JOB DESCRIPTION

Accountable to: Chair of the Board

Purpose of the role

Trustees are responsible for ensuring the management control, accountability and good conduct of the Trust and are required to:

• Ensure effective leadership of the Trust and that it adheres to its purpose and mission.
• Ensure that it operates in accordance with its organisational culture and values.
• In partnership with the CEO and Directors, develop the Trust’s strategy and oversee its delivery.
• Ensure the organisation is well led, efficient and effective.
• Provide scrutiny, challenge, and support to the Executive Team.
• Be open and transparent in accounting to all stakeholders of the Trust.
• Add value by contributing advice and assistance according to individual expertise whilst respecting the difference in role between Trustee and operational leadership accountability.
• Act as an advocate and ambassador for the Trust.

The Chair of the Quality and People Committee is responsible for:

• Leading the Committee and ensuring that its meetings have agendas which address the full scope of the Quality and People Committee’s Terms of Reference agreed by the Board of Trustees: receiving assurance regarding matters of quality, safety, safeguarding and performance, and having oversight on the positive impact and outcomes for the People of the Trust.
• Ensuring effective governance of the Committee, including efficient conduct of meetings and that all Committee Members are able to express their views.
• Reporting on any Committee decisions or recommendations to the Board and ensuring they are kept informed of the work of the Committee.
• Establishing a constructive relationship with, and supporting the Chair of Trustees and Chief Executive, and raising any concerns with them in a timely and appropriate manner.

Core duties:

• To have a good understanding of the objectives and priorities of the Trust and of the role of the Quality and People Committee.
• To promote and oversee the delivery of high-quality services to residents and service users, ensuring organisational learning where the Trust has fallen short of this standard.
• To ensure that systems of quality and safety in the Trust are effective and robust, and that the Committee can provide assurance to the Board on the management of the risks faced by the organization within the Committee’s scope, and ensuring that appropriate mitigations are in place to provide effective management of such risks.
• To approve Quality and people Committee meeting agendas and ensure all required business is brought to the committee in order for its duties and responsibilities to be discharged, including compliance with legal, regulatory (including Care Quality Commission) and contractual requirements across the Trust.
• To chair the Committee and facilitate all discussions and decision-making processes based on the principles of inclusion and meaningful contribution. This will include understanding and assessing complex information in order to make those decisions and encouraging Committee Members to participate and discuss different perspectives.
• To play an active role in annual general meetings and be available to answer any questions by the members regarding the Committee’s activities.
• To provide challenge in a constructive manner, and to support and provide advice to the work of the Board and Committee.
• To apply skills and knowledge from a relevant professional background to the discussions and decisions the Committee and Board make.
• To apply perspective to situations and have a balanced and objective view in order to consider the needs of different stakeholders in coming to conclusions.
• To contribute to and share responsibility for the decisions of the Board and the Committee, including its duty to exercise reasonable care, skill and independent judgement.
• To maintain the highest standards of governance and conduct and demonstrate relevant knowledge of organizational governance and hold clarity on the role of Trustee oversight rather than operational delivery.
• To maintain communication as necessary with key individuals in the company’s governance and foster good working relationships and a shared understanding of matters of quality & compliance with Board and Committee Members, and the CEO/Director Team.
• To prepare for and attend Committee meetings, away days, training/development events, the annual general meeting and other internal and external events as required.
• To participate in reviews of individual, Committee and Board performance and measures designed to develop capacity and effectiveness.

Please note this job description is not exhaustive and reflects the type and range of tasks, responsibilities and outcomes associated with the role.

In addition to the above you are expected to:

• Undertake other duties from time to time as required by the Chair of the Board.
• Maintain confidentiality in accordance with our data protection policy and procedure.

Equality & Diversity

Promoting equality, celebrating diversity and ensuring inclusion is fundamental to us. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all, and applications are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

To reflect our ambition and commitment to be more representative in our governance structures, we particularly encourage and welcome applications from young people, people with a disability, people from minority ethnic backgrounds and people from the LGBTQ+ community.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

These criteria will be considered as part of the shortlisting stage and interviews.

Skills – we consider the following to be essential

• Demonstrable experience of leading on significant service improvements within the Adult Social Care sector.
• Governance and/or management skills at Board level, ideally of a large and complex customer-facing organisation.
• Clear, positive leadership and chairing skills: know how to prepare and manage an agenda, run a successful meeting, create an open and supportive environment for Committee members, ensure Committee decisions are clear and made as a result of good information from Executives, management and advisors.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and listening skills: Be able to relate to people at all levels in the organisation, possess tact and diplomacy and the ability to form positive working relationships and partnerships with people both inside and outside the Trust. Able to question, challenge and negotiate appropriately and effectively.
• Ability to apply perspective to situations and have a balanced and objective view in order to consider the needs of different parties in coming to conclusions.
• Demonstrate clear analytical intellect; assimilate and make sense of complex data, evaluate options and understand different perspectives.
• Possess confidence to challenge, ask questions appropriately and keep to an appropriate level of detail.
• Be experienced in change management and to support the Charity to positively navigate challenging external drivers for change in addition to recognising that the Trust is undergoing significant internal changes post covid.

Knowledge and understanding – we consider the following to be essential

• A strong track record of achievement in his or her field – in the public, private or voluntary sectors.
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of quality audit, inspection and compliance frameworks gained within a regulated social care environment.
• Excellent knowledge of safeguarding frameworks.
• An experienced change agent.
• An understanding of the Trust’s values and commitment to the support of people with Learning disability, autism and other health conditions.