Chair of the Board of Trustees

Role Description and Person Specification

Role description

Location:                  Kenburgh House, 28 Manor Row, Bradford, BD1 4QU

Remuneration:         Unpaid, expenses covered in line with policy

Over the past 3 years, the current Chair, Ruth Mulryne, has provided strategic guidance to CEO Helen Davey and the Board to ensure that Bradford District and Craven Mind is a strong and thriving organisation.  With the new four-year strategy agreed, now is a good time to hand over the reins to a passionate successor with the skills and appetite to guide the charity through its next phase of growth.

Overall purpose of the role

The Chair and CEO in a voluntary organisation are the top team who need to have a shared vision and shared objectives.  The Chair provides strategic direction, guidance and support to the CEO, who is responsible for advising the Board and for the day to day running of the organisation.

Overall purpose of the role

The Chair and CEO in a voluntary organisation are the top team who need to have a shared vision and shared objectives.  The Chair provides strategic direction, guidance and support to the CEO, who is responsible for advising the Board and for the day to day running of the organisation.

Key responsibilities of the Chair:

• Provide purposeful leadership - creating a strong and sustained connection to purpose, steering strategy development and leading the Board.
• Be a constructive partner to the CEO - building a trusting, cohesive relationship as the ‘top leadership team’, providing advice, challenge and support to architect and orchestrate the progression of the organisation.
• Develop a highly effective Board – creating the environment for a high performing team, evaluating and facilitating improvement of individual and collective capability and performance.
• Facilitate and sustain good governance - ensuring delivery of the organisation's purpose in line with its governing document, ensuring appropriate allocation of resources, decision-making and accountability.
• Influence and collaborate with stakeholders - understanding the environment and systems that the organisation operates within and collaborating with others to collectively achieve the biggest positive impact.

Person specification

The successful candidate will be somebody who…

• is personally motivated to make a positive difference to others,
• is a strategic thinker who can see the big picture and navigate complex and contentious issues,
• is able to engage and collaborate effectively with people at all levels from different backgrounds and organisations,
• is progressive and innovative, capable of stimulating, challenging and influencing others to contemplate and consider different solutions,
• is able to facilitate others and develop effective team working, with experience of planning, preparing and chairing meetings at senior levels,
• is experienced in financial, people and/or operational management,
• is well organised and willing to devote time to the organisation,
• understands the role of societal inequalities in mental health and has a commitment to challenging these inequalities.

Desirable

• Has experience of working as part of a Board or leading a Board Experience of working within or in partnership with the Voluntary, Community and Social  Sector 
• An understanding of financial issues and legislations applicable to charities
• Experience of the health commissioning environment in our region
• Knowledge/experience of mental health provision in the UK
• Knowledge/experience of developing cross-sector partnerships & collaborations
• An understanding of the current and changing Health & Social Care landscape in the UK

Bradford District and Craven Mind is fully committed to equality of opportunity and diversity to ensure that we reflect the full breadth of the people we aim to support.

The Board of Trustees embraces diversity in the broadest sense of the word and recognises the value of a diverse board composed of people with the relevant blend of differing skills, experience, perspectives and characteristics.

The Board believes that effective leadership and good decision-making is enabled through a diverse board membership, a culture of listening to, and acting on, diverse perspectives and, having board behaviours that embody respect, openness and constructive challenge.

We warmly welcome applications from all suitably-qualified candidates.

Time Commitment 

Completion of the Chair Induction programme and any ongoing Trustee training

• Attendance at up to four Board meetings per year, plus one Board development half-day.
• Additional engagement activities: two BDC Mind Engagement days per year, client engagement activities, opportunity to shadow one of our services once every year.
• The Chair should be available for regular meetings with the CEO and ad hoc conversations as and when needed.
• Pre-reading of all Board/Committee papers is essential.
• Attendance at adhoc virtual working groups, external events or meetings we need the Chair to attend.

Location of meetings

Meetings are held at Bradford District and Craven Mind, Kenburgh House, 28 Manor Row, Bradford, BD1 4QU

Terms

Trustees serve an initial 3-year term and are eligible for re-appointment for two additional terms of 3 years.