Become a Trustee with Linacre Institute

TRUSTEES HELP TRANSFORM THE LIVES OF YOUNG PEOPLE

The Linacre Institute is seeking 3 to 4 new trustees to grow and refresh its board as it seeks to expand following a period of consolidation during the pandemic. We are looking for individuals who are passionate about ensuring young people, especially those facing hardship or disadvantage, reach their academic potential by accessing our most selective universities. The Trustees will work with a small executive team as the charity and core staff expand.

We are looking for a combination of people with the experience, drive and time to make our vision a reality for more young people.

There is no remuneration for any trustee roles, but travel expenses are paid for charity-related activity. There are typically 5 to 6 main board meetings per year, and trustees are also expected to serve on one of three sub-committees (Programmes and Education, Compliance and Governance, Finance and Fundraising). Therefore we are looking for individuals who can commit approximately 5-7 hours per month to the charity.

Linacre is still a start-up charity, founded in 2014 and based in Yorkshire. We help academically curious sixth formers in the North of England access leading universities. We do that by helping students from several schools form a community of academic curiosity.

In 2019 we won a place on the Social Mobility Awards Roll of Honour. Since working regularly with 30-40 students per year, we have now run programmes with nearly 100 students during the pandemic (online) and have maintained this number as we moved back to face-to-face programme delivery in Summer 2022. We are now looking to give our successful model more reach. We have two staff members who are supported by a finance assistant.  

The board has ambitious plans and we are looking for similar ambition among new recruits to the board. As we are looking for multiple trustees, it is expected that applicants will have a blend of experience/knowledge. The skills we are looking for in this recruitment round of trustees are as follows

Finance: Someone with a clear knowledge of finance processes and systems and who can effectively act as the charity’s senior financial governance officer or Treasurer

Legal and Compliance: Someone with a background in law/HR/governance who can support the executive team and board to meet its compliance responsibilities

Schools Partner (Programmes and Education): Someone with a knowledge of the Higher Education, Access and Social Mobility Space who can support the executive team develop a scalable model of our programme. Ideally we are looking for an individual or individuals who works in or with one of our partner schools. 

PR and Marketing: Someone who can help advertise the success stories of our students across mainstream and social media platforms and who can be an advocate for our work with political and academic stakeholders

Fundraising: Someone who has experience supporting small charities win financial awards from grants, foundations and corporate partners

Alumni: Someone with first hand experience of the charity as a former student who can ensure the trustees continue to consider the ‘magic of the programme’ as we seek to grow. It is hoped that this individual can also harness the power of our alumni community to establish a powerful and engaged network who can support the charity and its current participants be as successful as possible. 

To apply please write a covering letter and CV outlining your interest in the charity, indicating which of the areas listed above you are most able to contribute to. Please send this to Ali Jaffer (chair@linacreinstitute.org). We will keep applications open until we have recruited the team we need, but we welcome applicants to express their interest preferably by 15 September 2022. Interviews will be held remotely towards the end of September. 

Applicants can be based anywhere in the UK, although the expectation is that they attend the two face-to-face Board meetings each year which take place in Yorkshire and Cambridge. The other meetings are held online. 

Safer Recruitment

We recognise that the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk, is paramount and that all have equal rights of protection. We have a duty of care when they are in our charge and we will do everything we can to provide a safe and caring environment whilst they attend our activities.

The Linacre Institute is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory reference checks and other pre-employment checks.

Diversity and Equal Opportunities

We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds as we believe, wholeheartedly, that there is strength in diversity.