Trustee Role Profile – Treasurer

We are currently at a very early stage in our development, but are looking to make fast progress to make our projects viable and help as many families as soon as we can.  We are looking to launch our initial parent services of psychotherapeutic support in the home and in closed parent groups in the coming months.  This will be aimed at giving parents the critical understanding of how to create and nurture nourishing trust-based relationships with their autistic children, which is the surest but often unrecognised foundation for them to be able to unleash their full potential.

To that end, we are creating a team of capable and dedicated volunteers to ensure our success. A credible Trustee Board will be absolutely critical to this, and we are right at the start of the process of building this.

A credible and committed Treasurer with a great understanding of the sector and how best to optimise our financial processes will be a central part of this board.

We have a strong set of values that define our culture, and which we strive to adhere to at all times. They are based around the themes of Unconditional Respect, Courage and Purpose. There are more details on these here.

The Person and the Role

As we are at a very early stage in our life as a charity and are looking to set up a working Trustee Board for the first time.  As such, our Board needs to be an operational rather than a purely governing one for this initial period, which, together with the CEO, will be the engine driving the establishment of the charity – being seen internally and externally as active charity leaders, pushing things forward, opening doors and being actively and enthusiastically involved in the development and execution of initiatives.

We are looking for people to serve as Trustees who:

• are deeply passionate about our charity’s mission and values (perhaps with a personal connection to autism)
• can bring experience, specialist skills and a strong relevant network (at least one person should have strong understanding/experience of how to set up a charity board and make it successful
• have the availability and commitment to actively and energetically drive the charity forwards

This makes the opportunity an exciting and potentially very rewarding one for Trustees who like the sound of this, as they will be truly at the heart of turning our important mission into a reality, building a culture with our values at the centre, and establishing ourselves as a credible force offering real value to society.

It would be ideal if most or all of our Board is within travelling distance of London to make it possible to meet when needed, though we will consider other arrangements for exceptional candidates from further afield.  Our charity is based in TW13, though currently with no offices.

Trustee Duties

Alongside this involvement, Trustees should become familiar with the Six Essential Trustee Duties as defined by the Government (their full Essential Trustee Guide is here), and perform the following standard Trustee responsibilities:

Main Responsibilities:

• To maintain and champion the charity’s mission and values.
• To ensure that Transforming Autism has robust governance and policies and complies at all times with its governing document, charity law, and any other relevant legislation or regulations.
• To maintain proper financial control and ensure that Transforming Autism applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objectives.
• To develop strategy and provide informed strategic leadership and direction, setting overall policy, defining goals and monitoring performance and working closely and collaboratively with the Executive to refine and improve operations.
• To ensure accountability
• To support the operational management of the organisation
• To adequately monitor and manage risk
• To safeguard the good name and values of Transforming Autism
• To establish, maintain and continually improve Board performance and ensure the effective and efficient administration of the charity
• To live and act by Transforming Autism’s values and ensure that they are at the heart of the charity at all levels
• To promote Transforming Autism as enthusiastic ambassadors and act exclusively in the best interests of the charity.
• To be aware of the charity’s safeguarding responsibilities and ensure it is compliant
• To be sure to be fully and robustly informed about any decisions or considerations that the Board engages in, including any necessary preparation
• To be responsive and proactive in relation to charity-related communications.

Next Steps

If you would like to apply to become a Trustee, please submit the following to jobs@transformingautism.org (also use this address if you have any questions or need further information):

• A full CV, tailored to this application
• A Cover Letter outlining why you are applying, what you can bring and any connection to autism that you may have (if applicable)
• An indication of what sort of availability you have to discuss this further

The Recruitment Process

The recruitment process will consist of the following steps:

• An informal initial call with a recruiter
• A questionnaire
• The option of an informal conversation with the CEO
• A final interview with 2 members of the Board and the CEO

If successful, there will follow a probation period of 6 months, during which you will function as a Trustee, but will not formally be listed with the Charity Commission as a Trustee.

The Transforming Autism Project is dedicated to helping create a world where all people are valued and treated according to their inner essential humanity rather than according to the many labels that each of us could wear (or that could be attached to us). We are thus naturally an equal opportunities organisation.