NUS UK Lay-Trustee Role Profile
Table of Contents Voluntary position 2 Location 2 Working hours 2 Contract length 2 About the job 2 A bit about us 3 Our Strategic priorities 3 Job description 3 Legal responsibilities 5 Benefits 6 Volunteering 6 Epenses 6 Support 6 Induction 6 Meeting others 6 Eligibility Error! Bookmark not defined. About you 6 Meeting dates 7 1
NUS UK Board Lay-Trustee PR and Media epertise Voluntary position Location Our Board meetings take place in either the London Office near Kings Cross or the Macclesfield Office. Working hours Our Trustees provide support for approimately 2/3 days per month on average. These days are concentrated around the Board cycle. This role will sit on two of the NUS Boards. The Boards meet once per quarter. Meetings usually take approimately 1-2 days of preparation and the meetings are held for approimately 5 hours between 10am and 3pm. Contract length We are looking for someone to complete a 3 year term as a Lay-Trustee. A Lay-Trustee can serve up to two 3 year terms. About the job We are looking for an eperienced Board member with a background and epertise in PR and reputation. Each of the Lay-Trustees brings a different skill to our Board to create a complement. The person in this role will fulfil the role of Lay-Trustee of NUS UK and fulfill a role as a Lay-Trustee on the NUS SU Charitable Services Board. As a trustee, you will help NUS ensure effective governance arrangements are in place and rigorously monitor the company s performance. Our volunteer Board members donate a wealth of knowledge and epertise to support this non-profit organisation. You will be working with Trustees and Student Leadership across the organisation to ensure we have an efficient and sound operations that enable us to drive change and support our members, Students Unions. As a Board member you will support the organisation in meeting its strategy, remaining compliant, financially sound and managing risks. Making decisions for the benefit of the organisation and its members you will approve and support projects, review and approve the audited accounts, problem solve and work closely with the CEO and National President to meet our aims and objectives. 2
A bit about us NUS champions students to shape the future of education and create a better world. We promote, defend and etend student rights. We fight discrimination, isolation and injustice. Through practical information and national action, we make sure students can thrive. We support and strengthen students and their unions. We are informed developing research that influences national policy. We are active taking on all the issues that affect students lives now and in future. NUS is here to support students and their students unions. Our Strategic priorities NUS 100 is a strategic framework designed to take NUS up to its hundredth year in 2022. It is a roadmap to strengthen and build the organisation, and the wider movement, so that together we can achieve our ultimate aims. NUS 100 sets out four key areas: Everyone can access and ecel in post 16 education The learner voice creates change in education Wellbeing and welfare are central to the student eperience Students should be confident to engage in civic life Achieved by: Supporting ecellence in students unions Developing a strong and influential collective voice Putting data, evidence and digital at the heart of our movement Attracting and retaining outstanding people Read about NUS100 Job description Become one of our leaders The Boards are one of the forms of leadership in this organisation. Our Boards ensure that we have a sound, healthy and financially viable organization to be able to create real change for students and the future of education. Share your epertise Our Lay-Trustee bring valuable epertise into the organisation on a wide range of subjects helping shape our decisions. This is a specialized role and we outline the requirements in the role profile. 3
Meet likeminded people Work as part of a team of boards and subcommittees across the group, become part of our valued volunteer team; a network of over 250 volunteers. Create a fair and sustainable future The Boards will lead us through our new strategy and help us to shape education and empower individuals and Be an outstanding student-led campaigning and membership organisation. As part of the Board Trustees provide scrutiny, guidance, support and epertise to ensure a sound, healthy and legally compliant organisation. The NUS Group has three parts: 1. NUS UK - Our democratic, policy making function that centres on improving the quality of the UK education system, identifying and taking action on student welfare and developing students as world citizens. (Registered Company.) 2. NUS Services Our commercial and trading operation that supports sustainable growth and develops innovative and enterprising solutions to problems that effect students and wider society. (Registered Company.) 3. NUS Charitable Services Our hub for the operational and strategic development of students unions, and collective student opportunity profiles and activity. (Registered Company and Charity.) Find out more about each of the Boards and committees on our website. Responsibilities Trustees act as a single body; Trustees ensure the organisation has a clear strategy or set of goals; Trustees ensure the work and goals of the organisation are in line with its stated vision, usually defined in a governing document and often called the organisation s objects ; Trustees keep a check on the organisation s finances and activities; Trustees appoint and support the head of staff (e.g. the chief eecutive or manager of the overall charity or organisation); Trustees delegate authority for day to day activities to appropriate staff and/or volunteers; Trustees take overall legal responsibility for the organisation's work; Act in accordance with the Nolan Committee s Seven Principles of Public Life; and Champion the values of our organisation. 4
Legal responsibilities As a Director of a limited company, the law says you must: Try to make the company a success, using your skills, eperience and judgment; Follow the company s rules, shown in its articles of association; Make decisions for the benefit of the company, not yourself; Tell other shareholders if you might personally benefit from a transaction the company makes; Keep company records and report changes to Companies House and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) (at NUS this task is delegated the Governance Team); Make sure the company s accounts are a true and fair view of the business finances. NUS epects all Trustees to read and agree to follow the terms of: NUS Code of Conduct; A confidentiality agreement; and A Trustee agreement. Eligibility Applicants can be aged 16 and over and must not be disqualified as a company director. Trustees must be able to declare: I am capable of managing and administering my own affairs; I do not have an unspent conviction relating to any offence involving deception or dishonesty; I am not an undischarged bankrupt nor have I made a composition or arrangement with, or granted a trust deed for, my creditors (ignore if discharged from such an arrangement); I am not subject to a disqualification order under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 or to an Order made under section 429(b) of the Insolvency Act 1986; I have not been removed from the office of charity trustee or trustee for a charity by an Order made by the Charity Commissioners or the High Court on the grounds of any misconduct or mismanagement nor am I subject to an Order under section 7 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990, preventing me from being concerned in the management or control of any relevant organisation or body. 5
I am not subject to a disqualification Order under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000. I am not disqualified under the Protection of Vulnerable Adults List. Benefits Volunteering Volunteering is a great way to give back and share the knowledge and epertise you have gained. NUS is a unique place to spend some time volunteering. Through the voices of 7million students we work to create a better world and support students to drive change. Epenses All reasonable epenses will be covered by us for the duration of your service as a volunteer. At all meetings lunch and beverages are provided, travel is arranged by us at no epense to you and any additional costs you incur due to travel are refunded. Support The Trustees work as volunteers for NUS. All of our volunteers are supported by a Volunteer Manager who will provide you with a comprehensive induction to the organisation and your role. Will provide ongoing assessment of the needs of the Board and Trustees and look for opportunities to support and develop you further as a Trustee. Feedback is a valued part of your eperience and throughout your term you will be given opportunities to feedback on your eperience. For this role the Volunteer Manager is the Governance Coordinator. During your term any additional access needs or requirements will be supported. Induction We provide a comprehensive 2 day induction for Board members during either August. In this induction we ensure that Trustees understand the organisation s long term strategy and goals for the year ahead, are aware of the organisational risks and understand their responsibilities as a Board member. The Boards also set out a plan for the year ahead on how they will work together, see the meetings working and ensure we receive value from their epertise. Meeting others This is a great opportunity to work with passionate, talented and eperienced people from a diverse variety of backgrounds. This role will enable to you make great connections with student representatives, other trustees and colleagues which in turn will develop you as a person and in your career. About you To help students shape NUS future direction, you will need to be able to think strategically, be creative and bring a range of different perspectives to the Board. 6
Trustees are epected to have oversight of the risks that may threaten the organisation or prevent it from succeeding its goals, with this Trustees are epected to advise management on the management and identification of risks. You will be the kind of person who would feel comfortable working in a student-led, democratic environment and who values equal opportunities. You will need to use a highly collaborative style to deliver real progress against a challenging, political mission. This is a non-political role and Trustees are not in place to shape the political and campaigning decisions, but they are in place to ensure we have a sound organisation with the best resources and finances in place to enable us to campaign. Skills and epertise Qualifications and eperience Essential Desirable Educated to degree level PR/Media eperience Eperience on a Board of Directors or Trustees Knowledge Essential Desirable Understanding of reputational risk Campaigning and the student movement Skills Essential Desirable Chairing Risk and strategy Ability to understand a budget and to review audited accounts Collaborative approach Supportive nature X The Trustee in this role having relevant legal epertise will be the lead Trustee for the Code of Conduct, supporting us with code of conduct issues and complaints. Meeting dates The meetings are planned for: NUS UK Board: (All boards and committees) Induction 8/9 August 2018 (Macclesfield) 18 September 2018 4 December 2018 5 February 2019 4 June 2019 7
NUS SU charitable Services Board: 4 September 2018 20 November 2018 29 January 2019 14 May 2019 How to apply To apply for this position please email your CV and a Cover letter that outlines how your skills, eperience and qualifications match those set out in the role description and the organisation s values. The covering letter provides you with the opportunity to eplain your motivation, as well as highlighting how your eperience and achievements fit with the requirements of a Trustee. Please submit your application via our Diversity and Inclusion Recruitment partners, BAME Recruitment at CV@bamerecruitment.com Applications are open from 19 January 2018 until 19 February 2018. Interviews will be held on 5 March 2018 (and only on this date). Interviews are completed by our Nominations Committee which is made up of volunteers from the NUS UK board and National Eecutive Council and the National President. The successful candidate will be presented in a report from the Nominations Committee published on the 9 March 2018 to our National Conference held in March 2018 for approval of the appointment. Work somewhere professional, but different. 8