Chair of Trustees

We are delighted to be working with Restore, an Oxfordshire-based charity that has been offering employment support to people with mental ill-health since 1977. Restore supports people - through recovery groups, coaching and learning - to take control of their own recovery, develop skills, and progress towards their own goals to live more fulfilling lives. It works within the community to increase knowledge, awareness and reduce stigma associated with mental ill health. Restore is also home to the Oxfordshire Recovery College for therapeutic peer learning and is an expert provider of formal mental health training.

Restore are now seeking to appoint a Chair of Trustees to provide leadership and direction to the Board of Trustees as their current Chair will step down later this year after ten years. The Chair will lead the Board of Trustees and work closely with the charity's CEO and Executive Team to achieve its goals. They will have a strategic role ensuring that the organisation complies with its purpose, charity law and company law and that the organisation pursues its objectives as defined in its governing document.

The Chair will also ensure that the Board functions properly and that effective decisions are made and implemented. The Chair, alongside the CEO, acts as a spokesperson and advocate for the organisation.

The successful candidate is likely to have Board experience as a Chair or Deputy Chair although you may have been a Trustee for some years and now be looking for your next step. You will have excellent communication skills with great leadership qualities, the ability to confidently lead the Board, promote a collaborative team, deliver the vision of the charity and bring people together.

Essential skills:

• Board-level leadership and governance
• Strategic vision and sound independent judgement
• Creative thinking and problem solving
• An understanding of legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship
• A commitment to and passion for Restore's aims and objectives
• Integrity, objectivity, accountability, honesty and leadership.

Restore has been a fairly diverse board over the years and are still looking for ways to improve. The Board recognises the need to be entirely representative of the community it serves in Oxfordshire and is keen for the board to reflect it. We welcome and encourage adult applicants of all ages, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, religion, neurodiversity and lived experience.

Time Commitments:
You'll need to be able to:

• Lead quarterly board meetings from 4:30pm to 7pm.
• Lead the Annual General Meeting (AGM) alongside the CEO once per year.
• Join the Finance Sub Committee and attend others as needed to contribute to discussion and decision-making.
• Make visits to our recovery groups and head office teams to ensure you stay close to the services we are providing
• Correspond by email to discuss items and make decisions between meetings
• Attend other activities/fundraising events.

Meetings are currently hybrid, where attendance can be in person or online. Restore are aware that people who are working full-time or have family/other responsibilities may not always be able to travel to the meetings in person. It is important that Trustees are able to visit services, attend at least some meetings in person and have a connection with the community to which we deliver services. With this in mind, it's unlikely that you will be based outside of Oxfordshire and its surrounding counties.

Tenure:
Trustees can join at any time during the year but are formally appointed at the November AGM for a three-year term at a time which can be extended twice (plus an extra year by agreement).

If you feel you have a passion for mental health and the aims of this charity, we would like to hear from you. Your application should include your CV and supporting statement.

Closing date: 21 April 2025