This is an exciting opportunity to shape and influence the development of a new public body: the Scottish Food Commission. It is expected that the Commission will be formally established by mid-2025.
The Scottish Food Commission is a new non-departmental public body that is to be established to provide an oversight role of provisions made in the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022.
As the first chair of the Scottish Food Commission, this appointment will play a crucial role in shaping the future and strategic direction of this new public body.
You will be actively involved in the recruitment of the chief executive, the first member of staff to the Scottish Food Commission, and in appointing the other members of the board.
You will work closely with the sponsor team and the chief executive, once in place, to enable the new public body to take on its statutory functions and full budgetary control once it is established.
Once the body is fully established you will be key in ensuring the Commission effectively fulfils its oversight role and provides constructive challenge, that is evidence based, to Scottish Ministers and relevant authorities in relation to their Good Food Nation Plans.
This is a high publicity role that will attract great interest from key stakeholders interested in the Scottish food system.
Remuneration and time commitment
The chair role is paid at a gross daily rate of £211 per day (7.5 hours).This role is non-pensionable. This means that there is no pension contribution paid.
We expect that the time commitment will change over the life of the body. While the body is being established and during the first months of operation more engagement will be needed – i.e. up to 80 days/year. During the establishment phase there may also be phases of increased activity.
It is likely that once the body is established the chair’s time commitment will decrease to approximately 50 days/year.
The chair’s time commitment will be reviewed on a regular basis.
Skills/Experience Required
Scottish Ministers welcome applications from people from a wide range of backgrounds who have the following
skills/knowledge/experience:
All of the following priority criteria:
All of the following essential criteria:
The Court of the University of Aberdeen is seeking to appoint four new independent members (non-executive directors and charity trustees) to fill vacancies that will arise during the Summer 2024.
The University was established in 1495 to serve the north-east of Scotland, today our university is a global presence in higher education. A dual focus on our region and the wider world is as important to us today as it was five centuries ago.
After serving on our governing body, University Court, for a number of years, four of our independent Court members will step down in August 2024. The University is now seeking exceptional candidates to fill these vacancies to ensure the continued successful delivery of the University’s priorities and objectives, the setting of its strategic direction and commitment to its values and mission.
The following areas of professional expertise and/or experience would bring particular value to University Court and to the roles of independent members:
In addition, we would also welcome applications from individuals with professional expertise and/or experience in:
The University is also seeking to recruit a member of Court to Chair the Remuneration Committee. The following areas of professional expertise and/or experience would bring particular value to University Court and to the role of chair of the Remuneration Committee:
None of the posts are remunerated, however reasonable expenses incurred as result of your role on the committee will be re-imbursed in line with the University’s expenses policy.
Thank you for your interest in applying to become a Member of the Lothian Pension Fund’s (LPF) Pensions Committee, which is hosted by its administering authority the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC). As one of our Pensions Committee Members, you would play an essential role in ensuring that the pension fund has strong governance in place now and in the future.
Acting in the best interests of the members and employer bodies of the pension funds, the Pensions Committee (Committee) exercises oversight of LPF and, for example, determines the overall policy objectives and strategy, and monitors the overall performance of LPF and the Scottish Homes Pension Fund in accordance with its separate statutory remit. It also, for example, oversees the effective management and administration of pension funds and determines the strategy for the investment of pension fund monies.
We are seeking applications for the Committee’s two external, non-elected, member seats. One of these is drawn from LPF’s membership and the other from LPF’s employer bodies.
Although each member is sourced from those stakeholder groups, importantly they will be required to act in accordance with their separate duty to all the stakeholders of the pension funds collectively and are not appointed to represent one particular group.
About LPF
LPF administers the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in Edinburgh and the Lothians and is one of the largest pension funds in the UK. We’re a multi-employer scheme with around £10 billion assets and are over 157% funded as at our most recent actuarial valuation serving 79,000 records attributable to 81,500 members from 67 employers across a broad range of sectors.
We also manage the Scottish Homes Pension Fund on behalf of the Scottish Government. This is a closed fund and has 1,550 deferred and pensioner members with £0.16 billion investments.
LPF is unique in Scotland in operating an established FCA regulated in-house investment team. We manage over 85% of the fund’s assets via internal equity, bond and other real asset portfolios (e.g. infrastructure, property and timberland investments).
We also work closely with other LGPS funds delivering investment management and strategic investment advisory services across their portfolios (e.g. equities, bonds, private markets, and listed and indirect property investments).
In March 2017, we became the first UK LGPS awarded accreditation for the Pensions Administration Standards Association and we’re proud to have held the Customer Service Excellence Award for over fifteen years.
The day-to-day running of LPF is carried out by a specialist team who undertake pension administration, accounting and investment functions.
LPF colleagues are employed by an arms-length company, LPFE Limited (LPFE), which is wholly owned by CEC.
The opportunity
We’re seeking applications for two external, non-elected, Committee seats; one drawn from LPF’s employer bodies (Employer seat) and one from LPF’s membership (Employee seat).
Committee membership is made up of five elected (Councillor) members of the CEC and two external, non-elected, members for which nominations are currently being sought.
To be eligible to apply for the role of external Committee Member Employee seat, you need to be either an active, deferred or retired member of the LPF.
To be eligible to apply for the role of external Committee Member Employer seat, you need to work within an employer body that participates in the Fund and be nominated by your employer.
Established more than 40 years ago, AMEE is an international and world-leading charity whose mission is to promote and inspire excellence, collaboration, and scholarship across the continuum of health professions education.
We are a membership organisation (both individual and institutional), we hold an annual conference which attracts more than 4,000 delegates and run courses, publish journals and have a webinar programme.
We are now looking to diversify our current Trustee Academic Board and recruit a Trustee who has preferably business / entrepreneurial/ financial expertise.
This is a unique opportunity for someone with a commercial background to help guide the strategic development of a medical association.
About Us
Apex Scotland is a national charity and supports people who have experienced the justice system or are at risk of doing so, is recruiting a number of trustees who understand the role and importance of governance in the Third Sector. We are looking for people who act with integrity, compassion, honesty, and who are passionate about our work and the role of the Third Sector.
Apex Scotland supports individuals to develop skills, resilience and confidence that enables them to make positive choices to improve their personal outcomes. We understand our participants require support that is person-centred, recognising their own individual, unique needs and circumstances.
Our work is delivered by specialist, dedicated staff in various locations across Scotland who adopt a trauma informed approach putting participants at the heart of their decision making. We are proud of the impact we have and believe our work makes a meaningful, genuine and positive difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our society.
The Role
Following the appointment of a new CEO in July 2023 and the restructuring of the Senior Leadership Team at the start of 2024 Apex Scotland is embarking on a period of positive change to support the development of the charity, reposition the organisation and focus on strategic priorities.
As a Trustee you will have a key role in leading these developments and overseeing the implementation of our strategic plan.
Ideally you will have a deep understanding of the issues impacting those who have experienced the justice service and the stigma they face. You will also have an understanding of the current challenges being faced by the Third Sector. It is useful, but not necessary, to have experience of being a Trustee as training and support will be offered.
We are looking for people with the following skills and experience from throughout Scotland.
Are you passionate about the importance of green spaces within our communities? Do you have an interest in gardening? Do you have the knowledge, skills and experience to lead an organisation that is playing an important role within the community? This year Amisfield Preservation Trust (Amisfield Walled Garden) celebrates its 25th year anniversary. We are looking to recruit a new Chair who can lead the organisation forward to the next stage in its development.
About Amisfield Preservation Trust
Amisfield Preservation Trust provides a regenerative community space (Amisfield Walled Garden) just outside of Haddington for a wide range of groups. The project is volunteer led. Since project inception, volunteers have recreated a beautiful, historic and peaceful 8 acre walled garden which had fallen into disrepair. The project helps improve the life chances of those most vulnerable in our community, through support for individuals with barriers to employment; drives inclusion through involving volunteers with a range of additional support needs; promotes learning through educational activities for school groups with their teachers, and for the general public through a variety of training events; helps the community to flourish through increased social connection and regenerative activities that improve mental and physical wellbeing and resilience and help increase pride in the local community and place. Amisfield Walled Garden is a beautiful, tranquil garden. We are a 3 star Visit Scotland attraction which is open to the public (free of charge) for 6 days in the week.
We are looking for a volunteer Chair to lead the Amisfield Preservation Trust, the small charity that looks after the garden. The role involves working with our volunteer Board of Directors, Volunteer Coordinator, Wellbeing and Outreach worker and garden volunteers to ensure that the garden continues to play an important and much-loved role at the heart of the local community.
The qualities and experience we’re looking for in our new Chair are:
Chair Role Description
Specific duties:
There are currently 8 members of the Board. The Chair role will be for a term of three years, with an initial probationary period of six months.
Care and Repair Edinburgh (CRE) is an independent charity who have been serving Edinburgh’s older and disabled community since 1985 and regularly complete over 6,000 jobs every year in homes across the city.
CRE offer a range of practical services to help older and disabled people repair, improve or adapt their property so that they may remain independent at home for as long as possible.
The Charity is a financially stable and viable organisation and has gone from strength to strength particularly over the past 5 years.
We are now looking to recruit a new Chair and additional Trustees with an range of skills and experience to support the direction of the organisation. Candidates skilled in Third Sector Leadership, Business Management, Finance, Marketing and Social Media, Charity Law, Social Care or Reablement would be of particular interest.
CRE welcome candidates who do not have Board experience as full induction and training will be provided.
As a Trustee, you will be responsible for the strategic direction, control and accountability of the Charity ensuring that its activities are in the interests of its beneficiaries. Trustees are also responsible for confirming the organisation complies with its governance, charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations.
The board meets quarterly in Edinburgh (February, May, August and November), either face-to-face, via video chat, or as a hybrid of the two plus an additional AGM. Aside from the quarterly board meetings, additional time consideration is required to allow for reading of relevant papers, follow up on any action points, and attending occasional additional meetings, events, or strategy days. The average total time commitment is approximately 1-2 days per month for Trustees and 2-3 days per month for the Chair.
As a voluntary position, Trustees are not paid but travel and other expenses for attendance at meetings are reimbursed in line with CRE policy. As a local, inclusive charity we are keen this diversity continues to be reflected in our Board.
The Board meets four times a year for half a day in addition to the AGM. Total commitment, including meeting preparation would be one day per month.
The Board provides strategic direction and oversight. Major policy decisions are made at Board level drawing on information provided by the Chief Officer and senior management team. The decisions of the Board are actioned through the Chief Officer and senior management team.
As Board members will be Directors of the organisation applicants must:
Further information about us can be found on our website dsl-businessfinance.co.uk
Desirable Board Experience and Skills
We welcome expressions of interest from individuals from a diverse background, which is representative of the clients we serve.
We’re looking for people who have a wide range of professional skills and experience that can help take us forward, but who are all driven by that mission of creating a more inclusive economy in Scotland.
We’re interested in hearing from candidates with and without experience on a Board.
Skills and experience that would be of particular interest are in the areas of:
For further information on desirable skills, knowledge and work experience please refer to the director job specification below.
The Board and Time Commitment
The Board comprises 5 members, with a maximum of 11. Board members are drawn from across various sectors and disciplines.
The full Board meets four times a year. Board meetings are held in February, May, August and November. The AGM is usually held as part of the August Board meeting.
Meetings are in-person, held in Glasgow with an online option available.
In addition to these set meetings, DSL has a Board representative on both the
Finance and Staffing, Health & Safety Group subgroups that meet quarterly throughout the year normally in Glasgow or online.
Furthermore, the Board has an annual strategy day in Glasgow, which takes place in March and a development day with staff, which takes place in September. Board members are also welcome to the Group-wide bi-annual staff days to learn more about different parts of the group.
Duration of Appointment
There is currently no enforced maximum or minimum term for members to serve on the Board. However, we recommend Board members are elected for an initial period of three years with the opportunity to serve for a further maximum period of three years.
Remuneration
The post of Board member is a voluntary post for which expenses relating to attendance at meetings of Directors, general meetings, meetings of committees of Directors or otherwise in connection with carrying out their duties will be paid.
University of Strathclyde Student Association (‘Strath Union’) has been the beating heart of activity for students on the Strathclyde campus since 1964 and exists to connect all students to ensure everyone can thrive whilst studying at the University of Strathclyde.
Consistently ranked as the number one Student Union in Scotland, according to What Uni’s Student Choice Awards (WUSCA), we are currently one of ten Student Unions, across the UK, shortlisted for WUSCA’s 2024 Student Association of the Year and recently won both UK and Scottish NUS awards for overall employee satisfaction, liberation & equality and community and solidarity. As an organisation, we are bold, ambitious, and innovative much like the University and the 25,000+ students it supports.
The Strath Union Trustee Board is the ultimate legal decision-making body for the organisation, directing all the charity does, ensuring that it is financially sustainable and delivers against its core purpose of connecting students so everyone can thrive. The University has recently launched its 2030 strategy and working with our new Chief Executive you will directly support the development of Strath Union’s new strategic plan that will look to the next 5 years of growth and development.
Previous board experience is not a pre-requisite for this role, and we are focused on identifying new board members who are committed to our mission and organisational values. However, to complement the existing skills of our board members we want candidates who bring experience in one or more of the following areas of expertise:
· Governance, Risk or Compliance
· Public Affairs, Policy, or Public Relations
· IT and Digital Transformation
· Higher Education or the Voluntary sector
We want our Board to reflect the community we support and to enhance the diversity of our Board we would particularly like to hear from women and those identifying as women, people from minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities and those with diverse sexualities or marginalised gender identities.
If you are excited by the opportunity to join an ambitious and award-winning organisation and share our passion to support and empower all Strathclyde students to unleash their potential and therefore thrive at university and beyond, we would welcome your application.
Are you an exceptional leader, ambitious for change to improve victims’ and witnesses’ experiences of the criminal justice system? Leading charity VSS is looking for high calibre and committed professionals to join our Board of Trustees.