Job Description
Stand with autistic children and young people and join the board of Ambitious about Autism.
- Location: Remote / London
- Salary: Reasonable expenses paid
- Closing date: Monday 21st September
Who we are
Ambitious about Autism stands with autistic children and young people, championing their rights and creating opportunities across education, employment, health and community life. We educate and support hundreds of autistic children and young people directly and reach thousands more through our national programmes, employability initiatives, participation work and policy influence.
With our Ambitious Together strategy launching later this summer, we are entering an exciting new phase. Building on our strong foundations as a service delivery organisation, we are seeking to play a greater role in shaping the systems that affect autistic children and young people every day. To support our vision, we are looking for new Trustees to join our board at a defining moment.
As we begin an ambitious new strategy, we want people who will bring fresh insight, clear thinking and real commitment to the decisions that shape our future. This is a chance to put your experience to work where it matters most, in the lives of the children, young people and families we exist to serve.
How we are governed
The Ambitious about Autism’s Joint Group Board Committee oversees the work of the overall charity and academy trust, supported by a set of committees that give closer attention to particular areas of our work, including our Education and Care Committee.
Working alongside your fellow Trustees, our Chief Executive and executive team, you will help set our direction, hold us to account for the difference we make and make sure our governance is as strong as our ambition.
Who we are looking for
We are appointing three Trustees, each bringing something distinct to the board. What matters is your judgement, your values, commitment, and your willingness to support and to challenge in equal measure.
Trustee with clinical, academic or practice expertise in autism.
We are looking for someone with clinical, academic or practice expertise in autism at a senior leadership level.
You will bring specialist knowledge and insight to our board discussions, helping to ensure that our decisions are informed by evidence, emerging research and best practice across the sector. This could be experience from a clinical setting, or academia or in services. Your expertise will help us to challenge our thinking where appropriate and identify opportunities to strengthen our impact.
Trustee with lived experience of autism.
We want to appoint a Trustee with senior leadership experience and a passion and motivation for the work we do.
You will bring lived experience of autism, either directly as an autistic person or through a family member or loved one. We believe our board is stronger when it draws on a wide range of lives, backgrounds and perspectives and we are keen to hear from people whose experience reflects the people we work with and support, which helps us stay close to the young people and families at the heart of our work.
Trustee and Chair Designate of the Education and Care Committee.
Furthermore, we are looking for someone who will become Chair of our Education and Care Committee. We would like to hear from someone with strategic expertise in special educational needs and disabilities, perhaps gained within a local authority, education provider or elsewhere in the SEND system.
You will bring a deep understanding of specialist education and how young people with additional needs are best supported, and in time, you will take on the role of chairing our Education and Care Committee when our current Chair of the Committee comes to the end of their term.
For this particular role, we are looking for someone with board experience who can chair the committee.
What it involves.
Being a Trustee asks for around one to two days a month on average, depending on the month, across a termly cycle of board and committee meetings and an annual strategy day. This is inclusive of ad hoc conversations with fellow Trustees and our executive, occasional visits, and preparation time for meetings.
The Chair Designate of our Education and Care Committee will have additional involvement when they become the Chair of the Committee. For example, ad hoc meetings with our Director of Education and Care and involvement as and when Ofsted inspections occur.
It is a voluntary role and we will make sure you have the induction, support and information you need to contribute with confidence from the start.
Our commitment to you.
We know the best decisions are made by boards that reflect the people they serve. We particularly welcome applications from autistic people, parents/carers and people from backgrounds that are underrepresented on charity boards, such as those with Global Majority backgrounds. If you need any adjustments at any stage of the process, please tell us and we will make them.
Above all, you will be motivated by our mission and have the credibility, empathy and influence to help Ambitious about Autism play a leading role in shaping a more inclusive education system.
You will join a values-driven, inclusive organisation with a strong reputation, committed partners and bold ambitions. If you’re motivated by delivering impact with and for autistic children and young people, we’d like to hear from you.
To view the role description and person specification, please go to the ‘How to Apply’ tab on the website fill in your details and download the job pack.
Women in Banking and Finance is dedicated to help women in the financial services industry progress in their career. This section of the Jobs Board is intended to highlight opportunities to undertake voluntary work as a trustee, non-executive director (NED) or board member. See the quick guide to volunteering, and breakdown of roles below. If you are an organisation wanting to attract more female candidates in banking or finance to your voluntary roles, you can advertise free of charge on this page. See below for details and conditions.
Why become a board member or trustee?
You may be starting a career, trying to improve your promotion prospects, or wanting to keep your skills sharp while on a career break for any reason. Some argue that on a personal level volunteering boosts wellbeing, or even that it is good for our mental health. On a professional level, it can expand your confidence, your professional work experience and bring its own distinct elements of challenge and reward.
The positions advertised here are from external organisations. WIBF is also run by a group of passionate, committed volunteers. If you would like to support our cause and find out more about our vacancies, please click here.
NEDs
A non-executive director, or NED, sits on the board of directors. They provide third-party oversight to ensure an organisation is being well run by its executive management team.
Unpaid NED roles can go by other names; for example, Trustees (often in charities), Governors (in schools) or Members of Council (in universities).
Being a non-executive director is not a full-time position; the workload varies, ranging anywhere between 10-40 days a year.
NEDs hold the management team accountable by overseeing and constructively challenging their work.
NEDs can also help avoid ‘groupthink’ within organisations by bringing independent perspectives. Not having a financial or personal link to the organisation can be an advantage.
Trustees
Trustees ensure a charity has a clear strategy, and that work, and goals are in line with the overall vision. A trustee's role is to be a ‘guardian of purpose’, making sure that all decisions put the needs of the beneficiaries first.
A trustee should safeguard the charity’s assets. This is a key reason why they may need the specific skillsets involved in finance, business, or banking. This means both physical assets, including property, and intangible ones, such as its reputation. They make sure these are used well, and that the charity is run sustainably.
You can find out more about the role of a trustee from the Charity Commission, on the UK government website.
Board Member
A board has an essential role in company governance and setting the strategic direction of the business. Charities often seek help with financial services in particular: you may get involved in new areas of business or build a broader experience of leadership. You may be asked to volunteer or job shadow in another capacity to get to know the organisation better, first. The Institute of Directors has a good introductory guide.
Volunteering
Challenges It can be an effective way to build your skills and your CV. You may also gain new experience of strategy and leadership. This can have a powerful impact upon your career, opening doors to new responsibilities and more senior job prospects.
Challenges You may be operating in a different and potentially challenging context from your working life. You may contribute to setting a strategic vision, influencing and negotiation, or developing strategies for managing risk.
Rewards You get the chance to use your skills, knowledge, and experience to impact a good cause, or ‘give back’ to a community.
Rewards You have a specific cause that is important to you and you want to be active in supporting it.
Builds networks You will meet new people, work with a different team and develop relationships with professional people away from your day job, people who may have different perspectives.
Finally, you can also find board vacancies on nonprofit job posting sites such as LinkedIn Board Connect, Idealist, Bridgespan, Dynamic Boards and All for Good.
Advertise your trustee or voluntary board role with us
If your organisation needs to attract more female candidates, you can advertise free of charge on the WIBF Jobs Board. Your position/s must be UK-based and of relevance to those who have a financial or fin-tech background. Your organisation will be one of the following:
- registered charity
- small voluntary organisation (unincorporated)
- credit union
- community benefit society
- community interest company
- social enterprise
- co-operative society
- registered society or industrial or provident society
- public sector body such as: a government agency, government department, non-departmental public body
- body/agency, school, college or university
If you would like to advertise a role here, please contact [email protected]