Job Description

The Shannon Trust is the leading charity unlocking the power of reading for people in prison across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  Our vision is to see everyone reap the benefits of learning to read and our work across the prison estate has evolved in response to the COVID19 pandemic.  Some 50% of prisoners have difficulty with reading and our Turning Pages phonics programme is a proven method of addressing this, adapting recently as prison regimes have necessarily changed. 

Building on recent developments, we now have plans to further transform what we do.  We are piloting work in the community, taking careful steps to harness digital technology in service of our work and are exploring how we can scale our impact.  We are also keen to develop further a culture of high performance and innovation, as we work with others to enhance the basic skills and employability of those caught up the criminal justice system.

We are now looking for three new trustees and would like to hear from candidates who share our passion and vision, and who can bring both energy and expertise to our Board. As a Shannon Trust trustee, you will be taking on an important role at the charity, helping to set our strategic vision; overseeing governance and operations; and acting as an ambassador for our work.

A recent audit of existing trustee skills – in the light of our emerging strategy for 2022-2025 – has demonstrated that there are specific skill sets that would enhance the effectiveness of the board.  Consequently, we are looking to recruit trustees who can demonstrate expertise in the areas of;

• Adult education and basic skills
• Digital development
• Leadership and scaling of small to medium sized enterprises

Shannon Trust welcomes applicants from all communities, backgrounds and locations in order that we may reflect the diverse nature of the people benefitting from our work. We particularly encourage women and people from black and minority ethnic communities to apply for these roles, as these groups are underrepresented at board level.

Trustees are appointed for an initial term of three years, followed by up to two further terms of up to three years. Roles are unremunerated, but reasonable expenses are reimbursed.