As the patient voice in the campaign for equitable access to NHS fertility treatment in the UK we co-chair campaign group Fertility Fairness, and ensure that the issues which matter to patients are heard by politicians, policy-makers and health commissioners. We work with the media and use social media to raise public awareness of all aspects of fertility issues. Our education project (presently only in Scotland) raises awareness of the importance of fertility education in protecting and maintaining future fertility and highlights some practical steps young people can take to help protect their future fertility. This year, we have started to highlight the impact of Fertility in the Workplace. Through a small group of staff and volunteers, we provide a network of support groups both locally and online and access to a helpline for support, which includes the opportunity to speak with a fertility nurse.
We have come to a time of board change and are seeking to recruit a new Chair to provide leadership and direction to the Board of Trustees and enable to Board to fulfil its responsibilities for the overall governance and strategic direction of the organisation.
About The Role
The Chair will provide leadership and direction to the Board of Trustees to enable the Board to fulfil their responsibilities for the overall governance and strategic direction of the organisation. They will ensure that the organisation pursues its objects as defined in its governance document, charity law, company law and other relevant legislation/regulations.
A key responsibility will be to hold the Board and Chief Executive to account for the Charity’s mission andvision, providing inclusive leadership to the Board of Trustees, ensuring that each fulfils their duties and responsibilities for the effective governance of the charity. This includes leading the trustees and executive in developing, shaping and delivering the strategy for the future. The Chair will also support, and where appropriate, challenge the Chief Executive helping them to achieve the aims of the organisation and optimising the relationship between the Board of Trustees and all employees and volunteers. They will work in partnership with the Chief Executive acting as an ambassador and the public face of the charity.
The role requires someone who embodies our values and is willing and able to represent the charity at events and with stakeholders and act as a champion and advocate for the needs and views of our service users. As with all charities the greatest challenge we face is ensuring our financial future. Ideally the successful candidate will have social and/or business networks they are willing to use to help further our ambitions, have strong interpersonal and communication skills, and be able to challenge. Skills and experience in fundraising and income generation would also be of great value.
The board has recently expanded and so this is a great time to opportunity to an enthusiastic new team. We want our board of trustees to represent our community, so we’d love to hear from applicants from all agesand backgrounds. We are looking for our future Chair to be someone who can lead building the board team and developing them as well as succession planning and recruiting new members.
This is an unremunerated role. What we can offer is a role which is fascinating and immensely rewarding –working with a dynamic and committed Board. It is a great opportunity to help create the future and make the journey of dealing with fertility challenges easier not only today but for future generations.
For an application pack please see below.
If you would like an informal discussion about this role, please contact the acting Chair of the Board via office@fertilitynetworkuk.org.