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Board Trainee Programme — bpha, in partnership with the Housing Diversity Network
Are you interested in how organisations like bpha are run, and curious about what it would take to sit on a board yourself one day? This programme is designed to help you find out.
We're looking for people from a wide range of backgrounds: bpha tenants with direct experience of our services, professionals building their careers who want early exposure to governance, and people from communities currently underrepresented on housing boards. What we are looking for is a genuine interest in housing and communities, a willingness to learn, and the ability to commit to the programme over two years.
What is this?
We've partnered with the Housing Diversity Network (HDN) to run a two-year learning, development and mentoring programme that opens up board-level leadership to people who are currently underrepresented in that space. Housing association boards, like most boards, don't yet reflect the communities they serve, and this programme is bpha's and HDN's practical response to that gap — a structured route from having no board experience to being ready to apply for a role.
What You'll Actually Do
You'll attend real board and committee meetings across the bpha group, gaining a close-up view of how decisions are actually made. You'll be paired with an experienced board member as your buddy, who will help you understand the papers, think through what questions are worth asking, and build the confidence to contribute. You'll have the opportunity to ask questions, share your perspective, and get properly involved rather than simply observing.
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Alongside your time with bpha, you'll join HDN's national Board Trainee Programme, learning alongside people on the same journey at other housing associations — building both your skills and a wider network in the sector.
Where this leads: our aim is that, by the end of the programme, you have the skills, confidence and evidence of experience to apply for a full Board Member role — at bpha or wherever your path takes you next.
Time commitment
About
This is a genuine commitment, and we want to be upfront about what it involves. Each year of the two-year programme, you'll be expected to attend:
- Four training events
- Six mentor meetings
- Four support meetings
- HDN's Board Excellence Certification Programme (currently delivered online as 12 x two-hour sessions)
- Preparation for, and observation of, up to 10 Board and Committee meetings
What You'll Receive
£2,000 per year, plus reasonable expenses, in recognition of your time and commitment to the programme.
What do we ask of you?
- Attend board and committee meetings regularly, having read the papers beforehand
- Engage fully with the HDN Board Trainee Programme
- Take part in the learning and development activities bpha organises for you
- Work with our Governance Team to feed your experience and feedback back to the Board
- Represent bpha appropriately in this role
- Uphold and promote bpha's core policies, purpose, values and commitment to equal opportunities
- Contribute to a positive culture within the Board and its committees
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About Bpha
bpha is a leading Housing Association in the Oxford to Cambridge arc, providing high-quality, affordable homes and services. We own or manage over 19,500 properties and reinvest all income into improving homes, building new ones, and supporting communities. Our vision is to build places where people can live happily in homes they can afford, guided by value that shape everything we do.
Benefits
We believe that benefits should be more than just perks. For us, they aren’t simply little extras added on at the end, they’re fundamental parts of what we stand for, from the very beginning. As standard.
That’s why at bpha, we reward our employees by making sure we give them a supportive and caring environment, that empowers them to be happy, healthy and inspired, every day.
Our full benefits offering can be found here: https://www.bpha.org.uk/about-us/bpha-colleague-benefits/139/
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