Recruitment to the Board of Directors

  • Are you looking for a new challenge?

  • Do you want to make a positive impact on people’s lives?

  • Are you a strategic thinker keen to develop or share your leadership skills and experience?

  • Do you want to be part of a forward thinking organisation which cares about people and strives to make a difference?

We are looking for people with strategic vision, good interpersonal skills, independent judgement and a willingness to give time and commitment to being a trustee. In particular we are looking for people with some or all of the following skills and experience;

  • Strategic business planning and development

  • Legal 

  • Fundraising

  • HR

  • Finance

Trustees are unpaid but all reasonable expenses are reimbursed.

Our Board of Trustees meets approximately every 6-7 weeks (currently remotely) on Tuesday. Meetings start at 5.00 pm and last approximately 1.5 - 2 hours. In addition to this, directors will need to spend some time preparing for board meetings, participating in ad hoc committees/ bespoke pieces of work and an annual ‘away day’. The role of Treasurer will also engage with auditors and may participate in some Citizens Advice events for finance roles.

We are particularly keen to achieve a more diverse board of directors and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Citizens Advice Wigan Borough is an independent charity which helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems, and by influencing policy makers.

A more detailed description of the Treasurer role (currently available) can be found using the buttons below:

For more information on the role of Treasurer, please contact:

Or

If you are interested in either of the roles, then please fill in the application form linked to below and then email the completed form along with your CV to chiefofficer@cawb.org.uk.

What will you do?

  • complete an introduction for your role

  • maintain an awareness of how the local Citizens Advice is operating

  • read papers for board meetings and attend meetings every 6-7 weeks

  • work on specific projects with other directors or staff within Citizens Advice Wigan Borough (CAWB) to further the strategic objectives of CAWB

  • take an active discussion during board meetings and work with other directors to: 

    • set policy and strategy direction, set targets and evaluate the performance of CAWB

    • monitor the financial position of CAWB; ensuring that it operates within its means and objectives, ensuring that there are clear 

    • ensure that all the finances and supporting financial control systems of CAWB are in order including that full financial records are kept for all transactions, that money is only spent for the purpose given, and that proper financial controls are in place to safeguard the organisation’s resources

    • monitor the financial position of CAWB ensuring that it operates within its means and objectives, ensuring that there are clear lines of accountability for day to day financial management

    • seek the views of all sections of the community and monitor how well the service meets the needs of the local community

    • ensure that the service plans for the recruitment and turnover of staff and volunteers

    • review its own work and how effectively it operates including action for improvement

What’s in it for you?

  • make a positive impact for people in the borough of Wigan by ensuring that CAWB is sustainable and meeting the needs of the community

  • meet people and build relationships with trustees, staff and other volunteers

  • build on your governance, leadership and strategy skills

  • increase your employability

And we’ll reimburse reasonable expenses too.

What do you need to have?

You don’t need any specific qualifications or skills but you’ll need to:

  • understand and accept the responsibilities and liabilities as trustees

  • be non-judgmental and respect views, values and cultures that are different to your own

  • have good listening, verbal, and written communication skills

  • be able to exercise good, independent judgment

  • have good numeracy skills to understand accounts with the support of the treasurer

  • be willing to learn about, and follow the Citizens Advice aims, principles and policies, including confidentiality and data protection

  • be willing to undertake training in your role

How much time do you need to give?

The CAWB Board of Directors usually meet in the evenings for approximately 2 hours (5.00 pm - 7.00 pm), every 6-7 weeks, although you may need to attend other meetings if you’re involved in specific projects, or meet with volunteers and staff occasionally. We can be flexible about the time spent and how often you volunteer so come and talk to us.

Valuing inclusion

Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds and we particularly welcome applications from disabled people, people with physical or mental health conditions, LGBT+ and non-binary people, and people from Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.

If you are interested in becoming a trustee and would like to discuss flexibility around location, time, ‘what you will do’ and how we can support you, please contact us.