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Chair of the Board of Trustees
the eikon charity

Job Description

Eikon is seeking to recruit a new Chair of Trustees.

Eikon is Surrey’s largest youth services charity with an annual income of almost £2m and has been working in the local community for almost two decades, providing preventative and long-term support to some of the county’s most vulnerable young people and their families. Through establishing inspirational relationships between the young person and their adult professional, our vision is to develop happy, thriving and resilient young adults who contribute positively to society. This year Eikon will have a direct and indirect impact on approx. 30,000 young people.

Eikon has strategic partnerships with Surrey County Council, NHS Trusts, schools and other charities, and works directly with young people, training teachers and supporting parents. Eikon has buses in community hotspots across Surrey, sports projects in many Surrey boroughs and runs 11 youth clubs.

Eikon is about to launch a new 5-year strategy, which builds on it many strengths and outlines its aims for the future. At the heart of this strategy is a deeply held commitment to support the alarming numbers of young people who are living in damaging, often tragic circumstances. The two strategic aims are (i) Thriving and resilient young people, and (ii) Improved environments (family, community, social care and education) for young people.

The Chair has five principal responsibilities:

· Strategic Leadership - Providing leadership to the Charity and its Board, ensuring the Charity has maximum impact for its beneficiaries, operates within its charitable purposes, has a clear strategic direction, robust fundraising strategy and regularly reviews major risks.

· Governance - Ensure that the Charity’s governance arrangements work in the most effective way and within all agreed Policies, and that the Board of Trustees process is robust and refreshed, as appropriate.

· External Relations - Act as an ambassador and spokesperson for the cause and the Charity, and represent the Charity at external functions, meetings and events.

· Efficiency and Effectiveness - Chair meetings of the Board of Trustees effectively and efficiently, bringing impartiality and objectivity to the decision-making process whilst ensuring that decisions are taken in the best, long-term interests of the Charity.

· Relationship with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) - Establish and build a strong, effective and supportive working relationship with the CEO, ensuring that he/she is held to account for achieving agreed Strategic and Business Plan objectives, appraised annually and given the opportunity for professional development.

The successful candidate will have:

· Personal Qualities - Demonstrate a strong and visible passion and commitment to the Charity, exhibit strong inter-personal and relationship building abilities, be comfortable in an ambassadorial role, demonstrate tact and diplomacy with the ability to foster and promote a collaborative team environment and an ability to be a ‘thought leader’, articulate and discuss related ‘bigger picture’ concepts.

· Experience - Significant experience of (i) operating at a senior strategic leadership level within an organization, (ii) charity governance, chairing meetings/events and working with or as part of a Board of Trustees, (iii) external representation and working with external stakeholders, and (iv) preferably working with young people.

· Knowledge and Skills - Broad knowledge and understanding of the Civil Society sector and the public sector (eg local government and/or NHS), strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and bring people together, financial management expertise and a good understanding of charity governance issues.

Hours and Role: Approx. one day per week on average, not evenly distributed (busier in the spring and autumn).  Five evening Board meetings, a Board awayday, plus teleconferences and approx. five committee meetings each year, regular meetings and phone calls with the Chief Executive, liaison with individual Trustees and senior staff.

Location: Eikon Offices, New Haw, Surrey

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 23th April 2019

The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.