Job Description

Become a trustee of Governors for Schools to improve education in England

Governors for Schools (GfS) is an education charity (Charity no. 1078330) that connects skilled and committed professionals with schools and academies who need governors and trustees. We exist to improve education outcomes for England’s children, and we know that a critical part of strong school performance is highly effective governance. By finding, nurturing and supporting a diverse and talented network of governors, we help to drive systematic change in how schools are run. We have placed over 10,000 governors in the last 5 years. Further Information about our team, trustees, partners and supporters, along with our latest impact report can be found on our website. 

Who we are looking for

We are looking for 2 or 3 new trustees to join the board after two long-standing trustees stepped down in 2018. Trustees are not involved in running the day to day operations, but may become involved in specific projects or aspects of the charity’s work.

We would like our new trustees to bring strong commercial experience, in particular in PR & Marketing. Fundraising is another skill we are looking for. We are also looking for one or more of these trustees to be based in the Northern Powerhouse region, with strong regional business networks.

Diversity makes a board as effective as it can be, with different backgrounds and opinions providing debate, challenge and new perspectives. We would like to increase the diversity of trustees and therefore particularly welcome applications from women, people from ethnic minorities, younger people, and people with disabilities.

As well as looking at how your skills, experience and knowledge can support Governors for Schools’ ambition, we will also be looking for the following qualities:

• a commitment to the mission of Governors for Schools;

• an ability to meet the time requirement;

• integrity;

• strategic vision;

• good, independent judgement;

• an ability to think creatively;

• a willingness to speak your mind and an ability to respect other people’s opinions;

• an understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship;

• an ability to work effectively as a member of a team and to take decisions for the good of GfS. 

Trustees are appointed for a term of 3 years, and can be reappointed twice, to a maximum of 9 years. Each new trustee is appointed by a vote of the existing trustees during a board meeting.

Board meetings are held in London quarterly, generally April, July, October and February, usually 3 - 5pm on a weekday. There is a strategy / planning away day held annually.  You may be asked to get involved in specific projects or areas of the business to give advice or make introductions as appropriate.