Skip to main content

This job has expired

ADVERT: Trustees (voluntary)

Fertility Network UK

About Us

Fertility Network UK is the nation’s leading patient-focused fertility charity. We are a small independent charity working hard to help the 3.5 million people in the United Kingdom affected by the devastation and pain fertility issues create. Our support includes practical emotional support for people who are considering their future fertility; trying to become parents; facing the challenges of childlessness; are successful after fertility problems; and those needing help to access NHS-funded fertility treatment.

As the patient voice in the campaign for equitable access to NHS fertility treatment in the UK we co-chair campaign group Fertility Fairness, and ensure that the issues which matter to patients are heard by politicians, policy-makers and health commissioners. We work with the media and use social media to raise public awareness of all aspects of fertility issues. Our education project (in Scotland) raises awareness of the importance of fertility education in protecting and maintaining future fertility and highlights some practical steps young people can take to help protect their future fertility.  This year, we have started to highlight the impact of Fertility in the Workplace.  Through a small group of staff and volunteers, we provide a network of support groups both locally and online and access to a helpline for support, which includes the opportunity to speak with a fertility nurse.

We have come to a time of board change and are seeking to recruit trustees to join our Board. It’s an exciting time for the charity and your opportunity to influence its strategic direction.

For more information about our work, please visit our website: http://fertilitynetworkuk.org/

About the Role

 We are a small dedicated board and our goal is to expand it, not only in skill set but in diversity.  We really want our board of trustees to represent our community.  We’d love to hear people with a wide range of skills and from all ages and backgrounds.  The board is very aware that it needs to be ready to not only interact with people today in the way that they need, but with upcoming generations that will need the support and services of the charity.

Trustees have overall oversight of the charity.  They are not involved in the day-to-day running the charity which is for the charity’s staff and volunteers.  However, the board decides the approach the charity will take and its future direction.  It ensures that it has policies and procedures to comply with its legal obligations.  The board provides support, ideas and constructive challenge to the staff team to test thinking and help the charity be the best it can.  You can read a summary of the duties that trustees have here.

 We are currently looking for new trustees that have skills or experience in one or more of the following areas.   If you don’t have these skills yet you believe that your background and skills are useful and you are interested in joining our board, please do still get in touch.

  • Enthusiasm, energy and drive – wanting to make dealing with fertility challenges easier for people;
  • Managing a tight budget and planning finances as we want to be more financially resilient;
  • Campaigning/lobbying -   we want to help change what causes our service users problems;
  • Developing and leading a programme of change in how staff work together because we want to provide our staff with the most effective way of working for them and the charity’s goals;
  • Achieving social change or overcoming challenges you’ve faced because of your personal circumstances. We need ambassadors and mentors for our service users and supporters;
  • Digital - provide leadership on digital’s role in fundraising, marketing, communications, service delivery and operations and help build and implement this vision;
  • Setting up or advising a start-up company - we want to create a new trading arm to raise money;
  • A medical connection – to help us stay up to speed on those aspects & engage with those stakeholders;
  • A legal professional connection.

This is a great opportunity for someone looking for professional development and wishing to help shape the charity’s future and make a real difference to peoples’ lives.

Whether an experienced Trustee or wanting to take a first step at Board level, we’d love to hear from you!

You’ll embody our values and be willing and able to represent the charity at events and with stakeholders. Ideally the successful candidate will have social and/or business networks they are willing to use to help further our ambitions, have strong interpersonal and communication skills, and be able to challenge.

This is an unremunerated role. What we can offer is a role which is fascinating and immensely rewarding – working with a dynamic and committed Board.  It is a great opportunity to help create the future and make the journey of dealing with fertility challenges easier not only today but for future generations.

For an application pack please see:   https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/about-us/vacancies/

Closing date for applications is 19th August 2019. Interviews in the month following the closing date ideally.

If you would like an informal discussion about this role, please contact the acting chair of the Board via  office@fertilitynetworkuk.org

Get job alerts

Create a job alert and receive personalised job recommendations straight to your inbox.

Create alert