We’re recruiting a new Director for Sustainability for our board. We want to broaden the range of perspectives and experiences of the board and open ourselves to new arguments and ways of doing things that we may not currently be thinking of, so we encourage anyone who is interested in this role to apply.
If you have had no previous board experience then this won’t be a barrier for you. If you don’t have a degree then this won’t be a barrier for you. A strong board is one that draws together individuals with a range of strengths and backgrounds, indeed we are looking outside where we would normally recruit specifically to bring in perspectives we don’t currently have. If you don’t usually apply for these roles, we would encourage you to do so. We are recruiting several new board positions at the moment so you will join alongside several fresh faces.
Please note that board members do not receive a salary, however we can cover all out-of-pocket expenses (such as travel or accommodation) and food is provided by us at meetings.
Who are we?
The Charity Retail Association (CRA) is the primary membership association for charity shops in the UK aiming to build a successful, sustainable, trusted and valued charity retail sector. Since our inception in 1997, we have quickly become the established voice for the sector. Our six strategic objectives are to:
* Champion charity retail
* Strengthen charity retail
* Build a strong community of charity retailers
* Be the accessible knowledge hub of charity retail
* Promote environmental sustainability within the CRA and the sector
* Strengthen the CRA’s capacity to support the sector and our members
What does the board do?
Our board keeps us on track and safeguards our future. It ensures that we are accountable to our members, the charity retail sector, and everyone in it. We debate important decisions robustly and want to draw on different perspectives to do so. You can join this collaborative effort to help shape the direction of the leading association for charity retailers.
Our board provides input and guidance across the full spectrum of the charity retail sector. This role gives experience in strategy and leadership and puts you at the forefront of a sector that is at the heart of communities and the drive towards living sustainably.
The board meets each quarter (once every three months) for an update on the CRA’s services and to discuss issues and priorities for the organisation and the sector, with meetings taking place in person and over Zoom. Board members may also be asked to provide support with speaker contact for our events and administrative support at our annual flagship Conference.
If you have never been on a board before, we’ll match you up with a ‘board buddy’ who can guide you through the role and what being part of the CRA board entails.
What are we looking for in a Director for Sustainability?
We are looking for someone who values charity shops and understands their value to society. They will have either a strong knowledge and understanding of charity retail or the capacity to gain that experience quickly, with demonstrable experience in strategic planning for the long and short term to help us achieve our strategic objectives. We’re looking for someone who can consider the opinions of others and challenge assertively and constructively.
The Director for Sustainability will work with the Deputy Chief Executive to develop and maintain a sustainability action plan, providing their knowledge and understanding of this subject to help guide the board and CRA staff.
There are statutory duties a board member is required to uphold as required by the government agency, Companies House, and the primary source of UK company law, the Companies Act 2006.
A breakdown of duties and a personal specification for the role is available in our role description here.
The role requires someone to commit to 3 meetings in London (which each last half a day), an Away Day usually based in the Midlands (which lasts a full day) and potentially our annual AGM (which typically runs in London and lasts a full day). There may be a further 12 hours of commitment to the role over the course of the year.
Additional Information
You are welcome to send a CV and covering letter outlining how you meet the criteria above to .
We understand that not everyone suits this application format so if you feel more comfortable demonstrating your suitability for the role in another way (e.g. short video) then you are more than welcome to. Please send it to before the deadline.
All applications are anonymised before they are sorted.
The deadline for applications is 5pm 28th February.
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