Treasurer (Trustee)

We are looking for a new Treasurer to join our Trustees. With the other Trustees, you will be ultimately responsible for ensuring that our charity continues to support families in Bradford with young children in the best way possible. You will also ensure that our staff and volunteers are supported in their work, and have the resources they need to to help families to flourish and thrive.

We have a committed board of Trustees with a wide range of skills and experience. Our Treasurer has just stepped down after three terms, so we need to recruit a replacement Trustee / Treasurer. The day-to-day finances of the charity are done by the Management Team, who also prepare quarterly reports to the Trustees, but the Treasurer is a second signatory on the bank account and authorises the payments online each month, as well as spot checking bank reconciliations on a regular basis. They also work with the Management Team to set budgets.

The Trustees meet every two months on a Monday (2-4pm), with a small amount of preparation and followup between meetings.

Whilst we would of course welcome somebody with previous Trustee experience, this is potentially a great opportunity for somebody who hasn’t been a Trustee before as our board is currently a mix of longer-serving, experienced, Trustees who can help to support you as a new Trustee, alongside newer Trustees so you wouldn’t be the only new person. Experience of charity or business finances would be very helpful in the role, as although all Trustees need to understand the charity’s finances, it is the Treasurer’s particular responsibility to make sure that the other Trustees can understand the financial information presented to them, and they therefore need to have a good understanding of the charity’s accounts. The Management Team can help with this.

A Home-Start Bradford District Trustee should:

• show a commitment to our objects to support families and children, specifically: “to safeguarding, protect and preserve the good health, both mental and physical, of children and parents of children; to prevent cruelty to or maltreatment of children; to relieve sickness, poverty and need amongst children and parents of children; to promote the education of the public in better standards of child care within the are of Bradford and its environs.”
• understand why families may need support from Home-Start Bradford District
• have a positive, non-judgemental attitude to working with people of any gender, family status or sexual identity, or who are from any ethnic origin, culture or religion, or who may have a disability
• demonstrate a sensitive and caring attitude towards others
• demonstrate strategic vision
• show good independent judgment
• be able to think creatively
• be willing to speak their mind
• have a clear understanding of the confidential nature of our service, and not break confidences, other than when disclosure is essential to protect the wellbeing or safety of a child
• be willing to devote time and effort, and be enthusiastic and reliable
• have good communication skills including an ability to listen
• be able to work as a member of a team
• abide by Nolan’s seven principles of public life
  • selflessness
  • integrity
  • objectivity
  • accountability
  • openness
  • honesty
  • leadership.

In addition, the Treasurer should:

• demonstrate accuracy and attention to detail
• be able to understand and present financial information simply and clearly
• have experience of managing finances of operating financial procedures.

A full role description and person specification can be found on our website.