GT seeks Governance and Diversity Consultant

The Gardens Trust is looking for a governance and diversity consultant to work with the board of trustees on a governance review. This is part of the work enabled by our recent National Lottery Heritage Fund grant.

Consultancy Purpose

The purpose of the governance and diversity consultancy is to facilitate a governance review process with the Board of Trustees of the Gardens Trust (GT) with particular emphasis on diversity and inclusion, and to develop and deliver two diversity training sessions for Trustees, staff and GT volunteers. 

Outputs

A set of recommendations to strengthen the governance of the GT in relation to diversity and inclusivity focusing on:

• Board structure and membership
• Committee structure and membership
• Policies especially in relation to producing/updating an equality and diversity policy and recruitment policy, including volunteers.
• Practices especially in relation to events.
• Public face including offline and online communications.

The delivery of two diversity training sessions either remotely or in person for GT Trustees, committee members, staff and key volunteers.

Activities

The governance and diversity consultant will prepare and deliver a Board workshop which will:

• Review the completed skills audit and identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the current governance of the GT.
• Review the current status of the following areas with regard to diversity and inclusivity and identify actions for their improvement:
• Policies – such as equality and diversity policy and recruitment policy
• Practices – such as project/activity delivery (including our volunteer training and our events programme)
• Public face – such as promotional materials/communications.

Work with the Board to identify how the new thinking can be integrated into organisational process and strategy.

Work with the Chair of the Board to develop a set of proposals to strengthen the Board and committee structures.

Work with the Board, project steering group and Audience Development Marketing and Communications Group to identify training and development needs across Trustees, staff and key volunteers in relation to diversity and inclusion.

Develop and deliver two training sessions on diversity and inclusion for Trustees, staff and key volunteers (likely to cover amongst other things: unconscious bias, diversity in practice, and understanding equality and inclusion)

Make suggestions on the best way to evaluate the effectiveness of the diversity training to inform future training delivery.

Experience required

• Experience and track record in advising on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Board level.
• A high level of facilitation and leadership skills in working with Boards to support change especially in relation to governance.
• Ability to create a safe space to enable challenge, support difference and learning.
• Experience of facilitating values, diversity and inclusion workshops/training with groups.

Consultancy terms

Total budget £3,400 currently broken down as: 4 days @£350 to work with the Board of Trustees (to begin late-June/early July 2021); £2,000 for the design and delivery of the diversity training.

To apply

Please send a proposal (2 pages maximum) and covering letter explaining why you would be appropriate for the role, to teresaforey@thegardenstrust.org before midnight 17^th June. We welcome questions but would ask for these to be submitted by email only to lindengroves@thegardenstrust.org before 7 June.