Chair of the Board (Volunteer) - Volunteer

As Chair, you'll bring experience, perspective and sound judgement, but just as importantly, you'll bring curiosity. Much of OVOJ's work starts by listening. We spend a lot of time understanding what young people, parents and practitioners are experiencing, looking for the patterns, barriers and opportunities that others might miss. We'd love to find a Chair who values that approach and can help us continue growing without losing what makes us different.

You may already have experience as a Chair, or you may be an experienced trustee looking to take that next step. We're open to both. What matters most is your ability to provide support and challenge in equal measure and help guide the organisation through the next stage of its development.

We'd particularly welcome people with experience in areas such as violence prevention, youth work, education, safeguarding, community development, public health, social justice, organisational growth or governance. Experience of building partnerships, securing funding or helping organisations navigate change would also be valuable.

We know better decisions are made when different voices and experiences are around the table. We're especially keen to hear from people whose lived experience, professional expertise or personal perspective could strengthen the diversity of our Board and help us better reflect the communities we serve.

Ultimately, we're looking for someone who believes prevention matters, understands that there's rarely a single answer to complex issues, and wants to help create the conditions for lasting change. Someone who can help us stay ambitious, stay grounded and keep young people's voices at the heart of what comes next.

Hybrid

What will you be doing?

We're looking for a Chair who can help guide OVOJ through an exciting stage of growth and development.

Since launching, we've grown quickly, building partnerships across Wales and beyond, developing nationally recognised resources, creating practitioner networks and working alongside thousands of young people, parents and professionals. As our reach and influence continue to grow, we're looking for someone who can help us strengthen our governance, provide strategic oversight and support us to navigate this next chapter with confidence.

Our Board is made up of people who care deeply about creating safer, more equitable communities and ensuring that young people's voices are heard. We have a positive and supportive culture, where people are encouraged to ask questions, offer challenge and bring fresh perspectives. We are now looking for a Chair who can help us build on those foundations.

The Chair will work closely with our Founder and Managing Director, helping to shape the strategic direction of the organisation while ensuring strong governance and effective Board leadership. They will support the Board to make informed decisions, maintain oversight of risk and organisational performance, and create an environment where trustees can contribute their skills and experience effectively.

Over the next few years, we expect to make several important decisions about growth, sustainability and how we maximise our impact. This includes developing larger strategic partnerships, increasing our reach across Wales, growing our portfolio of commissioned work and securing longer-term funding that allows us to build on what we've learned so far.

What makes this role particularly exciting is that OVOJ is still young enough for a Chair to genuinely shape its future direction. Many of the resources, networks and approaches we use today started as conversations with young people, parents and practitioners. We're committed to continuing that approach, listening carefully, responding to what we're hearing and building practical solutions that create lasting change.

We're not looking for someone to simply oversee meetings. We're looking for someone who believes that prevention matters, understands the power of lived experience, and wants to help a youth-led organisation translate insight into action.

This is an opportunity to work alongside an ambitious team, a passionate Board and a growing network of partners who are committed to breaking cycles of harm and helping create safer futures for the next generation.