At a glance

Skills

Governance
Public speaking
Strategic development and planning
Change management
General / operations management

Where

Portsmouth, PO1 4BT

Mainly at the office

Travel limit? No specific limit, though knowledge of Portsmouth area important.

Time

Either in or out of office hours Estimate of time needed:
1-3 hours / week Telephone /online contact 1hr a week during office hours. Offsite 1-2 hrs a week anytime. In person 3 hrs every 2 months evening board meeting.

Deadline

01 Jul 2025

Visitors from Fifth Day

Welcome to Reach Volunteering. We are a community and registered charity that connects people, skills and good causes.

To apply for this role, and any other on our platform, you need to be based in the UK, have at least three years of experience using the skills you wish to volunteer in a professional capacity or have lived experience (for trustee roles). Read more about our criteria.

A unique opportunity to champion positive social change and join our organisation as we deliver our vital services to refugees and people seeking asylum.

What will you be doing?

The Deputy Chair will work closely with the Chair, Trustee board and Client Services Manager to ensure the charity runs according to its statutory obligations and constitution. We are looking for someone who has excellent leadership skills, experience of strategy and governance and is passionate about the needs of refugees and people seeking asylum.

Key Responsibilities

Contribute to the strategic vision of the charity
Work with the Chair and Trustees to steer the strategic development of the charity
Support the Chair in ensuring strong governance, legal compliance and risk management
Act as an ambassador to raise the profile of the charity
Coordinate with senior staff to ensure good coordination
Support the Treasurer in budget planning
Facilitate the involvement of beneficiaries with lived experience
Recruit new trustees
Assist with the development of grant applications
Attend trustee meetings and deputise for the Chair as needed

What are we looking for?

Essential Skills

Governance experience and ability to apply strategic management
Experience managing and supporting staff
Inclusive leadership style, good interpersonal skills
Understanding of charity finance and broad understanding of charity regulatory principles
Broad understanding and compassion for the challenges faced by people seeking asylum
Commitment to inclusivity and knowledge of equity, diversity and inclusion principles

What difference will you make?

As we celebrate over 30 years of service, this is an exciting time to join our dedicated and passionate board of trustees as Deputy Chair. We are looking for someone with significant leadership experience to help develop and steer a transformative strategy, consolidating our strengths, diversifying our work and widening our sources of funding. We particularly welcome people with first-hand experience of displacement.

Before you apply

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Rachel McCormick via the Reach platform.

To apply, please send a cv to us via the Reach platform.

About Friends Without Borders

Causes

Refugees / migrants

Organisation type:

Charity

Friends Without Borders (Portsmouth) CIO. The relief of immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees who are suffering hardship or distress or in need, particularly, but not exclusively, in the City of...