Role Description

 

Role Purpose

Trustees are the people who share ultimate responsibility for governing DAMHA and directing how it is managed and run. The main purpose of the Trustee is outlined below, but you should also consult the NHF Code of Governance, the Code of Conduct and associated policies and procedures.

  • Trustees must contribute to and, on a collective basis, share responsibility for and abide by the decisions of the Board and be ready to assure themselves to certify compliance with all relevant laws, regulatory requirements, and the adopted Code of Governance.
  • Trustees have the responsibility for ensuring management control, accountability, and good conduct of the Board and any committees on which they serve.
  • A member should be ready to challenge information that is presented to them in a constructive and meaningful way, seeking to ensure the best resolution for the entity they serve.

Key Responsibilities

This is not an exhaustive list and may be reviewed and amended by the Board at any time:

 

  • To establish and ensure compliance with policies, covering all legal, regulatory, and good practice requirements.
  • To set the annual and longer-term objectives of the Association and to determine its vision, mission, and values.
  • To enable and oversee the achievement of those objectives through appropriate delegated authorities, operational procedures, and the employment of staff with appropriate skills.
  • To measure and review the performance of the Association.
  • To review the activities and structure from time to time and decide on changes if appropriate or advisable in its best interests.
  • To exercise sound financial management and maintain financial viability whilst meeting the objectives.
  • To avoid financial risk and protect the public funds invested in the Association.
  • To ensure that the interests and needs of the tenants are considered in all matters.
  • To ensure that the Association’s properties are developed to a high standard and are kept in good repair.
  • To be an excellent employer.
  • To promote accountability through openness and contact with communities, representative bodies, and strategic authorities.
  • To attend regularly and contribute to Board meetings and to review regularly the performance of the Board to ensure that, as a team, it has the capacity and commitment to understand and control the activities of the Association.

 

Person Specification

Part One – Experience and Knowledge – Assessed at application stage

We are looking for several Trustees and have identified discrete areas of expertise needed to strengthen the Board. Candidates are asked to ensure that they demonstrate how they meet one or more of the key areas listed below in their supporting statement:

  • Extensive experience of corporate finance, business planning, and risk management, preferably gained within the social housing sector
  • Legal and regulatory experience within social housing, particularly Consumer Standards
  • Corporate governance – experience and understanding of governance models and frameworks gained at a senior level in any regulated sector.
  • Housing management – experience and understanding of housing management ideally gained in the social housing sector
  • Organisational-wide experience of designing and delivering customer services, including complaints and customer engagement,t gained in any sector
  • IT, data management, cyber security and AI – experience and understanding of the risks and rewards at a strategic level and its application in an organisation of comparable size and complexity
  • Previous experience as a Trustee
  • Equality, diversity, and inclusion: understanding the needs of the customer base served by the Association and how best to meet them
  • Knowledge of local areas and communities served: understanding of the needs and aspirations of Durham Coalfield communities and what it means to live within them

Part Two – Assessed at interview stage

Competencies

  • A strategic leader who inspires and gets the best out of people and teams.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with an approachable and engaging style.
  • Strong negotiator and influencer, able to work intuitively with a wide range of stakeholders.
  • Able to manage risk without being risk averse.
  • Able to make sound and balanced judgments and comfortable with accountability.
  • Able to listen to a wide range of contributions, challenge constructively, and achieve consensus in collective decision-making.

Attributes and behaviours:

  • Acts in alignment to our core purpose, values, and objectives.
  • Champions the rights of customers and service users to be involved and influential.
  • Acts with integrity and places a high premium upon transparency and probity.
  • Proactively demonstrates a strong commitment to our values and equality, diversity, and inclusion.
  • A collaborative style that delivers respect and confidence.
  • Has the necessary time commitment and capacity to discharge the responsibilities of the post appropriately.

General

The list of key responsibilities given above is not an exhaustive list, and the role-holder may be required to undertake other responsibilities from time to time, as may be required by the Regulators.

At all times, Trustees must conduct themselves and carry out their duties in a manner that supports the Association’s Equal Opportunities Policy and ensures that the working environment is free from bias or harassment and promotes the health, safety, and well-being of all staff, trustees, residents, and other stakeholders.

The Trustee must recognise that this job description reflects the core activities of this post at the current time and that as the Association and the individual develop, there will inevitably be changes in the emphasis of the duties of the role. The Association expects that the Trustee will recognise this and adopt a flexible approach to responsibility and be willing to participate in training opportunities.
Information of a confidential nature must be kept strictly confidential and should never be betrayed either inside or outside of the Association. It should be noted that a breach of confidentiality is a serious offence that may lead to disciplinary procedures being invoked.