Chair

Are you passionate about the debate around Nuclear weapons?The Nuclear Education Trust is seeking a dedicated and experienced Chair to make a bigdifference.

The Nuclear Education Trust (NET), a charity working to improve education on nuclear weapons, is seeking a new Chair of its Board of Trustees to guide the organisation for the next 2-4 years. The successful applicant will be enthusiastic about NET’s objectives, have the ability to think strategically and have knowledge of the nuclear disarmamentdebate.

If you posses these qualities and want to contribute to this essential field, please send acopy of your current CV and a letter of 1-2 pages explaining what you can offer and why you are interested in this role. Please send these to Linda Hugl at by Monday 9th October, with a view to attending an informal interview Friday 27th October in London. The successful candidate will be asked to provide two referees. Linda can also be contacted for more information.

Nuclear Education Trust Chair role

Overview

The NET Chair will guide and inspire fellow Trustees to develop and promote the work of the organisation. On a practical level, the NET Chair, working with other Trustees and the Secretary, will co-ordinate NET's work, help develop the NET organisational strategy for meeting its charitable objectives.

Activities

  1. Chair any formal events organised by NET and act as figurehead for theorganisation.
  2. Chair NET Trustee meetings three times per year.
  3. Liaise with the Secretary between Trustee meetings on organisational matters and the preparation of the Trustee meeting agenda.
  4. Work with colleagues to develop and implement the NET organisational strategy.
  5. Maintain an interest in the work of NET's education, researchand fundraising subgroups, participating in the work of at least one of the groups.
  6. Contributingto funding applications as necessary.
  7. Develop and maintain working relationships with other NGOs and charities.
  8. As a Trustee, ensure all legal obligations of a charity and company limited by guarantee are complied with and to safeguard NET’s good name and values.

Time commitment

The NET Board currently has eight enthusiastic Trustees, with a range of experiences, who are also directors of the company. The Trustees meets three or four times per year and all members are expected to attend all meetings. Subgroup meetings (often by Skype) are convened as required in between trustee meetings. The Chair may expect a workload of approximately 5-10 hours per month on average.

NET does not have its own offices or staff but essential office support is outsourced. Individual Trustees provide varying levels of time, experience and commitment to ensure the organisation can meet its objectives. Trustee meetings are usually held at the CND office in London and occasionally elsewhere in London, but participation remotely by Skype may be possible from time to time.

Remuneration

This is not a salaried position, purely voluntary, but reasonable expenses can be claimed.

Person Specification

Key attributes

  1. Commitment to the aims and values of NET.
  2. Knowledge of basic issues surrounding nuclear disarmament.
  3. The ability to think strategically and guide a small charity.
  4. Drive and enthusiasm.
  5. Ability to work as part of a team.

Desirable attributes

  1. Knowledge and experience of working in the charity sector.
  2. Experience in the education or research sectors
  3. Experience of the management ofvoluntary sector or business organisations.
  4. Experience of working with the press.
  5. Good organisational abilities.
  6. Good communication skills and the ability to influence.
  7. Experience of organisationalcommunication.
  8. Experience of public speaking.
  9. Ability to understand simple accounts.
  10. Experience of fundraising.
  11. A network of contacts for example in politics, the military, media or entertainment.

About NET

The Nuclear Education Trust (NET) was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee on 8 August 2005 (5530662) and was registered as a charity on 14 March 2007 (1118373). Its governing document is its memorandum and articles of association and it is also governed by charity law. It is an independent organisation with a clearly defined educational remit and is not a campaigning organisation.

NET’s aims are to advance understanding of arms control and disarmament, defence and security, with an emphasis on nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, through education and research. We want to make nuclear issues accessible to all regardless of age and ability and commission research to gather a wide range of opinions on specific topics and fund peace education materials aimed at school children of different ages and abilities.

NET has been able to contribute to the Trident replacement debate as well as fund the excellent and well received CND peace education packs since its formation in 2007. For more details check out the NET website:

Please see the appendix below for further information on the legal requirements for charity Trusees and company directors.

Appendix: Further information on legal requirements

Trustee eligibility rules can be found here

Requirements of charity Trustees

1.Comply with your charity’s governing document and the law
2.Act in your charity’s best interests
3.Manage your charity’s resources responsibly
4.Act with reasonable care and skill
5.Ensure your charity is accountable

Further details of the requirements of a Trustee can be found on the Charity Commission website.

Requirements of Company Directors

  1. To ensure that NET complies with the Companies Act 2006, the NET Memorandum and Articles of Association, and all relevant company law and regulations.
  2. To ensure that NET complies with legislation and good practice relating to the organisation's work, for example, health and safety, the environment, equal opportunities and employment, where applicable.
  3. Directors must not put themselves in a position where the interests of the company conflict with their personal interests or duties to a third party, and should disclose any interests which may be relevant to the running of the company.
  4. Directors must not make a personal profit out of their position as a director unless expressly permitted to do so by the company.
  5. Directors must act in good faith in what they consider is in the interests of the company, and not act for any other purpose when making decisions relating to the company.
  6. Directors have a duty to display a certain amount of skill and exercise reasonable care in the performance of their work.

Please see the guidance on the role of company directors prepared by Companies House

Directors should ensure that NET is a well run and effective organisation by:

  1. Knowing how any proposed action will affect theorganisation’s performance, particularly if it involves a significant sum of money;
  2. Ensuring that they have access to up-to-date financial data that can be used to assess the organisations’s performance;
  3. Getting appropriate legal and accounting advice when needed;
  4. Taking an active role in Trustee meetings;
  5. Talking to stakeholders about how the organisation is performing;
  6. Ensuring the required records are kept and filed with Companies House;
  7. Taking a broad perspective of the organisations's work and being willing to offer constructive advice and feedback;
  8. Bringing their independent judgment to bear and insisting on high standards at all times;
  9. Using any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the Trustees reach sound decisions.