Role Description  

Location: Vale, Guernsey

Role: Voluntary

Time Commitment: At least 1 day a month

General purpose of the role 

Guernsey Housing Association (GHA) is passionately committed to its social purpose and to providing affordable, safe, good-quality homes and communities for people to live and thrive in.

The Board has a vital role to play in shaping the organisation’s strategy and vision. It also has an important role to play in ensuring that GHA delivers a people-focused culture, achieving high levels of customer and staff satisfaction and offering choices which meet customers’ needs and expectations.

As a Board Member, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of the association Your insight, challenge, and guidance will help ensure we remain financially strong, compliant, and innovative—so we can continue to deliver high-quality homes and services that transform lives. You’ll be a guardian of our values, a champion for our customers, and a voice for positive change.

Responsibilities  

Strategy and Delivery 

  • Approving the Corporate Strategy and monitoring delivery to ensure GHA achieves its purpose in line with its values.
  • Setting and modelling a positive culture, with a strong people focus.
  • Ensuring that GHA achieves value for money through all of its operations.
  • Providing oversight, direction and constructive challenge to the Chief Executive and executive team.
  • Safeguarding the assets and reputation of GHA.

 Governance 

  • Ensuring the needs and safety of current and future residents and staff are central to Board decision-making.
  • Providing assurance on the integrity of financial reporting, including approving the annual budget, Financial Plan and annual accounts.
  • Establishing and overseeing an effective risk management and assurance framework.
  • Establishing, overseeing and reviewing a framework of delegation and systems of internal control.
  • Ensuring GHA fulfils statutory and regulatory responsibilities and remains compliant.
  • Preparing for, attending and contributing at Board and Committee meetings.
  • Promoting and upholding GHA’s values and abiding by the Code of Conduct.

Board Effectiveness 

  • Participating in an individual performance appraisal and in group Board effectiveness appraisals.
  • Developing and maintaining good working relationships with the Chair, Board members and executive officers.
  • Ensuring the Board collectively has the skills, experience and diversity needed to govern effectively.
  • Taking part in induction and ongoing learning and development to maintain and update knowledge.
  • Demonstrating constructive challenge, independence of thought and sound judgement in decision-making.
  • Committing sufficient time and preparation to discharge responsibilities effectively.
  • Contributing to a culture of openness, inclusion and respectful debate at Board level.

Person Specification  

Experience

In addition to the knowledge, experience, qualities and attributes we seek in all our board members (set out below), we are particularly seeking candidates with one or more of the following experiences:

  1. High profile track record of senior leadership in finance and/or business management and achievement within an organisation of a similar scale and complexity to Guernsey Housing Association whether in the commercial, public or third sectors.
  2. Significant experience at a senior leadership level within social housing, housing associations, or a similarly complex, ideally regulated, service-oriented environment.
  3. Extensive senior executive experience of Asset Management, including New Homes, repairs and maintenance, building safety, compliance risk and retrofit challenges.
  4. Sound knowledge of the social, economic and political context in which GHA operates, and an appreciation of the factors influencing housing need in Guernsey.

Knowledge and skills  

  1. Non-executive leadership  within an organisation of comparable scale or complexity.
  2. A strong understanding of the principles and practice of effective governance, including collective responsibility, constructive challenge and accountability.
  3. Financially literate, with the ability to understand and scrutinise financial information, including budgets, management accounts, business plans and key financial risks, and to use this insight to inform sound decision-making.
  4. A strong awareness of risk, assurance and the responsibilities of a regulated board.
  5. Experience of responding to emerging challenges and opportunities, with the agility to adapt to change in a complex and evolving environment.
  6. A proven ability to make balanced, well‑informed decisions, exercising independent judgement while working collaboratively as part of a Board.
  7. An understanding of the needs, expectations and aspirations of residents and local communities, and a commitment to keeping these at the heart of decision‑making.

Qualities and Attributes  

  1. Shares the vision, values and commitments of the organisation. A high degree of personal probity and integrity;
  2. A strong leader with personal and professional credibility that will command confidence at all levels;
  3. A decisive and effective decision maker who leads by example.
  4. Displays open-mindedness and impartiality;
  5. Committed to the values of accountability, openness, transparency and equality;
  6. Customer-focused and empathetic.
  7. Has the ability to be able to operate at a strategic level.
  8. Has the time and capacity to commit to this leadership role