Position Description

Jisc’s Board of Trustees is made up of senior leaders working in UK further and higher education and the commercial sector. These experts determine its strategic direction and priorities to reflect the present and future needs of the education and research communities.

The Jisc board meets to:

• Approve the strategic aims for Jisc and its value and standards
• Ensure that financial and human resources are in place to meet these aims
• Review management performance
• Ensure that Jisc’s obligations to its owners and funders are understood and met
• Review and approve corporate strategy, budgets, and business plans
• Agree objectives and monitor performance
• Oversee the integrity of the company’s accounting and financial reporting systems
• Oversee the integrity of the external audit process
• Approve the annual financial statement based on advice from the audit and risk management committee
• Oversee health and safety matters
• Review its own performance and effectiveness annually

They include nominations from its three members, meaning Jisc is owned and guided by the communities it serves, truly delivering against their priorities.

Board composition

To find out more about the Board of Trustees, please see here.

Selection Criteria

Due to a current gap on the Board and as one of the Trustees comes to the end of their term, Jisc is seeking two Trustees who will bring senior commercial and / or entrepreneurial leadership experience, contributing to wider discussions and challenging constructively and appropriately. They will bring one of the following profiles:

Commercial: Candidates will bring a track record in commercial strategy, revenue diversification and scaling business models, with experience of supporting income growth. They will bring practical experience of setting up a company, launching new initiatives and scaling up activities. Experience of working with a range of income streams, ideally including grants and government funding, would be valuable. Experience of transformational change would be beneficial.

Entrepreneurial: Candidates will bring senior leadership level experience of founding or scaling organisations, innovating new products, services or markets, and leading digital, data-driven or technology-focused ventures. They should bring a strong understanding of how to innovate effectively and how to scale up successful activities, with the ability to apply this insight at board level.

The successful candidates will ideally understand the technology world. Links to education or government / civil service would also be useful. Candidates holding leadership experience within research intensive organisations (such as research councils or equivalent, funding bodies, or major research institutions) would be advantageous as well as having a strong understanding of UK research policy and funding frameworks, however the former areas are the key priorities.

Above all, the successful candidate will be a strong collaborator, offering advice and support as well as being able to provide effective challenge where necessary. Applications are particularly welcomed from those with an interest in education and the way in which digital solutions can transform the student experience.

Interviews

Interviews will be held on Tuesday 11th (09:00 – 17:00), Thursday 13th (AM only – 09:00 – 12:00) or Friday 14th August (09:00 – 17:00).

How to Apply

After we have closed the application window on the Nurole platform, our team of experts carefully assess your application against the criteria outlined in the role specification. We will select a group of the most suitable candidates to present to the organisation, who will then be able to view the full application. We will always get in touch to let you know the outcome of your application.

As the organisation will view the applications without edits, we therefore advise applicants to avoid using ‘see CV’ or ‘please call me to discuss further’ in your application as it may restrict your chances of progressing to the next round.

To read more about what to expect from the Nurole process, click here.

Take a look at Nurole guides on how to submit a strong application here.

Connected parties

This organisation has requested that candidates do not contact them directly. Instead, if you know someone at the organisation, please mention it in your Reason for Application. Nurole members who do not respect this may risk having their membership terminated.

Nurole is committed to fairness, inclusivity, and accessibility. If you require any reasonable adjustments or need support to access our website, application process, or interviews, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your needs. You can contact us at [email protected] or by calling +44 (0)20 3637 1012.

Role timetable

Deadline for applications: Midnight (UK time) on the evening of 25th June

Candidates can expect to be contacted by: 9th July

Diversity

Jisc welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, belief or disability. As women and those from an ethnic minority background are currently under-represented on the Board, applications from those individuals would be particularly encouraged. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.

Terms of appointment

The role is unremunerated, but reasonable, domestic travel expenses will be reimbursed in line with a travel expenses policy. There is a minimum of five Board meetings per annum, which are held in central London. Of these meetings, one is a two-day strategy event, usually held in Bristol.

Board members need to commit approximately 6-8 days to Jisc per annum in the first instance. The additional time commitment for participating in stakeholder engagement events may vary according to the role. Trustees may be invited to join a supporting committee; meetings take place four to five times per year for two hours and are usually held virtually, with some meetings taking place in person, usually in central London.

Appointments are for an initial period of three years. The appointment may be extended for a further three-year period, subject to performance review and the recommendation of the Nominations and Governance Committee.