Treasurer for the Board of Trustees

About the Minster Centre

The Minster Centre is is a registered charity that provides training in psychotherapy and counselling and an affordable therapy service. It is approaching its 50th anniversary and was founded in 1978 as the first Integrative psychotherapy and counselling training in the UK.  Now based in Queens Park, NW London, it runs  training ranging from open access introductory courses to post-graduate degrees and  provides a safe and affordable counselling service to people over the age of 18 who are experiencing a range of difficulties. The Centre is seeking a Treasurer to join  its lively and diverse Board of Trustees. This is a voluntary role.

The Treasurer role

As well as fulfilling the duties of a Trustee, the Treasurer maintains an overview of The Minster Centre’s financial affairs. The Treasurer ensures that effective and appropriate financial measures, controls and procedures are in place and reports to the Board at regular intervals about the financial health of the organisation. The Treasurer will work closely with the Head of Finance, the Chair and the Management Committee.

Key responsibilities

• Ensuring  the presentation of budgets, internal management accounts and annual financial statements to the Board of Trustees.
• Ensuring that proper accounting records are kept, and that appropriate accounting procedures and controls are in place.
• Ensuring that robust and comprehensive financial policies are in place and being implemented, and supporting the development of policies covering financial reserves, and cost management.
• Monitoring and advising the Board on the financial viability of the charity.
• Overseeing financial controls and adherence to systems, regularly liaising with the Head of Finance.
• Advising on the financial implications of the charity’s strategic plan, including overseeing the charity’s financial risk-management process
• Ensuring investments and assets are maximised.
• Leading  on the appointment of and liaison with external auditors.
• Overseeing  the development and implementation of systems for appraising, mitigating and reporting corporate risk.
• Ensuring that the accounts are prepared and disclosed in the form required by relevant statutory bodies; the Charity Commission, Companies House and the Office for Students.
• Keeping the board informed about its financial duties and responsibilities and liaising with the Chair, Head of Finance and the Management Committee  to develop the financial understanding of the Board of Trustees.

More information about the role of Honorary Treasurers can be downloaded from  The Voluntary Treasurers Association  

In addition to the above, the Treasurer will also have the responsibilities and qualities of all trustees.

The Trustee Role

The Board of Trustees provides strategic leadership and oversight for the Centre as it seeks to fulfil its charitable objects, ensuring it operates in accordance with its governing document and meets its legal and regulatory requirements.

The Board of Trustees meets six times a year (January, April, June, July (full day), September and November) and are online aside from the full day meeting which is normally in person. Additional work on specialist working groups or committees is also undertaken, depending on Trustees’ personal interests, experience and availability. Trustees normally serve for a term of three years in the first instance but can stand for re-election up to a maximum of nine years.

Under the provisions of our governing document the Board can consist of a minimum of 7 trustees and a maximum of 14.  The Board is made up of:

• Up to 11 independent Trustees (elected by Minster Centre Members (alumni and psychotherapists who maintain their UKCP registration through the Centre)
• a member of staff elected by the staff
• a student, on a course at The Minster Centre extending over more than one year, elected by students attending a course extending over more than one year
• the Director

A list of current members of the Board of Trustees can be found on our website.

Qualities needed

We are seeking Trustees who are enthusiastic about The Minster Centre’s work and values, who understand the distinction between management and governance and can operate as an effective trustee across the range of subject matters that will be considered by the Board.

For the role of Treasurer we are seeking:

• A finance professional - Qualified accountant with Membership of a professional accountancy organisation. A knowledge of charity finance is an advantage, otherwise an enthusiasm to learn, drawing from sound commercial experience and an understanding of SMEs.
• A strategic thinker with an ability to balance risk and opportunity.
• A clear communicator with the ability to bring the financial information alive to non-finance specialists.
• Willing to play an active role in areas such as forecasting, setting budgets, liaising with auditors
• Able to provide effective support and challenge to the management team and other Trustees
• Experience of fundraising and finance practices in the charitable or voluntary sector (including understanding of charity SORP) would be an advantage
• Commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership

The Centre has a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. Trustees will be expected to share this commitment, and the Board would like this to be more fully represented in its composition. We would particularly welcome applications from people from global majority communities, the LGBTQI+ community, care leavers, people with disabilities and people from other underrepresented groups in the profession.

Our full Treasurer Pack is linked below and provides further information for applicants.

The application process

To apply, please submit your CV and a statement outlining why you wish to be a Treasurer and your suitability for the role (maximum two sides of A4). Please submit your documents to the HR & Governance Manager, Afua Pierre by email 

Closing date: Friday 11th July 2025

Interviews: Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed (remotely in the first instance) by the Chair and another member of the Board. The appointment will be made subject to two satisfactory references and confirmation from the whole Board.

Start of appointment: September 2025

Trustees will need to declare any conflicts of interest and not be disqualified from serving as a charity trustee. Reasons for disqualification include being bankrupt or having an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA), having an unspent conviction for certain offences (including any that involve dishonesty or deception), and being on the sex offenders’ register.  For further information see here