including travel and attending events.
7. Desirable: Broad knowledge and understanding of children’s protection and social care and current issues affecting it.
8. Desirable: Lived experience of foster care or other family-based care.
9. Essential: Expertise in charity law and regulations gained through operating as a legal professional for Not-For-Profit / Charitable organisations.

Commitment and Conduct
The average time commitment is approximately 1 day per month, encompassing the following activities:
• Attendance at four quarterly Board meetings including review of all relevant papers and policies in advance of meetings. Meetings are held remotely with one in person annual general meeting. Papers for these meetings are circulated one week in advance. Meetings will focus on new projects, annual report and accounts, and other strategic decisions.
• Occasional exceptional Board meetings may be convened as required and are held by video call.
• Attendance at four quarterly Finance, Risk and Audit sub-committee meetings. Additional Board Committees are under consideration to which new Trustees would be invited to join in accordance with relevant skill sets.
• Meetings with executive leadership team members in relation to specific policies and projects, linking to relevant skills and specialisms brought by Trustees.
• Optional monthly meetings with the Chief Executive.

The Martin James Foundation strives to enable a diverse range of participation and contributions to the Board, and we welcome applications from all ages and backgrounds. People with lived experience of alternative care, and from people outside of the UK are encouraged to apply. All Board positions are voluntary, but reasonable expenses will be reimbursed, and any training costs will be fully covered.

New Trustees will be provided with a structured induction and ongoing training and one-to-one support as appropriate.
As part of the appointment process, all Board members are required to adhere to the Martin James Foundation Code of Conduct and complete the Declaration of Eligibility and Interest form. The content of the Declaration of Interest form may require you to withdraw from specific discussions where you, a partner or close relative stands to gain or where you are so close to a matter being discussed that it will be difficult for you to be impartial.