West Wales Rivers Trust is looking to appoint a new Chair of Trustees. Our new Chair will lead the Board, working closely with other Officers and Trustees to foster an environment for collaboration, good decision making and effective governance during a period of exciting growth and development for our organisation.
West Wales Rivers Trust – Chair of Trustees
Responsible for:
The Board of Trustees are jointly responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of the West Wales Rivers Trust (WWRT), ensuring it is solvent, well-run and successfully delivers the outcomes for which it was established.
The Chair is responsible for effective leadership and governance of the Board of Trustees; overseeing the strategic direction of the Trust, and being a visible advocate for the Trust.
Supporting principles
- All prospective trustees must be willing to accept the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of a director and a trustee as set out by the Charity Commission.
- Trustees have and must accept ultimate responsibility for directing WWRT’s affairs.
- Trustees should focus on WWRT’s strategic direction and avoid becoming involved in day-to-day operational decisions and matters. Where trustees do need to become involved in operational matters, they should separate their strategic and operational roles.
Background
West Wales Rivers Trust is a charity formed in 2017 following the amalgamation of the Teifi and Pembrokeshire Rivers Trusts. The Trust now covers more than 30% of Wales, including the counties of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, where we aim to protect, restore and enhance rivers, lakes and wetlands for people and wildlife. Our ethos focuses on working with local communities to deliver long lasting an
d cost-effective solutions for river issues while educating and empowering people to take their own steps to improve our water environments.
While we’ve been going for nearly 8 years, West Wales Rivers Trust was a very small team until 2023. Since then, our team has grown into a core of 9, split into river restoration and community engagement teams. In addition to our staff the Trust works with multiple supporting contractors and a strong network of community groups across West Wales.
We have delivered hundreds of kilometres of river habitat improvements, multiple barrier removals and fish passage easements, engaged thousands of people with their rivers and helped over 150 tributaries be adopted by local communities that we have trained.
Role summary
The key activities of the Chair’s role along with the board of trustees are to oversee the Trust’s strategy and financial sustainability; ensure the good governance of the Trust; lead the Board of Trustees; advocate for the Trust where required and provide support and challenge to our CEO.
You will manage the Trustees, ensuring we have the correct people, skills and experience in place. You will bring a deep, proactive, and reflective attitude towards diversity and inclusion.
You will oversee the continued financial sustainability of the Trust, contributing strategy insights to the development of different income streams and project funding as appropriate. You will support the Trustees to review the financial sustainability of the activities of the Trust and establish a fundraising plan to diversify income.
The Trust meets 4 x year (twice online and twice in person), with other sub-committee meetings required according to skills and experience.
The Trust is in a period of growth and development, so the Chair must be able to facilitate this continued success through their skills and experience but also through having a flexible and ambitious mindset.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
As well as the responsibilities expected of all trustees, detailed in the generic trustee role description, the following is expected of the Chair:
Governance of the Trust
- Chair effective Trustee meetings, the AGM and others as appropriate.
- Ensure the Trustees have the skills and training required to govern an environmental charity effectively
- Ensure the Trustees bring relevant skills and experiences beneficial to the charity
- Ensure the Trust satisfies all regulatory and legal compliance requirements
- Ensure the risks to which the charity is exposed are reviewed regularly and systems are established to mitigate these risks without becoming risk-averse.
- Ensure that the Trust is fair and open to all sections of the community in all activities
- Ensure the Trust has a governance structure that is appropriate to an environmental charity of its size/complexity, stage of development, and its charitable objects and that these structures and the governing instruments are reviewed regularly
The Leadership of the Trust
- Maintain the Trust’s culture in creating a working environment that is welcoming, inspiring and flexible.
- Support the implementation of the Trust’s mission, vision, strategy and high-level policies, ensuring that it achieves its charitable, environmental and financial objectives.
- Ensure the Trust hears key stakeholders’ voices and views, especially beneficiaries, and champion diversity and inclusion through the process
- Keep up to date on the Rivers Trust movement both in Wales and across the UK.
Support senior staff
- Challenge constructively, and support the personal development of senior staff through regular catch ups
- Develop a professional relationship within which each can speak openly about concerns, worries and challenges
- Ensure their performance is reviewed regularly
Visible advocate for Rivers
- Act as a spokesperson and figurehead for the Trust
- Safeguard the reputation of the Trust and its brand
- Ensure that, whenever practicable, Trustees visit the river and catchment, keep up to date on Trust projects, attend Trust events and have informal opportunities to meet staff and beneficiaries
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential criteria
- A passion or interest in the conservation and improvement of the rivers of West Wales.
- Knowledge of West Wales rivers
- A commitment to the WWRT’s vision, values and mission.
- Leadership experience in an environment charity or other not-for-profit organisation
- Excellent communication skills through a range of media, including engaging with the public and partners
- A keen sense of strategic purpose
- An inclusive leadership style: able to inspire and support everyone to participate on an equal footing.
- Experience in coaching and mentoring people to achieve their best, with a deep understanding of diversity and inclusion at all levels
- An understanding of core fundraising opportunities appropriate to an environmental charity
- Experience in developing successful partnerships
- Willingness to commit the time required – at least 4 days a year to the WWRT for Board meetings and time outside these to attend sub-committee meetings, read papers and communicate via email and phone calls.
Desirable criteria
- A passion for protecting the water environment and associated landscapes
- A track record of successfully managing a team or board
- Experience of securing funding via charitable or private sources, or a good understanding of what makes them successful
- Working knowledge of charity, employment and/or health and safety legislation
- Experience in environmental conservation work or similar
- Welsh speaking.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Salary: None.
Hours needed: Attendance at 4 x board meetings annually plus time to read board papers and attend sub-committee and other meetings as necessary.
Location and travel: We would prefer trustees to be based in West Wales, or in close vicinity. A vehicle and driving licence will be required to reach meeting locations which may be inaccessible by public transport.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please email the following to info@westwalesriverstrust.org
- A CV
- A covering letter focusing on how your relevant knowledge, experience and skills and how they align to the position.
Selection will be based on the above criteria, but the board will also consider achieving a board rich in diversity and with a balance of skills and experience. The skills needed will vary according to the needs of the board, as identified by a trustee’s skills audit.
There is no deadline for application and interviews will be organised on an ongoing basis.
If you would like to discuss the role further, please contact us on the above email address and we will be happy to arrange a phone conversation.