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Independent Chair: Creative Futures - Volunteer
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Job Title
We connect further education students across the South West with creative careers. Our Arts Council England funded work is moving into delivery and we need an independent Chair to join our board, bring challenge, and help us build governance that stands up to scrutiny.
What difference will you make?
Creative Futures South West CIC is moving from a funded development phase into delivery. This is the point where the governance needs to be right, and we are strengthening the board before the programme scales rather than after.
You would give us three things.
Independent challenge
Someone in the room whose reputation is not tied to the project succeeding, who can ask why a figure is what it is and press on the answer. Two founders who believe in something need that, and cannot provide it for each other.
Resilience
A third director means governance continues if either founder is unavailable, and that decisions do not depend on two people being in agreement.
Credibility with funders
Grant panels assess organisational risk in new CICs, and a board with an independent chair reads very differently. It also opens funding routes that require three directors, which we cannot currently access.
The wider impact is on the young people we exist for. The South West has a strong creative economy and a large pipeline of talent coming through further education, but access to creative careers still depends heavily on postcode and personal networks. Learners in rural and coastal communities face travel costs and distance that decide whether they take part. We are building the regional infrastructure to change that, anchored in Bristol with satellite and digital activity so geography is not the deciding factor.
What are we looking for?
Essential
Independent judgement and the confidence to challenge constructively
You will be comfortable chairing or contributing to meetings where views differ, ensuring that disagreement leads to clear, properly considered decisions. We are looking for someone who can support two committed founders while also asking difficult questions and providing objective challenge when required.
You must be independent of both founders. This means having no current or anticipated paid supplier relationship with the CIC, no financial interest in either founder’s work, and no close family or household connection to either founder. This independence is particularly important because it will enable you to participate in decisions where a founder has declared an interest.
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Desirable
Board Or Trustee Experience
Experience of serving on a board or governing body in any sector would be valuable. You do not need to have chaired a board previously, but you should understand how effective boards operate, how valid decisions are made and what should be formally recorded in minutes.
Financial and funding oversight
You do not need to be an accountant, but you should be comfortable reviewing financial information, including management accounts, budgets and grant conditions. You should be able to identify inconsistencies, ask appropriate questions and satisfy yourself that funds are being used and recorded correctly.
Relevant Knowledge And Experience
We would welcome one or more of the following
- An interest in further education, creative careers or regional development
- Knowledge of community interest companies, or a willingness to understand how CIC governance differs from charity governance
- Experience of supporting an organisation as it moves from development and planning into delivery
- Connections across the South West cultural, education or business sectors
Above all, we are seeking someone who will use their independence thoughtfully and confidently. We are recruiting an additional director to strengthen scrutiny, decision-making and accountability, not simply to approve decisions already made.
What We Will Provide
You will receive a structured induction and the information needed to contribute meaningfully from the outset. During your first fortnight, we will provide
- The CIC’s Articles of Association and our review of them
- Current governance and financial procedures
- Registers of interests and commissioned work
- An overview of the CIC’s current financial position
- Our Arts Council England application and related correspondence
We will review these materials with you and answer any questions so that you can begin providing informed support and challenge from the start.
Practical Requirements
You must be
- Willing to be appointed as a statutory company director and admitted as a member of the CIC
- Eligible to act as a company director and not subject to any relevant insolvency restrictions
- Able to complete the required Companies House identity verification
- Available for monthly board meetings and, during the mobilisation phase, occasional urgent written decisions
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What will you be doing?
Creative Futures South West CIC is a community interest company connecting 16 to 19 year old creative learners in further education with creative employers, cultural organisations and progression routes. We work with 15 college groups covering 20 colleges and more than 20 arts and cultural partners. Our feasibility phase was funded by Arts Council England and we are now moving into delivery.
We are currently governed by two founder directors. We are looking for an independent Chair to join us as a third director, in a non-executive capacity.
What You Would Do
- Chair board meetings, set the agenda with the founders, and make sure decisions are properly recorded
- Vote on decisions where a founder has a financial interest, so that nobody approves their own payment. You would be one of the two unconflicted directors that makes those decisions valid
- Review our interests register, our commission records and the monthly finance pack, and ask the difficult questions
- Support us on risk, funder accountability and organisational resilience
- Contribute to the appointment and induction of our volunteer Treasurer
What You Would Not Do
- Deliver the programme, manage freelancers, or run day to day operations
- Keep the books or operate the bank account, which is the Treasurer's role
- Supply any paid services to us, because independence means what it says
Terms, stated plainly
This is an unpaid appointment as a statutory company director, so your name and your month and year of birth would appear on the public register at Companies House, and you would take on directors' duties under the Companies Act 2006. You would also be admitted as a member of the company, which in a company limited by guarantee means guaranteeing a nominal amount, usually one pound. Reasonable expenses are reimbursed against receipts. Initial term of twelve months, reviewed by agreement.
Appointment is subject to two references, Companies House identity verification, and confirmation that you are not disqualified from acting as a director and hold no financial interest in either founder's contracts.
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