Charity Trustees - BALTIC

Vacancy reference:

Trustee11

Sector:

Arts

Organisation name:

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art

Date added:

17/05/2011 - 12:11

Vacancy type:

Trustee

Location:

North East, Tyne and Wear

Vacancy background:

BALTIC wants to strengthen and diversify its Board-level governance with the appointment of up to five new Charity Trustees with skills and experience in a wide range of issues. If you would relish such a challenge and share our commitment to building BALTIC’s contribution as a sustainable artistic, economic and social force for good on a national and international stage, particularly in challenging economic times, then we would be delighted to hear from you.

Applicants for the role should have strong interest in the visual arts, and be willing to advocate on BALTIC’s behalf.

Becoming a BALTIC Trustee offers a rare and exciting opportunity to become involved with the stewardship of one of Europe’s most dynamic art institutions, and will require a time commitment equivalent to 2-3 days per quarter. Trustees are unpaid, although reasonable travel expenses are reimbursed.

For an informal discussion contact Peter Buchan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, on

+44 (0)191 269 5484. For a briefing pack and details of how to apply, visit www.balticmill.com, email trusteesearch@balticmill.com or telephone +44 (0)191 478 1810.

Primary duties:

Board of Trustees

sets the overall strategic direction, setting policy, defining objectives and setting targets and evaluating performance;
observes the Memorandum and Articles of Association, charity and company law and other regulatory requirements;
is active in supporting and encouraging fundraising initiatives;
safeguards the good name and values of the organisation;
safeguards financial stability, including approval of the annual budget and deciding on major resource issues;
approves the Business Plan;
oversees the recruitment of the CEO / Director;
focuses on key issues;
provides guidance on new initiatives.

Required qualifications:

Although the selection of BALTIC Trustees is not strictly a public appointment, the seven principles of public life as defined by the Nolan Committee are relevant to the role. These are selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. In addition to these principles, we will expect prospective Trustees to demonstrate most of the following requirements and qualities:

An ability to think strategically, focussing on major issues.

Experience of business management in either private or public sectors.

Effective networking skills.

Well established professional networks.

Effective communication and advocacy skills.

A readiness and ability to play a leading role in fundraising.

Empathy with BALTIC’s vision, including an appreciation for contemporary visual art.

An ability to command respect amongst regional stakeholders and national decision makers in the public and private sectors.

Applications from the following professional backgrounds are particularly encouraged:-

ð Legal

ð Retail Management

ð Practising Artist

ð Lifelong Learning

ð Media and Public Relations

ð Contemporary Art specialist

ð Digital / New Media specialist.

The law places certain restrictions on becoming a charity trustee. For example, you cannot be under the age of 18, previously been removed from trusteeship of a charity by a Court or the Charity Commission, disqualified under the Company Director’s Disqualification Act 1986, or been convicted of an offence involving deception or dishonesty (unless the conviction is spent).

If you are in any doubt about your eligibility, visit the Charity Commission website at www.charity-commission.gov.uk.

Additional information:

You are invited to apply in confidence by submitting your Curriculum Vitae, together with a covering letter highlighting why you want to be a BALTIC Trustee, what you feel you can contribute and any other information which you think will help the Appointment Panel.

The following advice is designed to help you apply as effectively as possible:

Study all the information you have about the role of Trustee.

If you are not already familiar with BALTIC, please visit us beforehand.

Visit BALTIC’s web site at www.balticmill.com .

Study the section of this briefing pack, Potential Trustees – Essential Requirements, in order to be able to set out clearly how you feel you meet the requirements of the role.

If you have a disability, which makes writing difficult or impossible, it is possible that the application can be completed in a different way. If you have such difficulties, please contact us.

To help us with copying your application for the Appointment Panel, please use black ink and do not use staples.

Please return your completed application by the closing date.

Please complete the separate Selection Monitoring Questionnaire to enable us to monitor the effectiveness of our selection policy and processes, so that we can ensure selection is carried out fairly. The information you provide will also help us identify any barriers to selection. Your answers will be treated in confidence and used for statistical monitoring purposes only. Your completed questionnaire will not be seen by the Appointment Panel.

Please send your completed application, marked private and confidential, to:

Alison Haynes

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art

Gateshead Quays

South Shore Road

Gateshead

Tyne and Wear, UK

NE8 3BA

The closing date for applications is 12 pm, Monday 23 May 2011.

It is anticipated that interviews will take place week commencing 13 June 2011.

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