About Movema:
Movema is an award-winning community dance charity creating inclusive artistic and participatory world dance work to celebrate diversity, tackle inequalities, support healing & unite communities. At the centre of our company and our work remains our commitment to share and celebrate our diverse dances in safer spaces, to create excellent work with a wide reach, spreading our message of unity and reaching out to transform the lives of those most in need through the power of world dance.

We work in partnership across the North West and South West to strengthen the dance ecology, especially in the area of cultural diversity and representation. Movema want to provide deeper, more meaningful and impactful work with lasting effects for artists, participants and audiences.

Movema’s success over the past 13 years is due to the companies’ ability to adapt and innovate and it is with this attitude and ethos that we launch into this new financial year and chapter of our company. We have exciting new plans to take the organisation forward and confidence that we have built a strong structure to thrive in this challenging environment.

Role Context:
Following Ngozi Ikoku stepping down after 10 years of supporting Movema, we are seeking an exceptional person to join the board as Chair to guide Movema through its next exciting stage of development. The Chair will work in collaboration with our highly skilled and committed Board to provide effective governance that supports and challenges our executive team and wider colleagues to continue to realise Movema’s potential.

We are seeking interest from candidates with a commitment to and interest in our core purpose and we welcome approaches from those considering their first Chair role as well as experienced non-executives.

The Chair oversees the strategic direction of the charity, convening and chairing quarterly Board meetings, enabling contributions from all Trustees, and ensuring that sound decisions are made, supporting the work of the five Board subgroups (although not required to be a member of them all!);
• Finance and HR
• Ambition and Quality
• Dynamism
• Inclusivity and Relevance
• Nominations

A key element of the role involves driving forwards the strategic business plan, in partnership with the Board and the Executive Team.
The Chair will ideally line manage our CEO, (this is negotiable) and be available to support key events.

Diversity:
Diversity is in-built at the core of our business and everything we do and we consider ‘Diversity’ in its widest sense.

Movema is committed to ensuring our governing body reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We actively seek Trustees to reflect a multitude of experiences and backgrounds and encourage applications from ethnically diverse backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, other protected characteristics and those from working class backgrounds, currently underrepresented in high level arts roles.

We particularly encourage applications from individuals who identify as;

• Being from the: African, South Asian, East Asian and/or Southeast Asian diaspora; Global majority – this includes but is not exclusive to people of Middle Eastern, Arab, Latinx, Jewish, Romany and Irish Traveller heritage;
• LGBTQIA+ community;
• D/deaf and or disabled;
• Being from working-class backgrounds;
• Having Lived Experience of racism and/or other barriers that have impacted their ability to achieve their career potential.

Terms of Appointment:
This is a four-year appointment with board members eligible for two consecutive terms of four years before retirement.
In order to support inclusivity an honorarium will be offered with this post plus any additional appropriate access costs and expenses.

Role Description:
The Chair is responsible for leading the Board of Trustees, ensuring that it fulfils its responsibilities for the governance of the organisation. The Chair’s role is also to work in partnership with the Executive Team, helping them to achieve the aims of the organisation and to optimise the relationship between the Board and staff.

Strategic Leadership:
• Provide leadership for the Board in its role of setting organisational strategy and ensuring it operates within its charitable objectives.
• Ensure that Trustees fulfil their duties and responsibilities for the effective governance of the charity including sound financial governance.
• Model and maintain Movema’s values, ensuring, with the CEO, their meaningful implementation across our work.
• Maintain good working relations with all Trustees, staff, volunteers and other stakeholders.
• Ensure the Board regularly reviews keys risks and opportunities, and that systems are in place to manage and mitigate the risks and take advantage of opportunities.
• Ensure the development and implementation of effective procedures for board recruitment, induction, development, training and appraisal, supported by Trustees and the CEO.

Governance:
• Support the CEO to establish the annual meeting cycle, setting agendas and agreeing papers for Board meetings.
• Chair Board meetings effectively, inclusively, and efficiently, with impartiality and objectivity.
• Monitor that decisions taken at meetings are implemented.
• Liaise with the CEO to maintain an overview of the organisation’s affairs, providing support as appropriate.
• Represent the organisation at meetings and events and act as a spokesperson as necessary.
• Support the Executive Team to maintain effective close relationships with key stakeholders as necessary.
• Provide effective line management of the CEO (as negotiated).
• Conduct her/his/their duties in accordance with Movema’s policies, including but not limited to the Diversity Policy, Safeguarding Policy, and Data Protection Policy.
 

Person Specification:

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• Solid leadership experience, with an ability to motivate and inspire;
• An appreciation and passion for arts and culture;
• A deep understanding of and demonstrable commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
• Strong understanding of the role of Chair, with a focus on leading and
• developing colleagues within the Board and the Executive Team to enable effective leadership of the wider organisation;
• Commitment to the highest standards of governance;
• A commitment to environmental sustainability;
• An ability to think and act strategically;
• Excellent interpersonal and team skills, used to working with a wide range of senior stakeholders from diverse backgrounds;
• Excellent communication and presentational skills, comfortable in an
• ambassadorial role and appearing as a media spokesperson;
• A willingness and ability to play a personal role in fundraising (this can be virtually);
• Commitment to the ethos of using arts as a transformational tool for improving health and wellbeing;

Desirable

• An excellent network of regional and national senior-level influencers;