Recruitment: Chair (Trustee)

A group of volunteers, staff and steering group members.

We are seeking a Chair of Trustees – join us!

Are you passionate about putting women’s voices centre stage? Do you believe that women’s stories, past and present, have the power to challenge gender inequality? We are looking for an inspiring, inclusive and collaborative person to lead our Chair of Trustees - if that sounds like you, we would love to hear from you!

Who are we?
We are England’s first women’s museum. Our story began in 2015 as a positive protest and since then we have created pop-up events and exhibitions exploring the rich social, political and cultural history of East End women. We have a proudly community-centred ethos, and have worked collaboratively with a range of brilliant partners and volunteers.

In 2018 we began working to develop a permanent base for our museum at a site in Barking and Dagenham; we put all our efforts behind it but were unable to proceed with the project. Now we are at an exciting point in the museum’s development, creating a new programme of activity to celebrate women’s stories in East London, and planning for a sustainable future for our work. In the last few months, we have re-started our activity with an exciting programme with partners including Modern Cockney Festival, the Vagina Museum and Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and we have plans for more!

Find out more about our history and plans.

What are we looking for?

Each of our trustees brings expertise from different sectors that is vital to our small organisation. They support and work closely with Asma Istwani, our Museum Development Lead.   

As our committed and long-serving Chair of Trustees, Alex Runswick, reaches the end of her term, we are looking for a successor who will provide inspiring, inclusive and collaborative leadership for the Museum and our Board of Trustees.

Our Chair of Trustees commits approximately 8-16 hours per month to their role. They develop an agenda for, and chair, one monthly meeting (up to two hours, held online), review documentation and support with a range of tasks according to their skills. They manage the Museum Development Lead, working with them to ensure that we follow a clear vision, mission and strategic direction. They ensure that our Board of Trustees fulfils its duties and responsibilities for the proper governance of the charity.

By joining our Board of Trustees you will be part of a supportive team of people who are passionate about women’s history and redefining what a museum can be for people in the East End and beyond. You will be part of a growing charity and have opportunities to develop your experience of governance and broaden your CV.

Please note that this is a non-executive voluntary role and therefore unremunerated. We do not anticipate that trustees will incur expenses in the fulfillment of their duties, however we can offer reimbursement of any reasonable out of pocket expenses .  

We are a museum for everyone and we want our team to represent a wide range of perspectives and experiences. We welcome applications from anyone passionate about women’s histories and particularly people with perspectives underrepresented on the boards of museums, who include people of Global Majority heritage, LGBTQIA+ people and D/deaf and disabled people.

Find out more about our team.

Find out more about the role of trustees.

 How can I apply?

Our recruitment pack has more information about our work and plans, and about what we are looking for. If you would like this information in another format, please email eastendwomensmuseum@gmail.com

Download information pack
Download large format information pack

To apply, please email eastendwomensmusem@gmail.com by Monday 29 July 2024 with the subject ‘Chair application’ and attach:

·     Your CV

·    A personal statement telling us why you are interested in joining our Board of Trustees and how your skills and experience are relevant to the role – you can send this to us as a written document of no more than 600 words, or as an audio or video file of no more than four minutes

We would also be grateful if you could complete our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion monitoring form. The information you provide will be anonymous and kept strictly confidential. You have the option to ‘prefer not to say’ for any questions you do not wish to answer. Any information you provide will help us to improve our recruitment processes.

What will happen next?

We will acknowledge receipt of your application by email. We will review all the applications we receive and write to you to let you know the outcome of your application. Please note that we will be unable to give feedback on your application if it is not shortlisted.

If your application is shortlisted, we will invite you to attend a short informal online interview as soon as possible in August or September 2024.

Want to know more?

If you have any questions about joining our board or making an application, please contact us eastendwomensmusem@gmail.com

If you have any access requirements that need to be met to support you to make an application, participate in an interview and/or to fulfill a trustee role, please let us know either in your application or by emailing eastendwomensmusem@gmail.com in confidence to discuss your needs.

We look forward to hearing from you!