Trustees to join our friendly, optimistic and reflective board

We work in Camden to support vulnerable adults find connection, community, care and practical support. We want Camden to be a place where everyone belongs, where no one falls through the cracks.

Our current board brings expertise and experience in health and social care policy, strategic finance, as well as community asset development, urban regeneration, and mental health services. Our chair has a long history with co-production, community based mental health and roles within the Green Party.

We want Trustees to shape their own role just as a staff member would - we recognise that getting the best out of you means working with your individual strengths.We will be having four Board Meetings a year, along with involvement in working groups that arise for specific projects, challenges, or areas of focus. The frequency and structure of these meetings will be evaluated continually, with the aim of ongoing seeing and sensing of 'the whole'. Meetings will focus on:

• Finance, funding, and risk
• People and wellbeing
• Programmes, services, and partnerships
• Strategy, learning, adaptation, and dynamic steering
• Board and organisational dynamics
• Sharing, noticing, reflections and tension points

More generally, we are looking for people to offer advice, reflection, and a critical eye over our plans, thinking and strategic direction.

We're ideally looking for experience of some of these areas:

• Self-managing organisations and evolving governance
• Human Learning Systems thinking and practice
• Fundraising
• Community development
• Communications, marketing

Supporting our fundraising efforts through your networks and representation would also be really useful.

More generally, we are looking for people to offer advice, reflection, and a critical eye over our plans, thinking and strategic direction.

We also encourage applications from people who:

• Live in the locality of our Community Hub, Camden
• Have experience of accessing mental health and social care services

Our hope is that every person who joins our community - whether as a trustee, staff member, client, volunteer or supporter - can feel safe to be themselves and our commitment is to creating working spaces and relationships where this is possible.

Here are some important qualities we need in our board members

Honest

It's important that we are straightforward and honest with each other, our clients and funders. We don't gossip, denigrate or exclude.

Optimistic

We see opportunity in challenge, trust each other and know that we will learn from our mistakes.

Playful

We take our work seriously, but we don't take ourselves too seriously. Lightness, humour and humanity mean we enjoy our work and stay grounded.

Authentic

We bring our humanity to work, try to be open and truly see each other beyond our roles, professional identity or labels. We're inclusive, accepting of difference and do our best to listen with presence and communicate in straightforward ways.

Supportive

We know that we impact each other and seek to create an environment that energises. We're conscious that maintaining energy requires good self-care and regenerative practices as part of our culture.

Open

We don't bury thoughts and feelings about each other or our work. We seek to be non-judgemental and accepting of ourselves and each other, listening and responding in service of an open culture. We love supporting each other's enquiries, helping to dig deeper, see and understand more.

New Trustees will be valuable friends offering insight, fresh perspectives, varied expertise and opinion to help us achieve our goals. They have the opportunity to be part of an organisation ahead of the curve in terms of working practices and person-centred support, to experience our genuinely values-led culture, and to contribute towards something with real potency. Trustees will be part of our learning and development as we keep finding the balance between service provision and community ownership.

To apply please send us your CV and up to 800 words reflecting on these questions to us via the Reach platform.

• Why are you interested in taking on a trusteeship at the moment?
• What is at the heart of your offer to Likewise and this particular role in terms of skills, competencies and interests?
• Tell us about some of the values that are most important to you and how they influence you/ your life and work