Volunteer Board Role — Active Chair needed to support governance, CEO supervision and social landlord registration readiness.
Moving On Durham is recruiting a new Chair of Trustees.
This is a significant governance appointment at an important point in the charity’s development.
Moving On Durham is the largest provider of supported accommodation for young people in County Durham. We provide safe, stable homes and high-quality support to young people aged 16–25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Our mission is to break the cycle of youth homelessness by helping young people build the confidence, skills and stability they need to live independently and thrive in their communities.
The Board has agreed that Moving On Durham will progress towards becoming a Registered Provider of Social Housing. We are therefore seeking a Chair who can help lead the Board through this next stage of growth, regulation, assurance and impact.
This is not simply a meeting-chairing role.
The Chair will play a central role in supporting and constructively challenging the Chief Executive and Senior Leadership Team, ensuring the charity operates to high standards of governance, accountability and effectiveness as both a registered charity and an aspiring registered social landlord.
The role
The Chair will:
- lead the Board in setting and overseeing the charity’s strategic direction;
- ensure alignment with charitable objectives and social housing regulatory expectations;
- uphold strong governance and compliance with charity law, company law and relevant social housing regulation;
- provide effective leadership to the Board, fostering openness, accountability and collective responsibility;
- support, appraise and constructively challenge the Chief Executive;
- help maintain effective risk oversight, financial resilience and organisational accountability;
- act as an ambassador for Moving On Durham with partners, funders, commissioners, regulators and corporate supporters;
- help strengthen the charity’s sustainability, profile and external relationships.
Who we are looking for
We are looking for someone with:
- a strong commitment to the mission, values and beneficiaries of Moving On Durham;
- proven strategic leadership and the ability to provide effective governance in a regulated or complex environment;
- sound understanding of trustee duties and charity governance;
- excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
- confidence to lead, influence, build consensus and provide constructive challenge;
- the ability to act externally as an ambassador and advocate for the charity.
We would be particularly interested in hearing from people with experience of charity governance, housing, supported accommodation, social housing, regulated services, safeguarding, finance, risk, organisational growth, income diversification or senior leadership.
Time commitment
The Board meets four times per year, usually on Monday evenings from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.
In addition, the Chair will be expected to provide active leadership outside formal meetings, including:
- regular supervision and support to the Chief Executive, normally monthly or six-weekly;
- agenda planning;
- availability for urgent governance matters between meetings;
- support for trustee accountability and follow-through;
- visible governance leadership as the charity progresses towards registration as a social landlord.
Non-negotiable requirements
The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate:
- capacity to provide active Chair leadership outside formal meetings;
- commitment to regular CEO supervision and appraisal;
- experience of governance, risk and accountability in a regulated or complex environment;
- ability to lead trustees through growth, assurance and regulatory readiness;
- confidence working with senior leaders while maintaining appropriate challenge;
- willingness to act externally with funders, commissioners, regulators and partners.
How to express interest
For an informal conversation, please contact:
Peter Richards
Chief Executive, Moving On Durham
peter.richards@movingondurham.org.uk
07904 954920
Please send a CV or LinkedIn profile and a short note explaining your interest in the role.
