We are looking for Trustees to join us on this journey. Following a recent skills audit, we are particularly looking for individuals with experience in the following areas: accountancy, clinical expertise (medical, nursing or other healthcare backgrounds), marketing and communications, digital technologies, and the charity sector.

I encourage you to review the profiles of our current Board members to understand the breadth of expertise and perspectives we already have. We are proud to have a dynamic and highly engaged Board. Our discussions are strategic, forward-looking, and always centred on how we can best serve our patients, families and communities.

Purpose

The Board of Trustees is responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of the charity. They will oversee all aspects of the organisation, working closely with the Group Chief Executive and Executive Leadership Team.

Ensuring the Board of Trustees reach sound decisions. This may involve scrutinising board papers, leading discussions, focusing on key issues, providing advice and guidance on new initiatives, or other subjects in which the Trustee has special expertise.

Legal Context

Trustees are responsible for the legal stewardship of St Giles Hospice. This involves ensuring that the Hospice is compliant with legislation and its own governing documents. They are also responsible for the corporate governance of the organisation and report annually to the Charity Commission and Companies House. We expect all Trustees to be aware of the Charity Governance Code.

Charity Commission guidance states that Trustees must:

Ensure that everything they do helps and supports to meet the charity’s objectives Comply with the charity’s governing documents and law

Act in the charity’s best interests

Manage the charity’s resources responsibly; Act with reasonable care and skill and take advice where necessary

Ensure the charity is compliant with statutory accounting and reporting requirements

For the full Candidate pack for Trustee please click the link below:

Candidate Pack for Trustee

If you want to have an informal chat about this role, please contact Jo Lowe on 01543 432 031

The person specification sets out the essential qualifications, experience, skills, knowledge, personal attributes and other requirements, which the post holder requires to perform the role to a satisfactory level. Without these qualities, the applicant cannot be appointed to the post.

Skills and experience

Essential

• An understanding of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
• Successful track record of consistent achievement at board or executive level
• Robust governance experience
• Knowledge and understanding of equal opportunities
• Excellent oral and written communication skills

Desirable

• Medical / clinical background
• Digital leadership skills
• Fundraising experience
• Marketing experience
• Knowledge of working within the charity and/or healthcare sector

Personal attributes

• Empathetic
• Team player
• Able to work under pressure
• Collaborative
• Ambassador for St Giles Hospice
• Strategic thinker

Key tasks and responsibilities

The role entails but is not limited to:

• Ensuring that St Giles complies with all its governing documents, charity law and other legislation or regulations
•  Attending and contributing to Board meetings/sub-committee meetings
• Representing St Giles at events, conferences and media as and when required
• Bringing impartiality to decision making
• Always acting in St Giles’ best interests and with reasonable care and skill to provide clear strategic direction
• Proving guiding principles and overall plans for St Giles to progress against the strategy objectives
• Ensuring the financial stability, probity and sustainability of the organisation in relation to the financial aspects of the charity to safeguard the charity’s reputation and values
• Adhering to the Trustees code of conduct (known as the Trustee Charter) and comply with it
• Supporting and advising the Executive Leadership Team in your areas of expertise
• Being collectively responsible for the governance of the charity with other Board members
• Overseeing organisational risk registers, ensuring adequate assurance is provided or risk mitigations in place
• Exercising control over the financial affairs and protecting its assets
• Ensuring the effective and efficient administration of the charity
• Protecting and managing the property of the charity and ensuring the proper investment of the charity’s funds
• Ensuring and maintaining efficient administration of funding, insurance and premises
• Sitting on recruitment/disciplinary panels as and when required by the Head of HR
• Ensuring the Boards agreed position is represented when speaking publicly on behalf of the organisation
• Ensuring information gained during the course of working as a Trustee is kept confidential and in particular the contents of emails and board papers

This post is subject to a Disclose and Barring Service (DBS) check.

We may review applications before the application review date, however, if you apply after the application review date, your application may not be considered. We will accept applications until we have successfully filled the role, this may be earlier than the closing date.

If you have not heard within 14 days of the application close date, then please consider that your application has been unsuccessful at this time.

As part of your application your data will be managed in line with St Giles Hospice Privacy Policy and kept for 6 months. If you would like to see this in full, please visit https://www.stgileshospice.com/privacy-policy/

Should you require any further information, please email: [email protected]

1)      I confirm that the above information is complete and correct and that any untrue or misleading information will give St Giles Hospice the right to terminate any contract of employment offered.

2)      I agree that St Giles Hospice may reserve the right to require me to undergo a medical examination. In addition, I agree that this information may be retained in my personal file during my employment and for six years thereafter and understand that information will be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act (2018).

3)      I agree that should I be successful in this application, an application will be made to the Disclosure & Barring Service/Criminal Justice Information Service (Scotland) for Disclosure. I understand that should the disclosure not be to the satisfaction of the hospice any offer of employment may be withdrawn or my employment terminated.

We make every subject of a DBS check aware of the existence of the Code of Practice and make a copy available on request

Prospective employees will be advised that a criminal record will not automatically exclude them from being appointed.

Information provided by you on this form will be filed for six months and then destroyed if you are not successful.