The Role of Trustee

The Canal & River Trust is led on a day-to-day basis by the Executive and is governed by the Board of Trustees, who provide, among other things, significant strategic and governance counsel to the Executive. Trustees play a vital role in supporting and empowering the Executive through their independent expertise.

Our trustees are unpaid board directors, taking collective decisions on policy and strategy and providing oversight of the executive team.
We have 11 trustees, and they are legally responsible for overseeing the work towards our charitable objectives. One of our longstanding Trustees comes to the end of their term later this year (Sir Chris Kelly) and we are seeking an exceptional individual to join the Board and continue to uphold the vital and broad work of the Trust.

The role of the Board of Trustees is to hold the Trust “in trust” for current and future beneficiaries, in line with its charitable objects by:

• Ensuring that the Trust has a clear vision, mission and strategic direction and is focused on achieving these;
• Being responsible for the performance of the Trust and for its ‘corporate behaviour’ and ensuring that it retains its ethos and values;
• Ensuring that the Trust complies with legal and regulatory requirements;
• Acting as the guardian of the Trust’s assets, both tangible and intangible, taking all due care over their security, deployment, and proper application;
• Ensuring that the Trust’s governance is of the highest possible standard; and
• Agreeing the Trust’s performance targets for the Chief Executive (and Executive Directors) and holding them to account.

Person Spesification

Given the scale and wide scope of the Trust’s work, we are interested in candidates who would offer a breadth of perspective and expertise to the Board.
We are particularly interested in hearing from candidates from diverse backgrounds and from those with a passion and enthusiasm for canals and their
benefits for nature, for heritage, and for people.

Candidates will likely be able to demonstrate:

• Demonstrable experience of supporting large and complex organisations through change and transformation;
• Commercial and business acumen, and the ability to identify and pursue opportunities for income generation and diversification;
• Analytical skills, and the ability to critically engage with organisational information, including financial data;
• An appreciation of the responsibilities of a Trustee, with the capacity to support through challenge, to work in a collegiate and constructive manner
  alongside fellow Trustees and senior management;
• Capability as a team player, approachable and participative;
• Agility and capacity to operate effectively in an organisation with a broad remit, at significant national scale;
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to build and sustain relationships with a broad range of partners, stakeholders and interest groups; prior experience of operating in a broad and complex stakeholder landscape;
• Sufficient time and interest to participate in the work of the Board and to engage with the work of the Trust as an active ambassador and advocate.

Our community of around 35,000 boaters makes a vital contribution to the quality of our waterways, and we would welcome interest from candidates with boating experience or who have a passion for our waterways.

We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and experience. Only by becoming more diverse and ensuring that everyone who works here or
volunteers with us can be themselves, can we unlock our full potential, achieve greater impact, and earn the confidence, trust, and advocacy of those that use the waterways.

Prior non-executive experience is not a prerequisite for the position; we encourage applications from those who are currently in their executive careers who can demonstrate a strong understanding of the role of a Trustee.

To Apply

please submit a CV and covering letter, detailing how you fulfil the role description and personal specification to https:// plusportal.perrettlaver.com/ quoting reference 8330.