Job Description
Trustee to provide subject matter expertise and challenge to the Board on its approach to community and international development. Will potentially chair the new Community Development Fundraising and Project Management sub-committee.
Hours: Five Board meetings a year (usually 5pm start) plus annual Strategy Workshop (Saturday)
Community Development Fundraising and Project Management sub-committee: frequency of meetings to be established; ad hoc work equivalent to an average of 2-5 days per month.
Charity location: Karibuni Children, Stoke Mandeville Methodist Church, Eskdale Road, Stoke Mandeville, Bucks HP22 5UJ
The Context
Karibuni Children is a UK registered charity which operates exclusively in Kenya. Our mission is to transform young Kenyan lives through education, empowering each child to fulfil their potential and release themselves from the cycle of poverty.
The charity has an annual turnover of about £300,000 and presently supports 9 partner projects, each locally managed in Kenya. In the UK the charity is run principally by volunteers, a full time UK Operations Manager and a part time assistant.
Currently, we support approximately 700 children from the poorest of backgrounds throughout their education from Nursery school to Tertiary education.
Having been founded 28 years ago, we have many tangible examples of children who we have helped to successfully complete their education, and who are now economically independent and are supporting their wider family and community.
The Role
Notwithstanding the success of the charity to date, we are now looking to recruit a Trustee who has proven community and international development experience who can help the Board to shift the focus of the charity’s strategy and operating model, in order to better align to our stated vision:
“To create a sustainable environment where every supported child, their family unit and local community has the opportunity to be self-sufficient.”
In order to achieve this, we believe that we need to have a greater focus on:
- the sustainability of partner projects in Kenya so that they are less dependent on funding from Karibuni Children
- addressing the economic empowerment of the wider family unit and community.
Key Responsibilities:
- Bringing your expertise and experience to the development and implementation of our charity’s strategy, ensuring that it is in line with our mission and values, and that it aligns with best practice in sustainable development and community ownership.
- Providing guidance and oversight to the charity’s operations in Kenya, ensuring that our programmes are designed, delivered and monitored effectively, with the involvement and ownership of the local communities we work with.
- Ensuring that our work is evidence-based, and that monitoring and evaluation systems are in place to measure our impact, and to learn from our successes and failures.
- Supporting the charity in strengthening our relationships with local and international partners and donors, and in building networks and alliances that can help us to achieve our goals more effectively.
- Representing the charity at events and meetings, including meetings with donors and partners, and promoting the charity’s work to a wider audience.
- Being an ambassador for the charity and promoting its values, mission, and work in the local community and beyond.
In their role as a Trustee, the successful candidate will need to have the following:
- Understanding and empathy with Karibuni Children’s vision, mission and values.
- Understanding, or commitment to acquire an understanding, of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trustees of a UK charity. Acceptance of these duties, responsibilities and liabilities, and a commitment to operate within them.
- Good, independent judgment and the ability to operate at a strategic level.
- The ability to work collaboratively and lead colleagues through a period of change
- An ability and willingness to work as a part of a team and to support the staff and volunteer team
- Significant experience in senior roles in the international development charity sector, with a proven track record of designing and implementing sustainable development programmes, with strong community ownership.
- A deep understanding of the principles and practices of community ownership and participatory development.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to represent the charity in a professional and engaging way, and to build strong relationships with donors, partners, and communities.
In making appointments to our Board, we are looking for Trustees who will enrich our governance by bringing different perspectives and experiences as well as enhancing the diverse nature of our team.
To apply: Please send us a cover letter and CV explaining how your skills and experience are relevant to this post.