LYR Trustee

Welcome from LYR’s Senior Independent Director and Chair of LYR Nominations Committee

LYR is young and ambitious and has achieved a great deal since it was launched in 2005. It currently works with over 120 state secondary schools in our home base in London and four other locations – Leeds, Nottingham, Bristol and Gravesend. In addition to this work, we own and run one of the largest Indoor Rowing events on the world with over 3,000 young people entering the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships every year as well as a bank of corporate fund-raising events and team building options. There is an amazing team at LYR, and we are able to draw coaches from the communities where we work and believe whole-heartedly in ‘Communities Coaching Communities’ as a model which provides fantastic coaches that can inspire, engage, and enthuse the many thousands of young people we work with every year. LYR is not what you think – it is more than it seems. Rowing can be seen as a niche minority sport, but we like to think differently – we want to provide opportunities and experiences for young people so they can take the life skills learnt and honed by being involved in sport and regular physical activity and use those skills through the rest of their lives.

This is an incredible opportunity to join the team of Trustees and for an individual to lead the Trustee Board as Chair. More details about LYR, the Board and the skills and experience needed for these roles are included in this pack. We hope these details will inspire and excite you. It is certainly an extremely exciting time for the organisation as we celebrate our 20th year since we were formed and look forward to continuing to show how rowing has the power to change young people’s lives.

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The LYR Board of Trustees

LYR is an ambitious charity with a record of success and innovation. Our Board of Trustees is both diverse and inclusive, encompassing a range of perspectives, approaches, and experiences that we believe are essential to driving further innovation, challenge, and creativity in a highly competitive charity environment. The LYR Board meets about five times a year and there are Board sub-committees for Trustees and the LYR Exec team to focus on key aspects: Finance Committee, Fundraising Committee, Risk and Performance Committee and the Nominations Committee. We are now seeking to appoint new Trustees and a new Chair to complement our high performing team. We are looking for people that have a strong commitment to our mission to promote rowing and other forms of physical activity for young people. There is no requirement for the potential Trustee or Chair to have any knowledge or experience of rowing. We encourage applicants from all minority ethnic groups and backgrounds that reflect the diversity of the young people with whom we work.

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Experience

We are looking for individuals who have a strong empathy with our mission to promote rowing and other forms of physical activity across the UK. Candidates should have experience of operating within a board in a charitable, public sector or commercial organisation and be able to show:

• Demonstrable experience of developing and championing ethnic diversity

• A proven record of sound judgement and effective decision- making.

• A history of impartiality, fairness, and the ability to respect confidences.

• Commitment and a willingness to devote the necessary time and effort.

• Preparedness to make unpopular recommendations and speak their mind.

• Willingness to be available to staff for advice and enquiries on an ad hoc basis.

• Good, independent judgement and strategic vision.

• An understanding of the legal duties of Trusteeship

• An ability to work effectively as a member of a team.

• An understanding of the respective roles of the Chair, Trustees and CEO

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Role Description: LYR Trustee

Remuneration: The role of Trustee does not come with any financial remuneration, although travel expenses can be claimed

Location: London based Board Meetings but can also be hybrid

Reporting to: Chair and Board

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• Ensure that LYR pursues its objectives as defined in its governing document.

• Ensure the organisation applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objectives.

• Actively contribute to the Board of Trustees’ role in providing a firm strategic direction to the organisation, setting overall policy, defining goals, setting targets, and evaluating performance against agreed targets

• Safeguard the good name and values of the organisation.

• Ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation.

• Ensure the financial stability of the organisation.

• Protect and manage the property of the organisation and to ensure the proper investment of the organisation’s funds.

• Appoint the Chief Executive Officer and provide support and guidance.

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In addition, holding the charity “in trust” for current and future beneficiaries by:

• Ensuring that the charity has a clear vision, mission and strategic direction and is focused on achieving them.

• Being responsible for the performance of the charity and for its corporate behaviour; ensuring that the charity complies with all legal and regulatory requirements.

• Acting as guardians of the charity’s assets, both tangible and intangible, taking due care over their security, deployment, and proper application

• Ensuring that the charity’s governance is of the highest possible standard.

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As well as the various statutory duties, Trustees should make full use of any specific skills, knowledge, or experience to help the Board make good decisions. The above list of duties is indicative only and not exhaustive. Trustees are expected to perform all such additional duties as are reasonably commensurate with the role.

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Role Description: LYR Chair

Remuneration: The role of Chair does not come with any financial remuneration, although travel expenses can be claimed

Location: London based Board Meetings but can also be hybrid

Reporting to: The Members of LYR and the Board

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• Ensure that LYR pursues its objectives as defined in its governing document.

• Ensure the organisation applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objectives.

• Manage the Trustees’ role in providing a firm strategic direction to the organisation, setting overall policy, defining goals, setting targets, and evaluating performance against agreed targets.

• Safeguard the good name and values of the organisation.

• Ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation.

• Ensure the financial stability of the organisation.

• Protect and manage the property of the organisation and to ensure the proper investment of the organisation’s funds.

• Appoint the Chief Executive Officer and provide support and guidance.

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Together with the Board of Trustees hold the charity “in trust” for current and

future beneficiaries by:

• Ensuring that the charity has a clear vision, mission and strategic direction and is focused on achieving them.

• Being responsible for the performance of the charity and for its corporate behaviour; ensuring that the charity complies with all legal and regulatory requirements.

• Acting as guardians of the charity’s assets, both tangible and intangible, taking due care over their security, deployment, and proper application

• Ensuring that the charity’s governance is of the highest possible standard.

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As well as the various statutory duties, Trustees should make full use of any specific skills, knowledge, or experience to help the Board make good decisions. The above list of duties is indicative only and not exhaustive. Trustees are expected to perform all such additional duties as are reasonably commensurate with the role.

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In addition to the responsibilities as a Trustee, the Chair should:

• With the CEO, set the agenda and Chair Trustee Board meetings.

• Ensure that all Trustees contribute and encourage robust debate.

• Review Board effectiveness.

• Have experience of Chairing senior level fora.

• Chair the AGM.

• Review the performance of the CEO.

• Have had experience of working within a Board of Trustees.

• Have a good network which complements LYR’s Strategic Goals.

• Have experience of developing organisations through fundraising and income generation.

• Have demonstrable experience of building and sustaining relationships with key stakeholders and colleagues to achieve organisational objectives

• Represent the Charity externally to funders, partners, supporters and where necessary.

• Liaise with and engage with media and internal and external communications when needed.

The Chair will be appointed as a Trustee initially and the successful candidate will then be asked to become LYR Chair for an initial term of 3 years. As well as the various statutory duties, the Chair should make full use of any specific skills, knowledge, or experience to help the Board make good decisions. The above list of duties is indicative only and not exhaustive. The Chair will also be expected to perform all such additional duties as are reasonably commensurate with the role.

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How to apply, our recruitment process and timeline

If you are interested in these significant opportunities and would like to discuss them in further detail, please send your CV and any covering letter to recruitment@londonyouthrowing.com

The closing date for applications is 3rd May 2024.

Our recruitment process and timeline is:

• Stage One – the Nominations Committee review the applications and have initial discussions with candidates if required.

• Stage Two - shortlisted candidates meet with the Nominations Committee and a discussion with members of the LYR Senior Management Team.

• Stage Three - the Nominations Committee recommends new Trustee appointments, followed by the LYR Board nominating a new Chair ahead of the LYR Annual General Meeting, when the current Chair steps down after completing his nine years as a Trustee.

We expect Stage Three to be concluded during summer 2024, allowing the Chair-Elect to have a handover period with the current Chair, with the appointment of new Trustees and Chair formally ratified by the Board and LYR Members at the AGM in Autumn 2024.

LYR is an equal opportunities organisation and encourages applications from all sections of the community.

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Equity Statment

LYR recognises the positive value of diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination. We particularly encourage applications from people that have experience of working in the areas where we operate and from disabled candidates, female candidates, and candidates from ethnic minorities, as we work extensively with young people from these backgrounds and these groups are underrepresented in sports organisations and the charity sector.

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Safeguarding

LYR uses sport to engage & inspire young individuals to achieve their potential. Protecting children and adults at risk from harm and promoting their wellbeing is fundamental to achieving this mission. All successful applicants will be required to complete a DBS check before starting their new role – as per the NSPCC safer recruitment guidelines.

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Job Description Pack Available Here