Chair of Trustees - LHA London

The Organisation

LHA London is a charity providing affordable accommodation for students and young working people of limited means living, working and studying in London. Its purpose is to provide a stepping stone that enables young people to advance their careers and education, while meeting their reasonable needs and enhancing their wellbeing.

LHA London operates 14 hostels across Central London, providing nearly 2,000 bed spaces across Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Camden, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Islington. A team of around 85 staff and more than 200 volunteers provides accommodation and support services to residents.

LHA London has a clear vision: a London where no young person is held back by the cost of accommodation and everyone has the opportunity to belong, grow and build a future. Alongside its accommodation services, the charity is exploring opportunities to develop even more affordable accommodation for people on lower incomes, potentially beyond Zones 1 and 2 but within the M25.

With a strong sense of purpose, an established Board and a committed team, this is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of a charity making a tangible difference to the lives of young people in one of the world’s most challenging housing markets.

The Role

LHA London is seeking its next Chair of Trustees to provide strategic leadership to the Board and help guide the charity through its next phase of development.

The Chair will work closely with the CEO and senior leadership team to ensure that LHA London is effectively governed, remains focused on its charitable purpose and delivers sustainable social impact. They will lead a committed and energetic Board, fostering effective decision-making, constructive challenge and a culture of collaboration and inclusion.

This is a particularly interesting time to join LHA London. The successful Chair will have the opportunity to help shape the charity’s future direction, strengthen its social impact and explore how its accommodation services can continue to respond to the needs of young people in London.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead the Board in setting and reviewing LHA London’s long-term vision, mission and strategy.
• Ensure the Board focuses on matters of strategic importance and provides effective oversight.
• Facilitate robust discussion, constructive challenge and effective decision-making.
• Maintain a productive, supportive and appropriately challenging relationship with the CEO.
• Ensure high standards of governance, accountability, risk management and regulatory compliance.
• Lead Board development, trustee recruitment, succession planning and effectiveness.
• Champion LHA London’s charitable purpose, beneficiaries and social impact.
• Act as an ambassador for LHA London with key stakeholders, supporters, funders and partners.
• Support fundraising, partnership development and advocacy where appropriate.

The Person

We are looking for an experienced Board leader who brings:

• Previous experience as a Chair or Trustee, or significant senior leadership and Board-level experience.
• A strong understanding of governance principles and trustee responsibilities.
• Experience of setting organisational strategy and leading senior decision-making.
• The ability to work effectively with and supportively challenge executive leadership.
• Strong interpersonal, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• Strategic thinking, sound judgement, independence and integrity.
• A collaborative and inclusive leadership style.
• A genuine commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• A passion for LHA London’s mission and the needs of its beneficiaries.

Experience within the charity, public, health, education, community or social enterprise sectors would be desirable, as would experience of social impact, organisational growth or change, fundraising, stakeholder engagement or public advocacy.

We are looking for someone who can bring energy, curiosity and fresh perspective to the Board, while working collaboratively with fellow Trustees and the executive team. Above all, the successful candidate will be motivated by LHA London’s purpose and committed to helping ensure that young people are not held back by the cost of accommodation.

LHA London is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and to creating a genuinely inclusive organisation. We particularly welcome applications from people currently under-represented on Boards, including women, people from the LGBT+ community, people with disabilities and people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.