Call for Trustees (Operations, Governance and Human Resources)

We are seeking two new Trustees with experience of senior organisational leadership ideally within the UK charity sector, with oversight of operations, finance, HR, and strategic development to join our Board of Trustees. This is an exciting time in our development, when these functions are becoming more critical for us, as Board personnel changes. We are keen to appoint talented individuals who are as passionate as we are about public education, popularising critical thought, and addressing urgent questions of race and class in culture and society. Most importantly we need people who are willing to share their business, financial and operational skills and expertise with our Board and senior staff.

Inspired by the life and work of the eminent scholar and intellectual Professor Stuart Hall, the Stuart Hall Foundation (SHF) was launched in 2015 by his family, friends and colleagues to continue his life’s work and build on his unique and distinct legacy by attending to the urgent political, social, and cultural questions of our time. Our mission is to popularise critical thought by supporting the creative and intellectual development of a new generation of artists, academics and activists who are dedicated to challenging issues of inequality through their work. We pursue this mission by equipping underrepresented practitioners with the learning resources and research opportunities necessary to shape and expand public debates on politics, history and culture. We fulfil our mission by:

• Creating opportunities – offering artist residencies, commissions, scholarships, fellowships, and other opportunities to underrepresented people from a variety of backgrounds, disciplines, and geographic locations.


• Convening Spaces – creating digital and physical spaces for the public, our network of artists, researchers, activists and other stakeholders to exchange and generate ideas together.


• Developing Digital Resources – creating free-to-access digital learning resources that encourage critical thinking and interdisciplinary approaches to address contemporary political and cultural issues (across arts, academia and activism).

The Foundation’s Board of Trustees plays a vital role in guiding the organisation’s long-term development and ensuring it remains true to its mission of working towards a racially just and more equal future. As a Trustee, you will share collective responsibility for setting the strategic direction of the Foundation, and make a significant contribution by providing oversight of business planning and resources, and ensuring that the organisation is well governed, financially sustainable, and delivering its work in the best interests of its beneficiaries. We are seeking individuals who share our commitment to public education and to fostering a diverse, intergenerational and inclusive public that is equipped to see and think about the world critically.

We encourage applications from anyone who is interested in working with us. At this time, we are particularly interested in candidates with knowledge and expertise in leading a charitable organisations in the UK.

We are an inclusive organisation that counts anti-racism among our core values. We particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups. 

How to Apply

To apply: please send a one-page A4 cover letter and a CV to info@stuarthallfoundation.org.

Closing date for applications: 11.59pm on Sunday 15^th February 2026.

Applications received after this date and time will not be considered.

Interviews will be held via Zoom w/c 23^rd February.

Role Description

Role Title:
Trustee (Operations, Governance and Human Resources)

Location:
Remote, with occasional travel to London

Commitment:
Four Board meetings per year plus attendance at selected Committee meetings, strategic planning meetings and social events equivalent to a commitment of 1 day per every month.  

Stipend:
This is a voluntary unpaid role; reimbursement of reasonable expenses will be offered where appropriate.

Main purpose of role:
Working closely with the Stuart Hall Foundation’s senior staff, the Board of Trustees is the charity’s governing body. Trustees are collectively responsible for setting and safeguarding the Foundation’s strategic direction, mission and values, and for ensuring that the organisation is well governed, financially sustainable, and compliant with its governing document and legal obligations. This includes providing strategic oversight of business planning, fundraising, and the use of financial resources; agreeing appropriate frameworks for evaluation and monitoring; and ensuring that the Foundation acts at all times in the best interests of its beneficiaries and delivers its work to a high standard.

Duties:

1. Ensure that the organisation functions within the UK Charity Sector’s legal and regulatory framework and in line with governing documents, continually striving for best practice in governance, act in the best interests of the organisation and its beneficiaries at all times.


2. Ensure the financial stability of the organisation; oversee the management of the organisation’s resources, ensuring income and expenditure are in line with budgets and meet accepted standards and policies.


3. Contribute to the overall direction and development of the organisation through strategic planning and fundraising.


4. Enthusiastically participate in the governance, management and administration by reading all relevant papers and reports in advance and contributing constructively to debate and discussion and maintaining confidentiality.


5. Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of Stuart Hall Foundation’s strategic and operational progress and keep abreast of external developments within the arts and the  political and business world to ensure decision-making is well-informed.


6. Represent the organisation at functions, events and meetings as required, acting as spokesperson where appropriate, thereby demonstrating commitment to the ethos of Stuart Hall Foundation.


7. Demonstrate understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion.


8. Any other duties commensurate with the role.

Person Specification

Essential:

1. Enthusiasm for Professor Stuart Hall’s legacy and commitment to the Foundation’s mission and aims.


2. Senior organisational leadership experience with the ability to apply strategic judgement to complex organisational, financial and people-related issues at Board level.


3. Understanding the political context and operating environment of the charity sector and demonstrate the ability to think strategically and entrepreneurially within it.


4. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including excellent listening skills and the ability to communicate with diplomacy, tact and sensitivity.


5. Experience of governing people, culture and leadership, including oversight of senior staffing structures, HR frameworks, wellbeing, and equality, diversity and inclusion, and the ability to align organisational values with practice.


6. Experience of supporting organisational growth, change or transition, with the ability to bring insight from managing complexity, scale or external pressures within the charity sector.


7. Ability to provide constructive collaborator to senior leaders while maintaining appropriate non-executive boundaries and collective responsibility.


8. Sound judgement and independence of thought, with the confidence to ask effective questions, assess risk, and contribute to balanced, well-reasoned Board decisions.


9. Sector awareness and strategic insight, including an understanding of the UK charity, cultural and funding landscape.


10. Available for the time commitment required: 4 Board meetings per annum and other duties equivalent to 1 day per every month.