Trustee

Join our Board of TrusteesArt is for everyone.Everyone has potential.About Old Fire Station, OxfordThe Old Fire Station is a multiform arts centre in the centre of Oxford that shares abuilding and deep partnership with Crisis, the homelessness charity.  OFS encourages people from all backgrounds to understand and shape the world inwhich we live through stories, creativity and the arts, and by connecting with others.  ART IS FOR EVERYONE. EVERYONE HAS POTENTIAL. See our latest impact report here, and watch short videos about the OFS here andhere. Learn more about our projects Marmalade, Offbeat, Hidden Spire andStorytelling.What we do Produce and present across art forms We want our reputation to be good-quality art, in person and online, which is aimedat adults, takes a risk, asks questions and entertains. We want our audiences to havefun and be open to new ideas and different people. Help people to be creative We want people to be able to write, sing, draw, devise, design, perform, move, make,imagine, play and create – physically and online – individually or with others and to ahigh standard. Creativity includes artistic practice but also extends to technology andscience and imaginative thinking. We want people to tell their own stories using themedium that works best for them. Support artists We want early to mid-career artists from all disciplines to have access to the advice,networks and promotion they need to develop their practice as creatives and asfacilitators of other people’s creativity. Include people facing tough times because of disadvantage We share our building with the homelessness charity, Crisis. Through thispartnership, we offer people who are homeless space to define themselves andchoose their own labels by including them in the running of the centre. We also seekto include others who are socially isolated and disadvantaged. We do not focus onhomelessness. We focus on what people who face disadvantage can offer. Work with communities across Oxford With Crisis, we offer a public space which is shared by very different people andhelps to break down barriers and promote solidarity in Oxford. We will also workthrough partnerships beyond our building with different communities aroundOxford. What we consider in everything we do Be human-friendly This means working with others to  educate ourselves about healthy organisational culture and decision making  take practical steps to develop honest supportive relationships within our team,with our volunteers, our partners and funders and with the public use our creativity to promote services founded on good quality relationships andlearningIt also means having fun! Experiment and listen To make great art and to achieve change we have to experiment and play. This means taking risks, being prepared to fail and being able to adapt and respond.It also means listening carefully to those with whom we work (especially to dissent),reflecting deeply on what we do and how we do it, and measuring impact primarilythrough storytelling. Build financial resilience This means ensuring that we are here for the long term by diversifying incomestreams, securing core and project funding, developing the business, minimisingexpenditure whilst delivering our mission and maintaining appropriate levels ofreserves. It also means ensuring that those we work with are properly paid to helpthem become financially resilient. Unlearn Discrimination This means working with others to educate ourselves about racism and other forms of discrimination in culturalorganisations (especially with regards to disability and class)take practical steps to become more representative of diverse communitiesuse our creativity to explore diverse culture and challenge ignorance or abuseFace the Climate Emergency This means working with others to educate ourselves about the emergencytake practical steps to reduce carbon emissionsuse our creativity to help our community face the challenges ahead How do we do it? We do all this by focussing on:  good quality relationships listening and learning encouraging creativity and risk-taking offering a public space which is welcoming to all working collaboratively online, outside and elsewhere Why is this needed? Oxford is globally renowned for stunning heritage and outstanding research. Oxford is also a place of disadvantage and inequality. Oxford needs the Old Fire Station because it is about openness, inclusion, lookingforward and different thinking. The Old Fire Station acts as a bridge between sectors, organisations and people. What is involved?All Trustees are expected to Promote and support OFS’ vision, mission and values Contribute to the development of strategy, business planning and policy Ensure that policies, operations and priorities are in keeping with the aimsand values of OFS and in line with relevant legal frameworks Ensure the charity is well managed in terms of finance and accountability Monitor the charity’s performance in terms of meeting agreed goals andobjectives Attend board meetings Contribute to fundraising and development through funder/donorcultivation Be an active advocate for the organisation by supporting widernetworking Support the CEO and where necessary meet CEO and staff between Boardmeetings Attend events, performances and workshops where possible Every Trustee is expected to prepare for and participate in regular OFS Boardmeetings (currently four per year), each lasting 2.5 hours and held in Oxford,plus one annual away day. Trustees are also asked to serve on a sub-committee. Most meetings can be attended remotely if necessary.  Full board meetings usually take place every three months. Meeting times canvary depending on the best availability of the board and supporting staff.  We have four sub-committees, Trustees are encouraged to join at least one: Finance + Audit Fundraising Art and AudiencesEquity, Equality, Diversity + InclusionSub-committees meet every 3 months, in the month prior to each boardmeeting. The time commitment for this role is likely to amount to 12 days per year. The start date for this role is flexible. All OFS Trustee appointments are unpaid, although reasonable travel andother out of pocket expenses will be paid for. The usual term of office is 5 years extendable by a further 3 years to amaximum of 8. NB if appointed, any new Trustee will join in a personal capacity not as arepresentative of an organisation. Any conflicts of interest will be noted andsubject to the relevant policies.  We are specifically looking for Trustees to support us in the following areas: Fundraising- we're looking for someone who has experience in developing and stewardingindividual donor programmes, who could support us in diversifying andgrowing our fundraising income with a particular focus on individuals. Finance-we're looking for someone with an accounting qualification and the ability tocommunicate and explain financial information to members of the Board, staffand other stakeholders. This Trustee would support our Treasurer, and beinterested in taking on this role over the long term. Artistic programming -we're looking for someone professionally involved in either the visual orperforming arts, who cares about and wants to contribute to support forartists, bold and inclusive programming and making art accessible foreveryoneWe think it is important for the organisation to be made up of people from awide variety of backgrounds, representative of our society, not just because itis the right thing to do, but because it enriches the arts for all and makes usstronger as a team. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals with livedexperience of discrimination and disadvantage due to class, disability,ethnicity, gender identity and expression, neurodivergence, race and sexualorientation. Please tell us if you have this lived experience in your application. Who are we looking for?Caroline Boon (Chair)Kim CollinsDoyin AtewologunDavid O’HaraHeather Smith (Treasurer)Serrena TannaDemelza BrooksCurrent TrusteesExecutive LeadershipClara VaughanChief Executive OfficerBecca VallinsDeputy Chief Executive OfficerSarah CassidyHead of Inclusion and LearningBecs MorrisHead of ProgrammingVacantHead of Fundraising and CommunicationsMegan DawkinsHead of Operations and HRTo apply, please send in an expression of interest, alongside your CV torecruitment@oldfirestation.org.uk.We also accept audio or video applications. We recommend the software Speechify for reading aloud the role description.We are looking to recruit more than one Trustee to our board. This is a rolling recruitment process, meaning there is no deadline for applications.Please get in touch as soon as possible. We will review applications as they come inand be in touch from there. Things to consider in your expression of interest:What has led you to apply for this opportunity?What excites you about being on the Old Fire Station’s board of Trustees?What experience and skills would you bring to this role, in particular around those listed on page 7?Anything else you think we need to know about you.If you have further questions about this opportunities please emailrecruitment@oldfirestation.org.ukWe are keen to learn more about the barriers to inclusion and it would be reallyhelpful if you could also fill in our demographics monitoring form. This is anonymousand is for us to assess how well we are doing in terms of attracting applications frompeople who experience discriminationHow to apply and what to include