Secretary of the Board of Trustees

What will you be doing?

The organisation is an incorporated charity (registered no. 1198321) which manages An Lac House in Cambridge (CB1), providing supported housing and extra care services to 10 older Vietnamese, or those with a disability. 

We are a member of the nationwide Abbeyfield Society which provides support, guidance and training when required.

An Lac House is also a focus for the wider Vietnamese Community, organising regular cultural, religious and social events, hosting visits by Vietnamese from other cities, and offering drop-in events for guests from the local community. It is very much a place for all things Vietnamese, and is the only service of its kind in the UK. 

Until last year, the charity operated as a community benefit society called Abbeyfield Cambridgeshire Vietnamese Society, which was established in 1993.  Abbeyfield An Lac Community is governed by a Board of Trustees, which has both Vietnamese and English members.  The House has an excellent team of four part-time staff who are accountable to the Board, which offers supervision and guidance.

What are we looking for?

The Secretary will have the following responsibilities:

• Organise and coordinate Board meetings (generally held bi-monthly)
• Compile and circulate trustee meeting agendas and minutes
• Maintain lists of agreed actions from trustee meetings and communicate with trustees between meetings to ensure progress is made. 
• Ensure that the Board meets all requirements of the Charity Commission 
• Attend meetings with local councils and other stakeholders

Essential skills/experience:

• Organisational skills 
• Communication and writing skills 
• Ability to work collaboratively with the other Trustees
• Excellent in interpersonal skills
• a degree of flexibility in your schedule
• Trustee or governance experience 

What difference will you make?

We are looking for an enthusiastic person with the right qualities to help steer An Lac House towards a bright future over the coming years.  Candidates who can offer experience in one of the following areas would be particularly welcome: human resources, marketing & publicity, or financial & strategic planning.  We also require a new Trustees of the Board.