About the organisation
Our vision is for a county rich in wildlife with people connected to nature. Our mission is focussed on Protecting wildlife and inspiring a lifelong love of nature.
Our three strategic aims are:
1) Restore - 30% of land and sea in Essex actively managed for nature's recovery by 2030;
2) Take Action - 1 in 4 people in Essex taking action for nature and the climate by 2030;
and 3) Thrive - A thriving organisation delivering high performance and high impact.
About the role
We are looking for a dynamic and experienced financial professional to take on the role of Honorary Treasurer to our Board of Trustees. In addition to the general responsibilities of a Trustee, the role of the Treasurer is to maintain an overview of the Trust's financial affairs, ensure its financial viability, and ensure that proper financial records and procedures are maintained. The main point of contact for the Treasurer in the staff team is the Director of Finance & Systems, with whom the Treasurer works closely, particularly on the Trust's Finance & Audit (F&A) Committee.
The main tasks of the role are:
- To provide assurance to Board that the financial resources of the organisation meet its present and future needs and keep Board informed about its financial duties and responsibilities.
- Liaise with the Director of Finance & Systems to monitor and advise on the financial viability of the Trust and the financial implications of the Trust's Strategic Plan and annual Business Plan.
- Monitor the financial matters of the organisation and report to Board on the financial health of the Trust.
- Ensure that proper accounts and records are kept, ensuring financial resources are spent and invested in line with good governance, as well as any legal and regulatory requirements.
- Guide the development of any high-level financial, reserves, and investment policies, and ensure that policies and financial controls are in place.
- Review the Trustees' Annual Report and Financial Statements as drafted by the Director of Finance & Systems and Chief Executive Officer.
- Give a formal presentation of the accounts at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), drawing attention to important points in a coherent and easily understandable way.
- Act as counter-signatory on banking and investment documents, applications for funds, major contracts and land tenure.
Finance & Audit Committee
- Chair the Finance & Audit Committee, liaising closely with the Director of FInance & Systems to agree agendas.
- Ensure the regular review of the Terms of Reference of the Finance & Audit Committee.
- Oversee the Trust's relationship with its auditors, chairing an annual meeting between the auditors and the Committe, reporting back to Board and - in collaboration with the Director of Finance & Systems - appoint auditors.
- Ensure that the charity has an appropriate investment policy and oversees its regualr review, ensuring there is no conflict beween investments held and the aims and objects of the charity.
- Ensure that the accounts are well prepared and disclosed in the form required by funders and the relevant statutory bodies, for example the Charity Commission and Companies House.
- Ensure that the charity has an appropriate Reserves Policy.
Our ideal candidate
Ideally, the Honorary Treasurer will have senior experience of charity finance, including fundraising regulations, pension schemes, investments, legacies, VAT, and subsidiary companies. They will also have the ability to communicate complex financial information to all audiences, and a willingness to be available to staff for advice.
In addition, the ideal Treasurer will have:
• High-level leadership skills
• Tact and diplomacy
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Impartiality, fairness and the ability to respect confidences
• Financial qualification and experience with a focus on the big picture
• Experience of charity finance, including fundraising regulation, pension schemes, investments, legacies, VAT, and subsidiary companies
• The skills to analyse proposals and examine their financial consequences
• The ability to make recommendations to Trustees on long term financial strategy
• A willingness to be available to staff for advice
On an annual cycle, the Treasurer will need to prepare for and attend 5 x Finance & Audit Committees, 5 x Board meetings, the Trust’s AGM, and any other staff/trustee meetings, as well as liaise regularly with the Director of Finance & Systems and the CEO and attend relevant meetings with Investment Managers and Auditors. This is likely to amount to the equivalent of 2 days per month across the year.
What’s in it for you
Essex Wildlife Trust is entering an exciting period between now and the end of the decade, with a growing number of strategic and commercial opportunities presented by green finance and new income models. This role is pivotal on the Board of Trustees to maintain an overview of the Trust's financial affairs, ensure its financial viability, ensure that proper financial records and procedures are maintained, and balance financial opportunism and risk.
As part of a federation of Wildlife Trusts, led by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT), this role provides the opportunity to network with 46 other wildlife trusts nationally, and with our colleagues at RSWT, to achieve the impact necessary, identified by our key strategic aims; 1) Restore - 30% of land and sea in Essex actively managed for nature's recovery by 2030; 2) Take Action - 1 in 4 people in Essex taking action for nature and the climate by 2030; and 3) Thrive - A thriving organisation delivering high performance and high impact.
Working with our excellent Board of Trustees and our talented combined workforce of 178 staff and over 1500 volunteers, this role will be fundamental to our ambition to create a Wilder Essex where wildlife thrives, natural habitats are connected, and every person has access to nature. Everyone in Essex has a part to play in creating this change for the county, for our wildlife, our wellbeing, and our future.
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