Our Board is seeking a new Chair of Trustees. The role is voluntary, and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses will be reimbursed. Training and support will be provided where justified.
Would you like to make a real difference in the lives of people who have sight loss or who are going through progressive sight impairment? Our regional organisation is seeking a Chair of Trustees to take our work forward into the next stage of growth.
Sight Support Ryedale (a Community Interest Company, Charity No. 1170013) is an independent charity offering support to visually impaired people living in the Ryedale area of North Yorkshire. We provide a network of support, activities and friendship to help alleviate the social, emotional and practical problems that living with sight loss can bring. We have a thriving and active membership, supported by staff and volunteers. Our aims are to enable blind or partially sighted people in our area to take part in activities that sighted people take for granted, to provide opportunities for friendship and peer support, to provide information and resources, and to advocate for the views and needs of our members.
The opportunity would suit a person who has experience supervising staff in the public, private or charity sectors, who has sound financial knowledge and experience of generating and maintaining effective working relationships with a range of stakeholders at both a strategic and operational level. Previous experience as a trustee for a charity is desirable but not essential. What is more important is the willingness to learn from the current operation, to be adaptable and to work effectively with the Chief Officer to ensure the successful growth of the service.
We are mid-cycle in a funding tranche from the National Lottery Fund and have recently recruited a new Chief Officer to take the organisation into the next phase of growth in scope of services and further integration with regional organisations that complement our services. The challenge for a new Chair will be leadership of strategy with our Board, which currently comprises eight other trustees, some of whom are themselves sight-impaired.
More information can be found at https://www.sightsupportryedale.org/.
A suitable candidate will need to bring experience in a leadership role, preferably within a regulated environment, such as the healthcare, financial or manufacturing sector.
Good communication skills are required, together with the ability to coordinate the contributions from other trustees with a variety of lived experience and local knowledge.
Most important of all is a passion for helping people to reach their full potential, working with the Chief Officer and the Board to bring a systems-based approach to an organisation that is moving towards accreditation to quality standards.
Sight Support Ryedale is an established organisation with plans to enhance our services. We have a wide reach in the beautiful Ryedale area of North Yorkshire. A volunteer in this post can expect to enjoy the satisfaction of helping a range of members with varying needs in this exceptional, largely rural, community, by preventing social isolation, leading public awareness of the special needs of the sight-impaired, and becoming an integral part of an established and friendly team.
Please apply through Reach in the first instance. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete our additional application form.
