Vacancy - Trustee with Legal Expertise
We are looking for a Trustee with legal expertise.
About us
Step Together Volunteering helps people who are excluded from society to participate in volunteering and build a more positive future. Through building stronger community connections and the development of skills, the people we support are empowered to develop personal agency and overcome the barriers they face. Established almost 30 years ago, we now reach around 800 people each year, and provide at least 250 of these with intensive 1-1 coaching support, helping them recognise their strengths and to access volunteering opportunities to help them move forwards with their lives.
We work with young people facing multiple disadvantage, members of the armed forces community and people with criminal convictions.
Our head office is Bristol, and our frontline staff are home-based in the regions they cover.
The CEO has been in post for 5 years and is supported by an Operations Manager who has been with the charity for over 2 years. Both have significant experience of the charity sector.
The charity benefits from a skilled and committed Board of Trustees, as part of our succession planning, we are looking for a Trustee with charity sector experience to join our Board.
About you
Your experience will ideally have been gained as a qualified lawyer (in any field, but those with knowledge and experience in employment law, company or charity law preferred). Good networks within the Bristol area would be advantageous. You will be knowledgeable about the legal environment that charities operate in, including governance best practice, and be comfortable working at Board level, contributing to discussion and enhancing decision-making. Ability to work at a strategic level is essential. We are looking for someone passionate about the work we do, who is happy to advocate for and represent the charity to key stakeholders to help further our work and impact.
About the role
• Provide legal expertise and support to the rest of the Board and senior staff to ensure the charity complies with its duties and obligations.
• Ensure there are robust policies and procedures in place for legal and regulatory compliance.
• Help to identify opportunities for the charity to grow its reach and impact, leveraging support from networks where possible.
• Liaise with senior staff on ad hoc legal matters to provide support and advice.
• Advise on legal implications of any plans or strategies to aid good decision-making.
All trustees remain jointly and severally responsible for the administration of the charity. Trustees are appointed for a term of 3 years, with the option to serve 2 further terms of 3 years (a maximum of 9 years). There is an expectation that Trustees will commit to a minimum of 3 years.
Commitment
4 Board meetings per year (usually held in London or Bristol, occasionally virtual). One of these meetings includes the AGM. Trustees are also invited to join an annual staff conference, usually held in Bristol in the autumn. In addition the Board may establish task-focused committees which meet as required.