Are you passionate about health justice? Medact is seeking new Trustees to help oversee our governance and support our work.
About Medact
Medact supports the health community to campaign together towards a world in which everyone can truly achieve and exercise their human right to health. We cover some of the most pressing national and global threats to health and wellbeing including social inequality and racism; climate change; human rights abuses; and conflict and violence. Medact seeks systemic solutions to major social problems, and is unafraid to hold decision-makers to account. Ensuring we work to dismantle, and not reinforce, the power structures which lead to injustice and oppression is a key priority for us.
We’re member-led, and our membership spans a range of people who work in health including nurses, doctors, midwives and clinical researchers. If you share our vision and passion, why not join our Board and help us fight for health justice?
About the role
Our Trustees provide guidance, governance and final sign-off on major decisions on behalf of our membership. As Board members, our Trustees are collectively responsible for the governance of the organisation in line with the requirements of the Charity Commission. Trustees also contribute to the development of Medact’s strategy and participate in a range of other activities to support the Director and staff with our work.
There are generally five or six board meetings per year, many of which are conducted on Zoom, and it is expected that each Trustee will attend most Board meetings. Trustees are also sometimes asked to give their views or sign off on issues between Board meetings if an issue cannot wait. It is understood that Trustees’ availability may ebb and flow according to work and other commitments, but it is hoped that each Trustee will have the capacity to use their unique skills to support the team more broadly with Medact’s work.
In addition to Trustees we are in need of a new Treasurer for the Board!
Acting as a Trustee is a voluntary role but reasonable travel expenses can be paid.
Who we are looking for
Our current Board brings a broad range of skills, but we recognise that we do not yet reflect the diversity of the health community. There are also specific types of experience and expertise we would like more of on the Board. In particular, we are looking for potential Trustees with one or more of the following attributes:
- Experience as a frontline health worker of any sort, preferably current
- Lived experience of an issue that Medact campaigns on, for instance the Hostile Environment; the health impacts of economic injustice or climate change; the health impacts of armed conflict or UK security policies
- Legal and safeguarding expertise
- Fundraising expertise, particularly individual giving or major donor fundraising
- Human resources expertise
We would also like to widen the diversity on the board by encouraging applications from grassroots campaigners, members of communities affected by the issues Medact campaigns on, those working with the third sector on similar issues, and from racialised, religious and other minorities.
We hope all Trustees will:
- Share our vision for a fairer and safer world, and our analysis of the transformational change needed to get closer to it
- Approach Board discussions and conversations with the team with an open mind, able to listen to and genuinely engage with others’ views
- Display collaborative behaviours which promote harmony and good team working which supports Medact to be an effective, well-governed organisation
Previous experience on a charity board or in another governance role is useful but by no means essential. If you are interested in becoming a Trustee but aren’t sure you have the right skills and experience, or would like an informal conversation with an existing board member before applying, please get in touch by emailing [email protected].
How to apply
Trustee applications are now closed.
Interviews will be held at the end of August and first week of September in order for new trustees to be co-opted at Medact’s AGM in late September. Please let us know when applying if you are unavailable during this period.