Bind CIO Trustee

Job or Trustee?

Closing date

Organisation

Bind CIO Trustee Role Description

About Bind

BIND UK is a collection of projects and people that reduce food waste by bringing people together to create change. We design and deliver projects across sectors that push boundaries and achieve results. We believe change is created not by a handful of people doing sustainability perfectly, but by everyone doing a little something. Find out more about our values and purpose here - https://projectbind.com/about/. Our work is split between Magic Hat, Eat Smart and food waste partnerships.

Magic Hat is Newcastle City Centre’s first and only coffee shop, kitchen and events venue dedicated to impacting the UK’s wider food waste problem - positively. Our chefs design menus on-the-day, every day, made from food that's far too good to be wasted. Fresh ideas for ingredients at their best. Magic Hat also operates a volunteer programme, a PAYF shop, an events programme and a hireable meeting space/kitchen. Magic Hat's profits go to supporting Bind's other projects in food waste prevention. After 5 years of trading in Newcastle City Centre, our lease was terminated for the building to get redeveloped. We are currently seeking out a new premises for Magic Hat and designing for how we can continue to challenge in its next iteration.

Eat Smart is a successful primary school educational programme born in the NE of England designed to inspire children and schools to reduce food waste and build sustainable food systems. We deliver engaging resources and learning experiences that empower schools and pupils to have more ownership of their kitchens/dinner halls, improve student wellbeing, and have increased environmental awareness.
Since 2018 Eat Smart has enabled 70 schools in North East England to rescue their food waste by over 25%, equivalent to saving 6,000 meals worth £13,000 per school, per year, and our expansion to other areas of the UK has already begun. With an ever-growing data set and credibility for school food waste prevention, we have increasing potential to affect school food policy and deliver food waste prevention interventions on a national level.

Bind is expanding its work to ensure food waste prevention, not just redistribution, is at the heart of our mission. Bind works in partnership with businesses, local authorities and community groups to help them reduce their food waste, and reduce their food bills by using surplus food in their kitchens. We are well recognised in the North East and lead various partnerships of public, private and voluntary sector organisations, tasked with reducing food waste at a strategic level.

See www.projectbind.com and www.themagichatcafe.co.uk for more info.

About the Trustee Role

As a Bind Trustee, you’ll be at the heart of our strategic vision. You’ll make key decisions and help guide our Board and CEOs to maximise Bind’s impact. We are looking for experienced trustees to join our existing team of three, with one or more of the following areas of expertise, although we welcome applications from people with other skills and levels of experience:

Strategic Growth and Development
Financial control and/or fundraising
Policy: education, food and/or sustainability
Communications, marketing & PR
Impact, performance and accountability

Time Commitment:
Your total time commitment will be between 2-6 hours per month, including board meetings every 6-8 weeks and ongoing problem solving – via email/WhatsApp.
Meetings are a mix of online and in-person. You will be expected to attend a minimum of 50% of board meetings and prepare adequately for meetings.

Essential Qualities of All Directors
Commitment to Bind’s aims, objectives and core values
Passion for creating behavioural change around the issue of food waste
Understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of being a Trustee
Be familiarised with Bind’s constitution
Strategic and forward looking vision in relation to our aims and objectives.

Key Responsibilities
You will be collectively responsible for the effective governance and oversight of the charity, ensuring it is well-run, financially sound and delivering its charitable purposes:
You’ll act in the charity’s best interests, advancing its charitable objects and acting with reasonable care and skill
You’ll ensure compliance with the charity’s governing document, charity law and regulation
You’ll provide strategic direction, agreeing the charity’s mission, values and long-term priorities
You’ll oversee finances, ensuring appropriate financial controls are in place, resources are used responsibly, and assets are safeguarded
You’ll manage risk, including reputational, financial and operational risk
You’ll ensure accountability, monitoring performance and impact and acting transparently
You’ll uphold safeguarding, equality and ethical standards, ensuring appropriate policies and practices are in place
You’ll participate fully in Trustee Board meetings, decision-making and any sub-committees
You’ll act as an ambassador for the charity and support its aims externally where appropriate

Application Process

We are committed to building a diverse team with a variety of backgrounds, skills, and views, ensuring that our recruitment and promotion processes are equitable and free from bias.

To apply, please prepare no more than one side of A4 telling us about your relevant experience and what difference you hope to make to Bind. Please also include your full name and best contact details. Proposals should be emailed to duncan@projectbind.com

The deadline for applications is 20th February 2026.

Thank you for taking the time to read and consider this, we hope to hear from you soon.

Contact Information

Duncan Fairbrother, co-CEO duncan@projectbind.com
07522 358 058

Jess Miller, co-CEO
jess@projectbind.com
07930 533 519