Board member (x2)

Job Description

Board member (x2)

We are looking for someone with a focus on:

• Governance expertise
• Representation from Wales

Volunteer status: No salary, reasonable travel and childcare expenses to all meetings are covered

Duration: Initial 3-year term with the expectation of a 2nd 3-year term

Time commitment: Approx. 1.5 days per month

Location of meetings: Flexible – usually 3 meetings are held in London and 2 outside London, with the option to join remotely.

Closing date: Thursday 7th December

Interview date: 14th & 15th December TBC

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As we strive to tackle the ecological and climate emergency and further environmental justice, we are seeking to appoint two Board members to join the Friends of the Earth Board.

About the role

Joining the Friends of the Earth Board is a great opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to action on the climate and ecological crisis.

The Board is responsible for the governance of Friends of the Earth Limited, which has jurisdiction over Friends of the Earth’s campaigning and activism in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Sharing responsibility with other Board members and under the direction of the Chair, this role will contribute to our campaigning and organisational strategy and guide the organisation in making a long-term impact.

We pride ourselves on a positive, collegiate working culture and on constructively providing support and challenge to our Senior Leadership Team.

In 2023 we were awarded Conservation and Environment Board of the Year at the Board Awards for our impact on diversity and inclusion within environmental conservation. We aim to build on this achievement including through the current recruitment.

You can find more information about current Board members here: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/how-were-run.

Main responsibilities

This governance role involves the following key areas:

• Supporting and guiding the mission and values of Friends of the Earth
• Providing strategic direction for our campaigns, community activism and the organisation
• Oversight of our people, fundraising, business planning, budgeting, financial management and compliance
• Fulfilling legal responsibilities as a director under company law
• Assessing risks and overseeing mitigating actions
• Safeguarding
• Supporting and constructively challenging our Senior Leadership Team

Key skills and attributes

All candidates should demonstrate a commitment to the mission and values of Friends of the Earth and their ability to fulfil the responsibilities outlined above.

Owing to the recent departure of two board members who reached their term limits, we are specifically looking for candidates matching the following criteria:

• Significant governance experience in a non-executive role (with legal background a bonus);
• Candidates from Wales, or with a strong knowledge and understanding of climate and environmental issues in Wales, to ensure representation on our Board of all our constituent nations.

Additional desirable experience includes some or all of the following:

• Financial experience, in particular oversight/management and risk
• Experience of fundraising or income generation
• Campaigning and activism experience
• Knowledge and understanding of the climate and ecological emergency and environmental justice
• Community/network organising experience and/or membership of a Friends of the Earth local group
• Communications experience, including media, social media, and marketing
• Lived experience of the impacts of the climate and ecological crisis

Please note we will also be running recruitment for a youth member to join our board in the coming months. Details of this will be available on our current vacancies page: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/about/apply-role-board-member-friends-earth

Time commitment 

In addition to four quarterly Board meetings per year, there is an additional Board meeting held during the annual away days. Meetings usually take place during the working day on a Thursday with at least one held outside of London and the option to join remotely (where required). The annual away days are usually two days outside London, together with the Senior Leadership Team and other senior members of staff.

In addition to attending meetings, you will need to make time to:

• read papers prior to each Board meeting and prepare comments and feedback
• liaise with the Chair, other Board members and staff between meetings
• lead discussions on particular issues from time to time, including becoming involved in particular projects depending on your specialist skills
• attend Fiends of the Earth supporter events and support fundraising initiatives as relevant
   

We estimate that the total time commitment is approximately 1.5 days per month, although this is not evenly distributed across the year and will be greater for Board Members taking on an officer role (e.g., Vice Chair, Chair of Finance Committee). We acknowledge this is a significant time commitment and are committed to providing flexibility and support to candidates who require this to meet the demands of the role.

Board members are encouraged to join or participate in the activities of their Local Action Group in order to maintain connections with our grassroots movement. Board members are also ambassadors for Friends of the Earth and are invited to our events. Being a member of the Friends of the Earth Board is a highly rewarding experience and you will play a vitally important and challenging role across the governance of the organisation.

How to apply

To apply for the role of Board Member of Friends of the Earth Limited please email your CV (maximum 2 pages of A4) together with a supporting statement (maximum one page of A4) to: brooke.dawson@foe.co.uk.

Please ensure that you have included mobile, work and home telephone numbers, as well as any dates when you will not be available or might have difficulty with the recruitment timetable.

We believe passionately that a truly inclusive workplace leads to increased social impact. To understand how we are performing, we ask that you kindly complete the brief equal opportunities questionnaire this will be emailed to you on receipt of your application.

Please be assured that your responses are kept confidential, separate from your candidate record, are not part of any application you make, and that the panel never see individual responses to the questionnaire.

Please also include any reasonable adjustments that you may require to participate in the interview process.

More information and can be found at: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/about/apply-role-board-member-friends-earth

Company Description

Friends of the Earth is an international community dedicated to protecting the natural world and the wellbeing of everyone in it. We lead campaigns, provide resources and information, and drive real solutions to the environmental problems facing us all.