Overview:

Role title: Board Trustees – Various (Volunteer role)

Term: Three year post

Salary: Voluntary, unpaid

Commitment: Approximately 6 – 10 hours a month, 4 Board meetings per year (hybrid format)

Location: Remote

Role Purpose: We’re looking to expand our board numbers inline with the growth of our charity. As some of our Trustees’ terms are also coming to an end, we’re seeking new members to join us – people who want to contribute and add value to our brilliant, small but mighty charity. We’re looking for a range of trustees with different skills and experiences who can support LEVEL Centre to thrive, and guide us to be the best we can.

LEVEL Centre is located in rural Derbyshire, but you don’t need to be locally based to apply – we recruit trustees based anywhere in the UK. Hybrid/online board meetings make this possible. We need a broad range of help – there are skills you may have that we don’t even know we need. If you feel that you can help us, we want to hear from you.

Skills and experiences that could be of use include:

• Experience of working with funders, for example Arts Council England
• Learning and participation
• Safeguarding knowledge
• Business Development and Strategy
• Finance knowledge
• Experience of working for a small charity
• Building and operations expertise
• Marketing specialist
• Equality, diversity and inclusion experience
• Local/regional knowledge and awareness
  

About LEVEL:

LEVEL Centre is a charity that celebrates the art that ‘difference’ makes, producing and promoting high quality contemporary work that is powerful and relevant. Everything we do has a value, our support goes beyond creativity offering experiences that make a difference. We’re an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation and receive funding from a range of trusts and foundations.

LEVEL Centre is based in rural Derbyshire, specialising in visual, digital and performing arts. Our award-winning building opened in 2008 and we’re open to the public year-round with a packed programme of visual arts exhibitions, digital installations and workshops. Much of the work that you see at the centre has been produced by or with disabled creatives from across the UK. We support disabled creatives to develop their practice.

We deliver projects and workshops for our learning disabled creative community, SEN schools and day centres. We have a Youth Collective programme for young people who are autistic and/or neurodivergent, and creative programmes for home schooled young people, young people out of mainstream education and young people with mild to moderate learning disabilities. LEVEL Centre is a vibrant, inclusive arts centre dedicated to fostering creativity and community engagement for people of all abilities. We offer a range of artistic and environmental programmes, including a new biodiverse sensory community garden, aimed at promoting well-being and connection with nature.

We work with:

• Learning disabled and disabled people
  
• Autistic and/or neurodivergent people
• Artists, performers and interesting people
• Our Derbyshire community
• Cultural and creative organisations
• National and International partners

Our Mission (why we exist): We celebrate the art that ‘difference’ makes

Our Vision (what we want): We unlock the unique talents of disabled creatives. We show the world how powerful ‘difference’ can be.

More information is available here.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a dynamic and inclusive board dedicated to making a positive impact in the community through the arts
  
• Opportunity to contribute to the growth and success of a rurally based arts centre
  
• LEVEL Centre is a supportive and creative charity
  
• Celebrate disabled creatives and creativity
• Professional development

Role Overview:

We’re seeking passionate and supportive volunteers to join our board and support our mission.

Trustee Duties:

The Charity Commission in the UK outlines six main duties for trustees, which are:

1. Ensure your charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit – Trustees must ensure that the charity’s activities align with its stated goals and benefit the public.
2. Comply with your charity’s governing document and the law – Trustees must adhere to the charity’s constitution, rules, and legal obligations, including charity and company law.
3. Act in your charity’s best interests – Trustees must prioritize the charity’s needs, acting independently and without personal gain.
4. Manage your charity’s resources responsibly – Trustees are responsible for protecting and managing the charity’s assets, ensuring proper use of funds and avoiding unnecessary risk.
5. Act with reasonable care and skill – Trustees must use their skills, knowledge, and experience to make informed decisions, seeking advice when necessary.
6. Ensure your charity is accountable – Trustees must be transparent, ensuring proper reporting, accountability to donors, beneficiaries, and regulatory bodies.

The Charity Commission also produces guidance entitled “The essential trustee: what you need to know, what you need to do”. Visit this link to access the guidance:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-essential-trustee-what-you-need-to-know-cc3/the-essential-trustee-what-you-need-to-know-what-you-need-to-do

In addition to the above information. LEVEL has its own set of Board Best Practices as follows:

• Attend meetings on a regular basis
• Be accountable
• Be inclusive
• Ability to challenge and ensure compliance
• Make decisions
• Be a critical friend and support to the Executive & Artistic Director when required
• Be present
• Ask questions
• Read board papers in advance of a meeting
• Participate in sub groups or exceptional meetings when required
• Have a valid and enhanced DBS check
• Undertake training where relevant
  

We Want Trustees to:

• Believe in what we do
• Have an interest in the arts/charitable sector
• Be advocates for disabled creatives
• Champion LEVEL to your friends and networks
• Help us be better at what we do
• Provide feedback
• Introduce us to people who may be able to help us fulfil our charitable objects
• Be supportive
• Be inclusive
• Understand or a willingness to embrace accessible governance

Time Commitment:

We estimate that you need to provide 6 – 10 hours a month voluntary support including:

• Operational support in the first six months through the transitional period
• Attend 4 board meetings a year (Online)
• Attend 1 Annual General Meeting a year
• Exceptional meetings if required
• Respond to communication via email
• Attend events where possible
• Review documentation and come to meetings well prepared

LEVEL will:

• Provide communication of when meetings are taking place
• Give clear communication about details of events
• Provide materials in a timely manner, in an agreed format including easy read, graphs, pie charts and other visual aids (paper / email/ structure)
• Review accessible governance process and procedures regularly

About our Board Meetings:

• Inclusive board meetings on a quarterly basis (hybrid format)
• Trustees must attend full board meetings. If three in a row are missed, the position may be withdrawn
• An AGM is held annually
• An annual Away Day is held to review strategy and governance
• A Finance sub-committee will be developed and held quarterly, chaired by the Treasurer
• Trustees are provided with a Management Report and other relevant papers (including management accounts for the finance sub-committee), and minutes for each meeting, two weeks prior to the meeting
• The Executive & Artistic Director undertakes pre-meetings with learning disabled board members to explore, discuss and support the process and agree questions for the board meeting
• Trustees are expected to have read board paperwork in advance, so the meeting can focus on any questions arising from the reports and papers. This gives time for strategic conversations and workshops during the meeting

About the Trustee role:

As a Board member your responsibilities may or will include:

• Capability to develop and implement risk management strategies
• Understanding and/or ability to ensure that LEVEL adheres to relevant laws, regulations, and compliance requirements
• Reviewing financial sustainability and supporting the Executive Director to plan accordingly
• Effective communication with internal and external stakeholders, including fellow board members, executives, and external partners
• Capacity to work collaboratively with other board members, staff and stakeholders and contribute to decision-making processes
• Commitment to high ethical standards and integrity in decision-making
• Problem solving
• Capacity to identify challenges for LEVEL and suggest effective solutions
• Being part of sub-committees or ‘task and finish groups’, created and held as and when required.
• Becoming a board representative on the ‘Green Team’ which meets twice a year
• Commitment to staying updated with best practices and industry trends
• Adapting information and materials making them suitable for all board abilities/needs
• Taking the lead alongside a staff team to provide strategic oversight and reporting on an area of work, in particular relating to ACE (Arts Council England) Investment Principles:

• • Inclusion & Relevance
  • Environmental Responsibility
  • Quality & Ambition
  • Dynamic Business
    

Terms & Conditions:

Equal opportunities
We are committed to achieving equal opportunities in the way we deliver services to the community and in our employment arrangements. We expect all employees and board members to understand and promote this policy in their work.

Health and safety
All employees and board members have a responsibility for their own health and safety and that of others when carrying out their duties and must help us to apply our general statement of health and safety policy.

Safeguarding Commitment
LEVEL Centre is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of everyone and expects all staff, board and volunteers to share this commitment. A satisfactory Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check will need to be returned prior to commencement of trustee role.

How to apply:

• Complete the online application form. Our website has Browsealoud toolbar software installed to make it more accessible- if you require any assistance please contact us on info@levelcentre.com
  
• Complete a covering statement outlining your suitability for the role.
• Upload your CV including two referees relating to a similar role.
• Complete the equal opportunities monitoring  form (optional).

We are happy to accept your application in the following formats:

• Written statement that is no more than 2 sides of A4
• Video submission that is no longer than 5 minutes – BSL, Makaton or spoken
• Audio submission as an MP3 or WAV file, that is no longer than 5 minutes. Please clearly label your files with your name

We positively encourage people with disabilities or from minority ethnic backgrounds to apply to join our teams as they are under-represented within LEVEL Centre’s workforce. We guarantee to interview any candidate with a disability or from an ethnic minority background who meets the essential criteria for the role.

Timeline:

Deadline: Sunday 6 July 2025

Interviews: July 2025 dates TBC