VAS (Voluntary Action Sheffield)
Treasurer for Voluntary Action Sheffield - Volunteer
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Role Overview
We're seeking a new Treasurer with the relevant skills and expertise (professional, academic, and/or lived) to provide operational and strategic support around finances as we develop our new business model and future ways of working.
What Difference Will You Make?
We’re proud to have been at the heart of our community for almost 100 years, championing the incredible work of the voluntary and community sector. The contribution of our trustees is invaluable in ensuring the sustainability of this work, and you would be essential in helping us navigate decisions about current and future work, directly influencing the route to making our vision for Sheffield a reality. In your role as treasurer, this will primarily involve helping us develop our financial strategy to future-proof the financial viability of our work.
A Word from Our Current Treasurer
"VAS is at the heart of the community and voluntary sectors in Sheffield and is becoming an increasingly influential partner in the city. As a Trustee and Treasurer, it's been great to see this develop first hand over the past ten years and to get to know some of the people who make such a difference. I'll be sorry to leave the VAS Board - but good governance means Trustees shouldn't stick around too long. It's healthy to regularly have new Trustees join - bringing different perspectives, skills and experience - so I reluctantly accept that it's time for me to go!
If you're a qualified accountant, I can highly recommend this as a really rewarding role - either for someone older who is looking to use their experience to "give back", or a younger person who is looking for a great personal development opportunity. I've often seen the idea that the "finance bits" can be delegated to the treasurer - and other trustees thinking it's ok to switch off from finance. However, it's not the responsibility of just the treasurer - all trustees are equally responsible for the finances - so as VAS Treasurer, it would be your role to guide other trustees and support the team on finance and governance matters and provide constructive challenge where necessary."
Development Opportunities
- CPD opportunities
- Reimbursement of expenses
- Induction and mentoring
What Are We Looking For?
We are ambitious and optimistic – we love Sheffield and want it to be a great and welcoming city. Our values reflect what we believe will help achieve this:
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- Equity and Social Justice
- Trust and Mutual Respect
- Partnership
- The value within people, communities and the VCF-SE
While there is much to celebrate, we recognise that support and services do not work for all people within our communities. We recognise inequalities maintain poverty and injustice, and we work to address not just the symptoms but the systems which continue inequalities. We work for positive change led by communities, change that really matters to local people. To summarise, VAS ACTS for social change.
- We are Ambitious
- We make Connections
- We do it Together
- We build Strength
Qualifications and Qualities
As a candidate for Treasurer, you will not only align yourself with our values and behaviours, but you will also have the following experience and/or qualities:
- Be a qualified accountant – you may be formally qualified, taking your exams, or able to provide strong evidence of being qualified by experience.
- Have a thorough understanding of the intersection of governance and finance, and how systems, culture, and processes contribute to robust financial governance.
- Have a balanced strategic and operational outlook – you must be able to think in a systems-focused, holistic manner, but also with accuracy and attention to detail.
- Hold in-depth knowledge of risk management and assurance in the context of our small finance team as this requires greater mindfulness of risks and subsequent controls.
- It may be advantageous to have experience of charities accounts, but this is not essential and presents an opportunity to learn about this if not.
- Be engaged and committed, e.g., the ability to invest time in and consistently attend activities requiring the Treasurer’s presence.
- Be team-oriented and personable.
- Be curious and have a continual willingness to learn.
- Conduct yourself in accordance with the seven principles of public life created by the Nolan Committee.
Please note that you do not need all of these things to apply - we provide an induction and mentoring for new trustees.
Responsibilities
Our Board is responsible for maintaining a strategic overview of the work of VAS, making key decisions to ensure the organization delivers its mission successfully. We are undergoing a period of transition at VAS as we implement our strategy, so it is more important than ever for the Board to be able to support our staff not only operationally, but also strategically.
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Currently comprised of eight members, we are looking to recruit at least four new trustees to our Board, including a Treasurer. As part of our last round of recruitment, we put effort into increasing the diversity of our Board so that the trustees are representative of the city they are serving. As a result, our Board has moved towards a more balanced proportion of young, working-age members and individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds. We hope to continue this trend and encourage candidates from under-represented backgrounds to apply – if there is anything we can do to support you in this process, please let us know.
In addition to your role as a trustee, the Treasurer will be expected to:
- Work closely with our Head of Finance, including attending a regular monthly check-in.
- Engage with operational financial activities like monitoring the VAS budget, providing advice to the Executive team as needed, and remaining sighted on potential financial risks.
- Work with the finance team to ensure that good policies and procedures are in place.
- Liaise with auditors for the annual accounts.
- Report back about our financial activities at the Annual General Meeting.
- Support VAS to develop a clear, long-term financial strategy, and ensure that all trustees and senior management are sighted on this.
- Be a member of and fulfil chairing responsibilities for the Audit & Risk sub-committee.
- Support and encourage other trustees to engage in finance through developing their peers’ understanding.
Expected Time Commitment
- 5.75 hours of meetings per quarter (broken down as one 3-hour Board meeting, and one 2.75-hour Audit & Risk sub-committee), plus a one-hour budget meeting in March.
- Half a day per annum for the VAS Annual General Meeting.
- Preparation for meetings – this will depend on required contribution (e.g., reading and understanding papers may take an hour per meeting, but at times you may also be required to write papers, for example, draft financial policies).
- 1 hour per month to meet regularly with our Head of Finance.
- Additional hours during periods such as the audit, writing of accounts, and policy development and review.
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