Don’t be one of the crowd; be one of our crowd!
We seek new trustees. Could you be the answer to our search?
The Liverpool Irish Festival is a unique organisation that has delivered an annual festival since 2003. It’s run by brilliant, creative, visionary people with the aim of bringing Liverpool and Ireland closer together using arts and culture.
We are scouting for (up to four) incredible people to join our Board as Trustees to help the Festival evolve into its next phase and to sustain, develop and extend our artistic programme. Trustees are responsible for driving our mission and direction; general advocacy and ensuring the Festival’s continued success and sustainability.
Our Trustees make sure we do things right and do the right things to build and grow.
Who are you?
The Festival actively welcomes applications from people with diverse backgrounds, life experiences and career paths. We are keen to encourage young, non-White, female and non-cisgender, neurodivergent and disabled people -and those straddling these groups- to join and diversify our Board; in other words we welcome people from marginalised communities. We want to better represent the communities we serve and bring new voices and lived-experiences to our table. An Irish connection is desirable, but not essential. We are particularly keen to recruit first-time Trustees, who will reinvigorate governance and challenge received/perceived wisdoms and assumptions. We are open to change -and to changing- and we’re learning all the time. If we have already created a barrier for you, please share this with us; your experience could help us transform to help others.
We intend to future-proof the Liverpool Irish Festival. You will bring fresh perspectives to the full range of Board concerns, from finance to marketing and beyond. We can support your development, whilst harnessing your skills, experiences and knowledge. You contributing to and being a part of the Festival is a priority to us.
Below: Festival posters on street hoardings give us a street presence.
What is our focus?
We will provide support and mentoring for new Trustees to help you realise your potential. We are more focused on your opinions and insights than your professional experience/background, which will be reviewed as part of our due-diligence, but senior leadership (or equivalent) is not essential for you to apply (unless that is a particular hook on which you are mounting your application). Your ideas, commitment and willingness to deliver agreed actions are paramount.
Consequently, the Board seek Trustees who will shape an exciting future for the Festival. You will have the potential to make waves through innovative and creative approaches to charity work. If you are enthusiastic about playing a key role and have the desire, passion and skills we are looking for, please contact our Chair, John Chandler (+44 (0) 7762 943 697) or another of our trustees, Siubhán (using this email), for an informal discussion. We highly recommend this for anyone with questions about the role of a Trustee or those wanting to know more about Festival specifics before making an application. Such introductory conversations are viewed favourably.
What is the commitment?
Trustees will attend up to 12 Board meetings per year, normally held early in the evening of standard business days. There will be ‘away days’ and further duties, but the main responsibility outside formal meetings is ordinarily via email. Formal meetings are via Zoom and in person. Travel expenses may be paid if agreed in advance.
Applications should be made using a one-page letter/email (c.500 words or equivalent film/voice note) stating a) why you want the role and b) what strengths and skills you would bring to it, supported by your CV. Please email these to John at [email protected] by 9am, Mon 28 Feb 2022. We will be in touch before the end of March to arrange an (informal) group interview (online) with shortlisted candidates in early April.
Recruitment pack
To assist with your application, we have developed a short Recruitment Pack, which we recommend all applicants read. It provides some board infromation about the Festival and some key documents for further reading.
Image top right, left-to-right: John Chandler (Festival Chair), Emma Smith (Festival Artistic Director and CEO), Minister Simon Coveney TD and Ireland’s General Consul, Sarah Mangan, celebrate the opening of Ireland’s northern consulate at Liverpool Irish Centre, Oct 2021.
Crowd image: Original by photo by Keith Johnston; edited in-house.