Chair of Birmingham

Smart Works

SMARTWORKS

We are thrilled to be launching the search for the new

Chair of Smart Works Birmingham.

We want to hear from dynamic, entrepreneurial and

inspiring individuals with a desire to help women into

employment in their home city.

Vision, time and passion will be needed to lead our Smart

Works centre in Birmingham. The time investment you

make will be paid back in full, and more, by witnessing the

transformation of women we serve.

We are passionate about the service we deliver, and the

women we help. Proud to be the Social Action Charity of

the year, at Smart Works we are able to harness the power

of clothes and confidence to help a woman at a tipping

point in her life as she faces a job interview. Half of our

clients are long term unemployed and have been

rejected from a large number of job applications. And yet

An Introduction from Juliet Hughes-HallettChair of Trustees, Smart Works Charity

over one in two go on to get a job within a month of their visit to Smart Works. Helping a woman back into the workplace

will change the trajectory of her and her family’s life.

Being part of this moment is a huge privilege, and, as any Smart Works volunteer will tell you, great fun and extremely

rewarding. I still volunteer as a stylist in our London centre, and it remains my absolute favourite activity.

You will relish the challenge of building what is effectively a start-up charity, and you will be involved in the day to day

operations as well as fundraising and profile building in your area. You may have a background in the charity sector;

you may have experience in fashion; you may work in the private sector and relish a new challenge; or you may be

none of these things. There is no typical Smart Works person. We are committed to helping women, and insist on a

collaborative approach, learning from each other to help deliver the services uniquely provided by this charity.

Being chair of Smart Works Birmingham will take up several hours a week, more at certain times, and it is important that

this is manageable. You need time and courage - this may just turn out to be the most rewarding job of your life.

Lady Juliet Hughes-HallettChair

Smart Works is a UK charity that exists to help long term unemployed and vulnerable women regain the confidence

they need to succeed at their job interview, return to employment and transform their lives.

We offer each woman a complete outfit of high quality clothes and accessories (hers to keep) and one-to-one inter-

view training. Once they get the job, clients have a Second Dressing, to provide a working wardrobe until first pay

cheque. Once they re-enter the workplace, they can join the Smart Works Network, meeting every month to further

their professional and personal development.

This deceptively simple intervention works. Over one in two of the women who come to see us go on to succeed at

their job interviews. We are proud of the tangible impact of our service, and were thrilled to be named Social Action

Charity of the Year 2017 at the Charity Awards.

Smart Works aims to help women who are particularly disadvantaged or vulnerable. In 2017, 38% of our clients were

lone parents. 12% considered they had a disability. Our clients are disproportionately of an ethnic minority compared

to the population as a whole (29% identified as black, 23% as other non-white, 46% as white). We work closely with

the HMP Estate, the care service and charities such as the Prince’s Trust and Crisis to make sure we reach women

who need our support.

Smart Works was created in September 2013 with a clear mission and vision for the future: to keep our London

service best in class, and use those learnings to help more women across the UK. We first opened a second centre

in London in November 2013, Edinburgh in 2014, Manchester and Reading in 2015, Birmingham in 2016 and

Newcastle in 2017. It is our ambition that every woman who needs our help across the UK should be able to

access the Smart Works service.

About Smart Works charity

About Smart Works Birmingham Launched in August 2016, Smart Works Birmingham have made a great start, delivering our dressing and interview

coaching service to almost 400 women, and over 60% have gone on to succeed at their job interview.

We are now looking for a Chair of Trustees to take the organisation to its next stage of growth, provide leadership to

the trustee, staff and volunteer team, expand our service and help more women from across the West Midlands.

The Board of Smart Works Birmingham are responsible for regional operations and fundraising. They are also part

of the wider Smart Works family, an inspirational group of people brought together by a desire to help women

succeed. Our HQ in London acts as the umbrella organisation, and supports each regional centre with the

dedicated support, advice and hands on help they need. We help teach the key aspects of our core service to

our new centres: volunteer training and development; stock management and quality; referral partnerships and

growth; fundraising expertise. We also provide the infrastructure and brand to help the service prosper.

Full information about our charity can be found on our website: www.smartworks.org.uk/birmingham

The Chair of Smart Works Birmingham is responsible for leading the Board to deliver the Smart Works service in

Birmingham, overseeing fundraising and managing the staff. It is also essential that the Chair can work with and

inspire the volunteers who deliver the Smart Works service.

The role will be varied and flexible and we are looking for someone with a hands-on attitude with time to spare for

this vital role in a start-up charity.

The main duties of the role are set out below:

• Lead the trustees, staff and volunteers of Smart Works Birmingham in the delivery of the Smart Works

service in Birmingham

• Working with the Treasurer, maintain sound financial management of Smart Works Birmingham resources

ensuring expenditure is in line with objects and activities and meet accepted standards and policies; and

appoint independent auditors

• With support from other trustees, lead the fundraising campaign to ensure Smart Works Birmingham can

meet targets and deliver its service

• Be an ambassador and public face for Smart Works Birmingham, promoting and developing the

organisation to all different audiences

• Act as line manager for the Manager of Smart Works Birmingham

• Be available to attend events for Smart Works Charity in London and commit time to understand the

structure of Smart Works across the UK

• Be assured that the Board is adequately and currently informed – through reports and other methods – of

the condition of Smart Works Birmingham and its operations

• Ensure that Smart Works Birmingham complies with legislative and regulatory requirements

• Act in the best interests of Smart Works Birmingham at all times

The role and responsbilities of the Smart Works Chair

“

”

Bringing Smart Works to Manchester has been quite an experience. I’ve had to wear many different hats – from chief fundraiser, communications director, ambassador, to answering the phone, taking bookings, dressing clients and steaming clothes. It has been incredibly hard work, but also great fun made worthwhile through moments of pure inspiration and joy when we see our clients succeed.

We want to keep the process as simple and clear as possible. Please send an email to introduce yourself to Laura

Dalby, laura.dalby@smartworks.org.uk, UK Head of Regional Development, who will set up a time to speak with our

CEO, Kate Stephens. This will give you the opportunity to find out more information about the role and answer any

initial questions.

We will then ask each candidate to submit no more than one page of A4 on why you would like to take on the role,

and arrange an interview with our Chair and CEO. We would like to appoint a new Chair to take up post by

May 2018.

Finally, Smart Works is volunteer-led charity, and the role of Chair does not receive any financial remuneration.

Next steps and how to apply

Louise Parrott-BatesChair, Smart Works Manchester

Charity number 1168264