Would you like to join our board as a non-executive director?

In brief

Edventure Frome is looking for up to two, new non-executive directors to join our board with specific expertise in finance and business development in the social enterprise / charity sector. As with a trustee in a charity, the non-executive director positions at Edventure Frome CIC are voluntary. Below is more information about the board, the roles, how to apply and some official guidance on what it means to be a director.

Thank you for looking into joining our team! 

The context

Edventure Frome CIC was set up just over 6 years ago, and has grown from a volunteer run organisation to a social enterprise which employs 6 staff and additional project workers. We have ambitious plans to develop our organisation in Frome and beyond, and are looking for board members who can support our next stage of development. The board consists of a group of local people who bring a high level of expertise and guidance to Edventure. Each board member has one or more specific roles based on their professional background, and assists the staff team through advice and guidance besides attending board meetings every two months. The role of the board is to provide strategic guidance, big picture oversight, and maintain effective internal controls. The non-executive board does not get involved with the day to day runnings of the organisations, and delegates to the MD, staff team, or external working groups/partnerships.

Role & person specification

We are recruiting to fill two roles, which may be filled by one or two people depending on their background and expertise. Besides specific skills, we are looking for people local to Frome who are passionate about our community, social/community enterprise and supporting young adults.

Finance Non-executive Role

The role involves leading on supporting & challenging financial projections, monitoring & improving financial systems, and evaluating financial decisions. The role would be appropriate for people with experience as an accountant, finance director or MD / CEO who has been responsible for managing a turnover/budget of over 100k.

Business Development Non-executive Role

The role involves bringing entrepreneurial experience to the board, helping to evaluate and advise on business development and start-up projects within the organisations. Its purpose is to enable the organisation to increase its trading income and decrease its reliance on grant funding. The role would be appropriate for an experienced entrepreneur or MD/CEO/leader of a (social) enterprise / charity who has helped grow trading income within the organisation.

Are you interested?

1. Please email our MD Johannes Moeller (johannes@edventurefrome.org) with some notes on why you are interested in one or both of these roles, and a CV or information on your background (before May 12th) – or if you have any questions before you apply.

2. We will invite you for an interview with the Chair and MD of Edventure.

3. A 6-month trial period would then start with the first board meeting you can attend. Edventure Frome CIC, March 2019

What does it mean to be a CIC director:

For more information, please click here to view the guidance from the Government Department for Business, Innovations and Skills, and see the specific extract from this document below.

The role of the Director

As with any other company, the directors of a CIC occupy an important position of trust and general company law imposes on them a range of duties to the company and other responsibilities. The directors (and in some circumstances the secretary) are also responsible for ensuring that the company meets its statutory and other obligations. In 3 Chapter 9 some cases the company can hold the directors personally responsible for defaults and can be prosecuted or subject to disqualification proceedings. In addition to these general responsibilities CIC directors (and, when they take collective decisions about the company, members) are also responsible for ensuring that the company is run in such a way that it will continue to satisfy the community interest test. In practice, this will mean having regard to the interests of the community the CIC is intended to serve, and in some cases giving more weight to those interests than to generating financial returns for investors in the company. In most companies the day to day management of the company is in the hands of the board of directors although certain functions may be delegated to specific directors, such as the chief executive or financial director, or reserved to the members. As a company gets larger the direct control of daily activities by directors becomes more difficult and functions have to be delegated to employees. It is essential to good governance that the directors clearly establish the lines of delegation. The authority and responsibility of those given delegated power need to be established and systems of control, including where appropriate internal audit, must be set up. It must be remembered that the term director includes anyone who performs the role of a director whether formally appointed or not. A person who directs the policy and makes major decisions with regard to the company may therefore be regarded as a de facto director or a person upon whose instructions the appointed directors act (excluding those giving professional advice) may be regarded as a shadow director. It is therefore particularly important with CICs where stakeholders are encouraged to participate in running the organisation to clearly establish people’s respective roles (see Chapter 9.2). It is also important not to take on the role of director lightly; it is not a matter of status, but a commitment to take on an important role and obligations. In particular, it should be noted that, while it is often a good idea to have “non-executive” directors, who do not work fulltime in the business, but who have particular skills and experience and can contribute an independent perspective to the management of the company, if things go wrong (particularly if they have not performed their duties diligently) they may well be held equally liable for any consequences with the “executive” directors.