We are seeking prospective trustees who have the following skills, abilities and personal attributes:

• Willingness to understand and accept the statutory and legislative responsibilities of being a trustee.
• Identification with the purpose, aims and values of the Trust and a readiness to take responsibility for the Trust’s long-term outcomes.
• Willingness to devote the necessary time and effort to fulfilling the trustee role.
• Commitment to respecting the Trust’s governance processes and providing effective, respectful challenge if there appears to be a breach.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with colleagues and key stakeholders to achieve the Trust’s objectives.
• Ability to exercise good judgement, critical analysis and strategic vision.
• Demonstration of strong team-working skills.
• Dedication to impartiality and fairness in all dealings and ability to respect confidentiality. 
• Commitment to promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and upholding Safeguarding responsibilities.
• Willingness to bring a diverse range of perspectives to the table and to listen to those views.
• Willingness to be available to WWT staff for advice and support as required.

Our aim is to appoint trustees who have an interest in wildlife and the natural world and who want to help promote the best interests of Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.  If you have expertise in practice or policy related to conservation, ecology or natural history, we would be delighted to receive an application from you.  

At the same time, to balance the expertise on Council, we would also like to hear from people who may not consider themselves to be experts in conservation or natural history but who instead have knowledge or experience of:

• Charity law, regulations and management
• Secondary, Further or Higher Education
• Community engagement, community working or social inclusion
• Running or overseeing membership organisations
• New and emerging financial models for funding environmental schemes

Our trustees have professional experience acquired in many different sectors and types of organisation and this helps us to make better decisions.  We are always looking to broaden the diversity of perspectives represented and would welcome applications from people who have experience of or within:

• A government department, agency or statutory body, such as Defra, the Environment Agency or Natural England 
• A local authority
• A charity

We would love to hear from anybody who feels that they would like to contribute to the work of the Council.  We particularly encourage applications from: women, people aged under 40, disabled people, people from LGBTQ+ communities and people from ethnic minority backgrounds as these groups are currently under-represented on our Board of Trustees.

Our Vision:  A wilder Worcestershire – more nature everywhere, for everyone.
Our Mission:  To lead nature’s recovery through community action.

Our Three Strategic Goals:

• Nature in recovery – 30% of land in recovery for nature by 2030
• Action for nature - 1 in 4 people taking action for nature by 2030
• Sustaining our future – more diversity, more funding; carbon zero by 2030

Applications will be assessed by the Chair, Vice Chair and a small group of trustees.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to meet current trustees and staff on the evening of 10th June 2024 to have the opportunity to learn more about the Trust and the role of trustee.  

Candidates will then be asked to participate in an in-person or online interview with a panel of trustees during the week beginning 17th June 2024. 

Recommendations of the panel regarding selected candidates will be presented to the Council for approval on 1st July 2024 for approval.

Selected prospective trustees will be invited to attend either 19th August 2024 or 16th September 2024 council meetings as an observer to help them decide if being on the Council is definitely for them.

Prospective trustees who, after attending a Council meeting as an observer, confirm that they wish to join the Council will be co-opted at the October meeting.

Co-opted trustees serve for one year after which they must decide whether to put themselves forward for election at the 2025 AGM.

If you would like to have an informal chat about this role before applying, please email the Trust’s Director, Colin Raven, to arrange a call: colin@worcestershirewildlifetrust.org.

Please also get in touch with Colin if you require any adjustments to make our recruitment process more accessible.

To apply, please submit a brief CV and a covering letter of no more than two side of A4 explaining:

• Why you would like to become a Trustee.
• What skills and experiences you would draw upon to fulfil the role.
• Anything else that you think you would bring to the role or is relevant to your application.

In your covering letter, please also confirm that you are not disqualified from acting as a Trustee. Please also outline any potential conflicts of interest that you can foresee arising.

Please send your application to enquiries@worcestershirewildlifetrust.org

The deadline for applications is Monday 6th May.

Being a trustee requires an appreciable amount of voluntary work.  This includes time preparing for and attending meetings as well as spending time understanding the issues and staying up to date with key matters affecting the conservation sector.

The precise time commitment will vary over the course of the year but probably averages around five hours per month for a trustee without any Honorary Officer or sub-group responsibilities.  Our constitution provides for trustee terms of three years when individuals become eligible for re-election.  trustees can step down at any point if they feel it is appropriate. 

Our trustees agree that their role is rewarding. The attractions include the beneficial aspects of working in a diverse team, supporting an important cause and being with a group of like-minded people from different backgrounds.  As a Worcestershire Wildlife Trust trustee, you need to be prepared to meet the legal and ethical responsibilities that come with the role (see duties of a trustee section outlined above).  To help you do that, we will ensure you are:

• Given induction training to enable you to understand your role
• Provided with tailored, ongoing support
• Part of the team and can share in the Trust’s successes and challenges
• Provided with high-quality, timely information to support your statutory responsibilities
• Involved in aspects of the role that particularly interest you
• Heard and have your views respected
• Reassured that your skills and your contribution are valued

The Charity Commission website has more information on the duties of a Trustee. 

The Charity Governance Code has more information about standards of best practice for governance.

A trustee role is voluntary and attracts no remuneration. Trustees do not get paid for their efforts, other than in very exceptional circumstances where their professional duties require them to provide services to the charity. Trustees can, however, be reimbursed for relevant out-of-pocket expenses related to their role in line with our expenses policy.

You do not have to be a member of Worcestershire Wildlife Trust before you apply for the role but all our trustees must be members before being elected to the Council.  You must be at least 18 years old.

Legislation requires that to be eligible to serve as a Trustee, you must not:

• Be subject to a disqualification order under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 or the Insolvency Act 1986
• Have unspent convictions for any offence involving dishonesty or deception (such as fraud)
• Have been adjudged bankrupt and not been discharged
• Have made an arrangement with creditors and not been discharged
• Have been removed from the office of charity trustee on the grounds of misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of a charity
• Be on the sex offenders’ register

As all trustees are also directors of the charity, their appointment is also subject to company law requirements.

As a matter of course, all trustees are asked to make declarations relating to financial, professional, personal or prejudicial interests - anything that conflicts with the charity’s mission and values and/or which hinders their ability to act fairly, impartially and in the best interests of the charity. This is checked at all council meetings and all trustees make a formal declaration annually.

If you believe you can fulfil the duties set out above, and meet the terms of the person specification, then yes! We encourage you to apply. You don’t need to have had previous board level experience to be a great trustee. Our trustees all come with their own unique experiences and perspectives on the wildlife of Worcestershire and the nature emergency. We like our trustees to be from a variety of diverse backgrounds.

However, we understand that being a trustee isn’t for everyone or that the timing may not be right. There are many other ways to get involved with Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, including other voluntary roles.