Chair of the Trust Board

Join Us as Chair of the Trust Board at RAISE Education Trust!

Are you a visionary leader passionate about education and making a real difference in the lives of young people?

RAISE Education Trust is seeking an exceptional individual to serve as our Chair of the Trust Board. This is a unique opportunity to provide strategic leadership, set the highest standards of governance, and guide our trust towards achieving its ambitious goals.

About RAISE Education Trust:

RAISE Education Trust is committed to providing outstanding education and creating a supportive and inspiring learning environment for all students. We strive for excellence in all aspects of our work and are dedicated to continuous improvement.

Role Overview:

As Chair of the Trust Board, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of the trust, ensuring accountability, and fostering a culture of excellence. You will lead the board in setting and championing a clear strategy that aligns with our charitable objects and aspirations for growth. You will also be the key link between the trustees and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and senior team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide visionary strategic leadership and set the overall direction for the trust.
• Lead the board in setting risk appetite and tolerance.
• Build a strong, professional relationship with the CEO and provide support and oversight.
• Chair board meetings, ensuring effective discussion and decision-making.
• Ensure the trust is compliant with regulatory frameworks and legal requirements.
• Lead the performance review of the board and its committees.
• Promote and foster a supportive working relationship between the board, staff, and stakeholders.
• Oversee educational and financial oversight and hold executive leaders to account.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Significant experience in a leadership role within an educational or similar organisation.
• Strong understanding of governance and accountability.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think strategically and provide visionary leadership.
• Knowledge of national and regional educational priorities.

Appointment and Term:

• The Chair shall be elected each Summer term, unless a vacancy arises before that date, from among the members of the Trust Board.
• A person shall be ineligible for appointment to Chair of the Trust Board if the relevant individual does not pass the ESFA Academy Trust Chair suitability check.
• A trustee who is employed by the Trust is not eligible for election as Chair.
• The Chair may resign his or her office at any time by giving notice to the Governance Professional.

How to Apply:

If you are interested in this exciting opportunity and believe you have the skills and experience to excel in this role, please complete this application form.

Join us in shaping the future of education at RAISE Education Trust!

Job Title: Chair of the Trust Board

Organisation: RAISE Education Trust

Role Overview:

The Chair of the Trust Board plays a vital role in setting the highest expectations for professional standards of governance and accountability and providing confident, visionary strategic leadership to the trust. They lead by example, setting the tone from the top. They are the key link between the trustees, with legal and strategic responsibility for the trust, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and senior team who are responsible for day-to-day operations. The Chair leads on setting and championing a clear strategy that aligns with the trust's charitable objects, covers all pillars of trust quality, and sets out its aspirations for growth over time.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership:

• Setting and championing a clear strategy that aligns with the trust's charitable objects.
• Providing visionary strategic leadership to the trust.
• Leading the board in setting risk appetite and tolerance.
• Knowledge of national and regional educational priorities and the implications for the board and the trust.
• Ability to think strategically about the future direction of the trust and identify steps needed to achieve goals.
• Providing effective leadership of organisational change, even when difficult.
• Ensuring meaningful engagement with stakeholders to inform decision-making.

Working with the CEO:

• Building a professional relationship with the CEO that allows for honest conversations.
• Meeting regularly (normally monthly) with the CEO.
• Ensuring transparent and effective processes for CEO recruitment and induction.
• Overseeing and participating in the CEO's appraisal.
• Ensuring the workload and wellbeing of executive leaders is considered.
• Playing a lead role in any decision to suspend the CEO.

Board Leadership:

• Leading board meetings in a way that embodies the culture, values, and ethos of the trust.
• Ensuring different perspectives, viewpoints, and dissenting voices are properly taken into account and recorded.
• Ensuring the board seeks guidance from executive leaders and the trust's governance professional before committing to significant or controversial courses of action.
• Enabling the board to work as an effective team by developing strong working relationships between trustees.
• Leading performance review of the board and its committees.
• Having open and honest conversations with board members about their performance and development needs.

Accountability and Compliance:

• Setting high expectations for conduct and behaviour for all those in governance.
• Ensuring the board is compliant with the regulatory frameworks for governance and charity and company law.
• Leading by example to avoid, declare, and manage conflicts of interest.
• Ability to lead on effective, purposeful, and developmental management of the accounting officer.

People Management:

• Understanding the importance of succession planning to the ongoing effectiveness of both the board and the trust.
• Ensuring new trustees are helped to understand their non-executive leadership role.
• Promoting and fostering a supportive working relationship between the board, clerk/governance professional, executive leaders, staff, and external stakeholders.

Educational and Financial Oversight:

• Ability to understand and promote the importance of data interrogation to hold executive leaders to account.
• Ability to ensure the board holds executive leaders to account for financial and business management.
• Confident in providing strategic leadership to the board during periods of scrutiny.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Experience in a leadership role within an educational or similar organisation.
• Strong understanding of governance and accountability.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think strategically and provide visionary leadership.
• Knowledge of national and regional educational priorities.

Appointment and Term:

• The Chair shall be elected each Summer term, unless a vacancy arises before that date, from among the members of the Trust Board.
• A person shall be ineligible for appointment to Chair of the Trust Board if the relevant individual does not pass the ESFA Academy Trust Chair suitability check.
• A trustee who is employed by the Trust is not eligible for election as Chair.
• The Chair may resign his or her office at any time by giving notice to the Governance Professional.