Trustee and Chair of the Finance and General Purposes (F&GP) Committee

IDPE is looking for a bursar or finance professional who champions development in their school, to join its board of trustees and chair the Finance and General Purposes (F&GP) Committee from June 2027.

The duties of a trustee board member are to:

• Contribute actively to the board by giving firm strategic direction to IDPE, setting business plans, defining goals and evaluating performance against agreed targets
• Safeguard the values and reputation of IDPE
• Ensure that IDPE complies with its governing document (it’s Articles of Association*), charity law, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations
• Ensure that IDPE pursues its objects as defined in its governing document
• Ensure that IDPE applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objects
• Ensure the financial stability of IDPE
• Champion schools’ development

The role of the Finance and General Purposes (F&GP) Committee

The role of the committee is to monitor the charity’s financial performance, including the operating accounts and any designated reserves and to examine other relevant operational and statutory matters relating to the financial and general management of IDPE.

Role of Chair

The chair of F&GP will have in-depth experience of financial issues and will play a key role in board discussions on all financial matters. Main responsibilities include:

• Managing the committee to oversee the financial leadership of the charity on behalf of the board of trustees. This includes ensuring the charity operates within the financial guidelines set out in current legislation; ensuring that appropriate accounting procedures and financial controls are in place and these are monitored and reviewed regularly; advising on the financial implications of the organisation’s accounts, performance against budget, cash flow and use of reserves
• Supporting the Chair, trustees and the CEO in ensuring that the board fulfils its duties and responsibilities for the proper financial governance of the charity and advises/guides the board accordingly
• Liaising with the charity’s auditors where appropriate and liaising with the Finance Director and CEO to ensure that the annual accounts are compliant
• Serving as the principal liaison between the committee and the full board
• Working with the Company Secretary to set an agenda for each committee meeting
• Acting as a sounding board for SMT
• Reviewing and signing off any supplier contracts over £10,000
• Chairing each committee meeting
• Holding the position of authorised signatory for IDPE Trading, the trading arm of IDPE

For an informal chat about the role with IDPE's CEO, Lou Bennett, please email [email protected].