Trustee Vacancy Treasurer - Elizabeth Gaskell's House

Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is seeking a Treasurer to join their board of Trustees. Trustees have the ultimate responsibility for governing the house and charity and as Treasurer you would take a leading role in the financial management of the charity.

Are you someone with strong financial management experience and a passion for preserving a vital part of Manchester’s literary heritage: Elizabeth Gaskell’s House? Do you have an eye for managing and presenting financial accounts and are good at making decisions using your best judgement? Then we want to hear from you.

This is a voluntary role. However, expenses and access costs related to meeting the duties of the role can be covered and the House supports trustees through formal and informal training and development.

DEADLINE:
12pm, Wednesday 1st June 2022

WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING? (ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES):
As Treasurer you would take a leading role in overseeing the financial administration of the charity, making sure we are following best practice and in compliance with our governing document and legal requirements. You will ensure that we are financially resilient and responsibly run to provide the charity with a sustainable future.
Our Trustees have the ultimate responsibility for making decisions on the governance of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, ensuring that we are financially sustainable, well run and committed to delivering our charitable responsibilities.

Main responsibilities of the Treasurer role:
• To ensure the financial stability and sustainability of the Trust and the proper investment of funds.
• Review the financial performance and policies for finance and investment, ensuring that robust and effective financial controls are in place.
• Supervise the accounting function of both MHBT and The Gaskell House Trading Company. Ensure that accounting systems and procedures are in place, to timely and accurately record the transactions of both companies.
• Advise on the appointment of an independent examiner to review the annual accounts of both companies and supply accounting records as required to prepare the year-end accounts and consolidated accounts.
• To ensure Elizabeth Gaskell’s House complies with relevant legislation and regulations, in particular ensuring that we prepare and submit our reports, annual returns and accounts as required by law.
• Attend bi-monthly board meetings of MHBT to report to the board on the financial position of the Trust. Present and explain consolidated management accounts to the board.
• Attend bi-monthly board meetings of The Gaskell House Trading Company.
• Attend the AGM and present and explain the year-end consolidated accounts to the membership attending the AGM.
• Respond to questions/queries the board or the Manager of the House may raise on financial matters.
• Act as a cheque signatory, create electronic payments in the bank account and second authorise payments.

General Trustee responsibilities are:
• To ensure Elizabeth Gaskell’s is managed effectively and efficiently, including oversight of:

o Governance
o Care and maintenance of the house and its collection
o Financial management, budgets and investments
o Health and Safety, Safeguarding and HR policies and procedures
o Fundraising
o Capital projects to develop and improve the building

• To contribute to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House strategic and business plans, giving firm strategic direction for the House by setting objectives and evaluating performance against objectives.
• To ensure that Elizabeth Gaskell’s House complies with the requirements and rules set out in our governing documents and ensure that the charity applies its resources exclusively to pursuing its objectives.
• Keep informed about the activities of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House and wider issues that affect its work.
• Act with integrity, to avoid conflicts of interest or misuse of funds or assets.
• Use specific skills; knowledge and experience to help the board of trustees reach sound decisions.
• To be an advocate for Elizabeth Gaskell’s House and raise our profile both locally and beyond.

WHAT SORT OF PERSON ARE WE LOOKING FOR?:
We welcome applications from people with a wide range of skills and experience and positively accept applications from people from all backgrounds. You don’t need to have had any former Trustee experience.
As the position of Treasurer requires some specific financial knowledge and experience, we are looking for someone with:
• An accountancy qualification (Chartered level or equivalent strongly desired)
• Evidence of knowledge, skills and experience relevant to up-to-date best practice in accountancy and financial management.
• Financial management expertise and a broad understanding of charity finance issues.
• The ability to clearly present and explain accounts and financial procedures to other trustees and stakeholders
• A track record of experience and achievement, particularly in audit, financial management, accountancy and investments.
• Someone who genuinely champions and supports the charity and our goals
If you have experience in charity governance or leadership then that’s fantastic, however it is not a requirement of the role.

HOW MUCH TIME WILL YOU BE EXPECTED TO GIVE?:
Both the MHBT board and the Trading company board meet every two months on an evening. Recently these meetings have been happening digitally over Zoom, though these may return to a mix of in person and digital in the future.
In addition to the board meetings we also have our Annual General Meeting (AGM) which requires financial papers to be presented. We would also recommend setting aside a couple of hours a week for emails, matters arising and reviewing financial papers.
Trustees may also be asked to be a member of one or more of the board’s sub-committees (for example Management and Finance; Fundraising; Strategic Planning) as appropriate.
There are also opportunities for trustees to take on other voluntary roles at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, such as undertaking visitor tours, organising events or being duty managers. However this is separate from the trustee role and not an expectation of being a trustee.
Board members would preferably need to serve a minimum term of three years.

BENEFITS OF BECOMING A TRUSTEE:
Becoming a Trustee is a great way to develop leadership skills and gain experience in governance and understanding all aspects of governing an organisation. It can build confidence, resilience and provide a real step change for people looking to advance in their careers.
It’s also incredibly rewarding, and we find many of our trustees voluntarily giving so much back to the House out of passion for the building and the heritage of Elizabeth Gaskell.
Being a trustee at Elizabeth Gaskell House will give you a unique experience of governance in the charity and heritage sector and the opportunity to be actively involved in the running of a successful heritage attraction.

SUPPORT & TRAINING:
If this is your first time as a trustee, or in a treasury role, we will support you through mentorship or pairing with an existing board member. We can also look at relevant training and learning resources where required.
We will support you through your first meetings and make sure your voice and opinions are shared and heard.

EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY:
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is committed to Equal Opportunities and championing diversity and inclusion. We positively welcome applications from people from all backgrounds.

TRUSTEE MYTH-BUSTING:
There can be several misconceptions of what’s needed to be a trustee so we thought we’d bust some of those myths!

MYTH ONE – YOU HAVE TO BE INVITED TO BE A TRUSTEE: This isn’t true. We advertise our trustee roles both internally and externally and welcome applications from people we haven’t met yet.

MYTH TWO – BEING A TRUSTEE TAKES UP A LOT OF TIME: Being a trustee doesn’t need to take up a lot of time. Our main board and trading board both meet once every two months, usually on Zoom, plus an Annual General meeting and an hour or two keeping on top of emails each week. Beyond that you can give as little or as much time to the house as you want.

MYTH THREE – YOU ARE PERSONALLY LIABLE IF THINGS GO WRONG: Don’t worry – this is not true! Personal liability is limited to £1 per trustee, meaning that even if the charity were to close you would not have to personally pay for any debts. Legal responsibility requires you to act with honesty, integrity, in the best interests of the charity and without any conflicts of interest.

MYTH FOUR – I DON’T FIT THE IMAGE OF WHAT A TRUSTEE SHOULD BE: There is no right or wrong image of what a trustee is – old or young; male, female or non-binary; formal or informal, etc. Our board aims to represent the wide range of communities we serve. This means we want our trustees to be a mixture of ages, gender, ethnicity, knowledge, social background, skills and lived experiences.

MYTH FIVE – I’M NOT THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO WOULD MAKE A GOOD TRUSTEE: There are so many talented, experienced and passionate people who would make the perfect trustee, but who count themselves out because they don’t consider themselves confident or experienced enough. This is a huge loss for those boards, and your perspective could be the very thing that can change an organisation for the better. Please don’t count yourself out!