Treasurer

Who we are

Coventry Biennial was founded in 2017 as an artist-led, strategic response to the city publishing a 10 year cultural strategy & the bid to become UK City of Culture.

Our vision & mission is to make:

Contemporary art exhibitions, initiatives & collaborations of social relevance With Coventry, it’s neighbours & beyond

Activating spaces, exchanges & experiences

We aim to:

– CONNECT people, groups & places in unique & meaningful ways, increasing engagement with contemporary art & the unique context of the local area.

– MAKE work with artists & communities that is ambitious, innovative & high quality, building on the city’s craft & manufacturing heritage.

– DEVELOP the local sector & scene to grow, becoming more diverse, dynamic & sustainable, learning from the city’s art history while fostering new talent & initiatives.

To do this we support & present socially, politically & critically engaged art in Coventry & Warwickshire to local, national & international audiences.

We work with artists to respond to the city’s complex history, geography, built environment & relationships, retaining an outward-looking perspective, ensuring that our work has broader appeal, significance & impact. This unique context informs our commissioning of new works that are often co-created in response to themes that connect to the local area while also relating to broader developments & trends in contemporary art.

Our programmes occupy local museums, galleries & studios, but distinctively, also make innovative use of disused, high street and non-art spaces as a way to reach new audiences & increase relevance.

We are well aware of the issues that face Biennial’s, but consider ourselves among what writer Jens Hoffmann has identified as:

“a number of biennials [that] have thankfully begun to realise that deeper artistic and and curatorial commitment as well as a sense of urgency are required. These biennials have started to articulate more specific missions, which usually emerge from from the histories and current realities of their locales”

The role

Note: The overall role of a Treasurer is to maintain an overview of the organisation’s affairs, ensure its financial viability and ensure that proper financial records and procedures are maintained. In organisations without paid staff, the Treasurer may take a greater role in the day- to-day finances of the organisation.

In addition to the general responsibilities of a board member, duties of the treasurer include the following:

• Overseeing, approving and presenting budgets, accounts and financial statements

• Being assured that the financial resources of the organisation meet its present and future

  needs

• Ensuring that the company has an appropriate reserves policy

• Preparing and presenting financial reports to the board

• Ensuring that appropriate accounting procedures and controls are in place

• Liaising with any team members about financial matters

• Advising on the financial implications of the organisation’s strategic plans

• Ensuring that the company has an appropriate investment policy

• Ensuring that there is no conflict between any investment held and the aims and objects of the

  company

• Monitoring the organisation’s investment activity and ensuring it is consistent with the

  organisation’s policies and legal responsibilities

• Ensuring that the accounts are prepared and disclosed in the form required by funders and the

  relevant statutory bodies, for example the Charity Commission and/or the Registrar of

  Companies

• If external scrutiny of accounts is required, ensuring that the accounts are scrutinised in the

  manner required (independent examination or audit) and any recommendations are implemented

• Keeping the board informed about its financial duties and responsibilities

• Contributing to the fundraising strategy of the organisation

• Making a formal presentation of the accounts at the annual general meeting and drawing

  attention to important points in a coherent and easily understandable way

• Sitting on appraisal, recruitment and disciplinary panels as required

  Person specification

  In addition to the person specification for a board member, the treasurer should have the following qualities.

• Financial qualifications and experience

• Some experience of charity finance, fundraising and pension schemes

• The skills to analyse proposals and examine their financial consequences

• Being prepared to make unpopular recommendations to the board

• A willingness to be available to staff for advice and enquiries on an ad hoc basis

HOW TO APPLY

The purpose and main duties of the position are set out in the role descriptions. The knowledge, experience, skills and attributes we are looking for in the successful candidates are detailed in the person specification. It is important to read all the information in this pack before completing your application.

In order to apply please send a document of no more than 1x side of A4 or send us a link to a video you have made (that is no longer than 3 minutes) with answers to the following questions:

• Why you want to be part of the Coventry Biennial board?

• What skills or experience you would contribute to the board?

• What benefit you hope to derive from being on the Coventry Biennial board?