Trustee – Programmes & Impact

What will you be doing?

The Duchy Foundation is strengthening its board as it prepares selected programme strands for a more structured, public and formal phase.

The Foundation has developed and delivered programme activity over the past few years, with work spanning education, employability and empowerment. We are now looking for trustees who can help us move carefully from strong programme knowledge into clear, responsible, fundable and well-governed delivery.

Our board is being developed to bring together strategic oversight, practical judgement, constructive challenge and relevant professional experience. We are particularly interested in trustees who can help strengthen one or more areas such as programme development, governance, safeguarding, partnerships, impact, legal, HR, finance, digital systems, education, youth work, family support, heritage or regeneration.

This is not a role for someone who simply wants to attend meetings. We are looking for trustees who are willing to contribute thoughtfully and practically where their experience is relevant, while respecting the Foundation’s existing work, founder-led knowledge and long-term vision.

Depending on background, a trustee may support a board or advisory area linked to education and youth programmes, governance and risk, safeguarding, digital development, impact reporting, partnerships, or heritage and regeneration. The trustee will not be expected to do everything personally, but should be able to help the organisation ask better questions, make sound decisions and develop programmes in a way that is structured, inclusive and sustainable.

This is an opportunity to contribute to a women-led organisation with an unusual blend of practical learning, social mobility, cultural heritage, digital innovation and international-facing work. The role would suit someone who is interested in helping ambitious community and education-led work grow carefully and well.

We will not rush any trustee appointment. The process will include an introductory conversation and further discussion before any formal appointment is considered. In some cases, we may first invite a potential trustee to contribute to a small advisory discussion or scoped task so that both sides can understand fit, working style and alignment.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for trustees with sound judgement, integrity, discretion and a genuine commitment to widening access to opportunity.

The ideal trustee will be thoughtful, reliable and able to contribute strategically without needing to dominate. They should be comfortable offering constructive challenge, asking useful questions and working collaboratively with founders, trustees, advisers and contributors.

Mindset is as important as technical experience. We are interested in people who truly value inclusion, social mobility, practical learning, cultural awareness, different forms of knowledge, lived experience and diversity of access and thought.

Experience in one or more of the following areas would be useful:

• education, schools, youth work or mentoring
• programme design or learning development
• children, families, fostering or safeguarding
• women and girls
• social mobility or community development
• neurodiversity, SEND or inclusive practice
• research, PhD, academia or evaluation
• legal, HR, finance or governance
• AI, digital systems, UX/UI or data
• impact reporting
• heritage, regeneration, architecture or built environment
• international development
• fundraising, philanthropy or partnerships

We do not expect one person to bring all of these skills. We are aiming to build a balanced board with complementary strengths.

Lived experience relevant to social mobility, care, education inequality, family support, neurodiversity, barriers to opportunity or community disadvantage would also be valued, where a person feels comfortable bringing that perspective.

The most important qualities are alignment, discretion, reliability, humility, curiosity, safeguarding awareness or willingness to learn, and the ability to think across both governance and practical delivery.

This role would suit someone who wants to make a meaningful board-level contribution to an organisation with strong programme foundations and a distinctive mix of education, family, heritage, digital and social impact work.

What difference will you make?

This trustee role will help The Duchy Foundation strengthen programmes that support learning, confidence, skills, family stability, social mobility and access to opportunity.

The Foundation’s work is intended to reach children, young people, families, women, students, volunteers and community members who may benefit from clearer pathways into learning, mentoring, creativity, practical experience, cultural connection and future opportunity. Strong trustees will help ensure that these programmes are not only ambitious, but safe, structured, accessible and capable of being delivered responsibly.

A trustee’s contribution will help turn existing programme knowledge and emerging strands into work that can be planned, funded, evaluated and sustained. This may include helping the Foundation shape better programme models, ask the right governance questions, identify risks early, strengthen safeguarding thinking, improve impact measurement and develop partnerships that support meaningful delivery.

Good governance has a direct effect on the people a charity exists to serve. It helps ensure that programmes are thoughtful, inclusive and well organised. It helps volunteers understand their roles, partners understand the offer, funders understand the impact, and participants experience activities that are purposeful and properly supported.

This role will also support the Foundation as it moves towards CIO charity status. Trustees will help create the conditions for responsible growth: clear decision-making, strong values, suitable policies, careful oversight and a board culture that balances ambition with accountability.

The impact of this role will be felt through stronger foundations for education, youth, family, heritage and community-facing work. By contributing their judgement, skills and experience, the trustee will help widen access to opportunities that can build confidence, develop skills, open networks and create long-term positive change.

Before you apply

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an informal online conversation to discuss their experience, interests, values and possible contribution. We may ask for a CV, LinkedIn profile or short statement of interest.

A second conversation may follow where there appears to be a strong match. Before any appointment is made, there will be a mutual discussion around trustee expectations, eligibility, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, time commitment, safeguarding awareness and overall fit.

In some cases, The Duchy Foundation may first invite a potential trustee to contribute to a small advisory discussion or clearly scoped task before a formal trustee appointment is considered. This helps both sides understand working style, judgement, alignment and capacity in a thoughtful and respectful way.

We are looking to build a board that is skilled, collaborative, values-led and able to support the Foundation’s next stage of development carefully and well.