Citizens Advice SORT Group (CASORT) is the parent company of the Citizens Advice services in Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale and Trafford. CASORT has built a strong and well-respected reputation for being innovative, challenging the status quo, and adapting quickly to create better services for clients and they have a strong track record of working collaboratively with partners across the for-impact sector. It is a member of the Citizens Advice service nationally, which is made up of a network of 265 local Citizens Advice organisations across England and Wales. CASORT employs over 80 FTE staff and delivers a range of commissioned services in Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale and Trafford along with a small amount of specialist delivery in the Liverpool City region.

Citizens Advice, nationally, is a charity which includes nearly 1,000 national staff working in one of the six national offices, as homeworkers or as part of the Witness Service from over 240 courts across England and Wales along with a further 3,000 Witness Service volunteers. The Citizens Advice service has one of the most recognisable brands in the country, and supports millions of people each year. As a whole service, the network of charities helps people find a way forward, whatever their problem, and speaks up for clients, using data and insight to make positive change to families, communities, and society.

In 2021, CASORT answered over 45,000 calls supporting people with initial advice and information about their problems. It supported a further 18,000 individuals with tailored advice and in-depth casework on over 70,000 issues. Commissioned services include: local government advice and guidance services, health setting specialist casework services and legal representation in debt, housing, energy, and welfare benefits.

CASORT is seeking a Chair who will work in partnership with its Chief Executive to increase business development opportunities, influence policy changes, build its networks, forge new relationships through partnerships, and be an ambassador and spokesperson for its charitable work.

The Chair will provide effective and authoritative leadership and direction to the Board and its committees, enabling Trustees to fulfil their responsibilities for the overall governance and strategic direction of CASORT. The Chair will work in partnership with the CEO to deliver ambitious strategic goals by acting as a sounding board for them and the senior management team in their delivery of operational plans.

The appointed Chair will have the exciting opportunity to use their entrepreneurial interest to make their own imprint on the Board to foster governance effectiveness. The new Chair will also play a key role in appointing a new Vice-Chair once they have joined the Board.

More generally, the Chair's responsibilities are to:

• In partnership with the Chief Executive, set the overall direction of the Charity and ensure that its mission and objectives are achieved
• Support the Chief Executive in implementing the strategy of the Charity and in discharging the operational responsibilities delegated by the Trustees
• Actively engage with potential donors and represent CASORT with both external parties and parties internal to the organisation, such as other regional CAs and CA National
• Ensure that the Charity puts in place and maintains an efficient system of financial accounting and investment which meets the stipulations of charity law and protects the Charity’s funds and assets
• Ensure that the Charity has a fundraising strategy which is carried out in compliance with the laws, regulations and standards which apply to the Charity
• Ensure that the Board is able to regularly review major risks and associated opportunities, and satisfy itself that systems are in place to take advantage of opportunities, and manage and mitigate the risks
• Ensure that the Board fulfils its duties to ensure sound financial health of the charity, with systems in place to ensure financial accountability

CASORT is looking for a Chair with prior board experience who has an interest in, and commitment to, its important work. As CASORT is a for-impact charity, a connection to and belief in its cause and charitable mission is necessary for this role. A strong connection and affinity to the Greater Manchester region is also desirable, but the role does not require the successful candidate to be based in the region. The successful candidate will adopt an ambassadorial role for the organisation and will influence key stakeholders at a national level to support the Charity's aims and mission, and will leverage their own network for business development.

CASORT is open to hiring a first-time Chair for this role, as long as they can evidence credibility in previous non-executive positions. A key aspect the successful candidate will bring to this position is a strong understanding of good governance. The Chair will be responsible to ensure that the organisation is run well, they will be able to build a high-performing Board, and will advise the executive team to ensure they are committing to the standards needed to achieve the strategic priorities of the Charity. The Chair will also play a key role in coaching and mentoring the CEO and executive team, and will take on the role of a 'critical friend'.

CASORT is committed to maintaining and improving the diversity representation on its Board. For more information please refer to the Diversity section.

Citizens Advice SORT Group welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. As women and those from an ethnic minority background are currently under-represented on the Board, applications from those candidates would be particularly encouraged. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented backgrounds can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.

The term length for this role is two terms of three years, with the option for an additional three years. The time commitment is expected to be 15 days per year / 1.5 days per month, but is partly at the discretion of the appointed Chair. There are six Board meetings per year that last roughly two and a half hours in the evening, but additional ad hoc engagement will be expected between the Chair and the Board and the executive team. The current arrangement is that all meetings are held virtually with one annual strategy session held in-person, but this will be left in the hands of the Chair to decide when moving forward. The role is unremunerated, but pre-agreed, reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed.