Chair (CPRE Hertfordshire)

What difference will you make?

The countryside is under immense pressure for development. But the countryside also sustains us, as we rely on it for our health and well-being, for clean air and water, for growing our food, for access to nature and wildlife, and for helping combat climate change by soaking up carbon.

Working collaboratively with the rest of our team, you will help make a real difference with regard to the issues facing the local countryside. Your ideas and energy will help us advocate for positive solutions, promote our campaigns, and increase our voice and our reach to new audiences.

What’s in it for you?

You’ll have the satisfaction of leading a local charity with a long history of campaigning for Hertfordshire’s countryside. You’ll meet like-minded people throughout Hertfordshire and across the country and lead a team of passionate individuals. We’ll support you with induction and training, and you’ll have the opportunity to get involved with events, networking activities, and topical workshops on a local and national level.

What will you be doing?

Initially you will become Vice Chair during a transition period with our outgoing Chair, before being appointed as Chair yourself.

As Chair you’ll provide leadership to our Board of Trustees, an excellent team with a broad range of experience, and you’ll guide the future strategy, direction and development of our charity.

Externally, you will help advocate for our campaign priorities and build relationships with key stakeholders. You’ll support our fundraising, membership and community engagement initiatives. And you will participate in occasional meetings with the wider CPRE network to help shape national policy and to represent our charity’s interests.

Internally, you’ll provide governance oversight, and you’ll provide support to our Chief Executive and our team of paid staff and volunteers and periodically meet with our President and Vice Presidents.

The role is available for a term of up to 6 years subject to annual re-election by the membership.

What are we looking for?

You will need to live in Hertfordshire and share our passion for the local countryside. You’ll work flexibly from home and from our small office in Welwyn village, with occasional travel elsewhere in the county.

You should also have:

• Significant previous leadership experience
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to demonstrate diplomacy, impartiality, respect and confidentiality
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Experience of working with people from different backgrounds and abilities
• Sufficient, flexible daytime and evening availability to fulfil the role, approximately 6 – 8 hours per week on average

In line with our Charity constitution, we ask that all Trustees are, or are willing to become, members of CPRE – it’s quick and easy to join.

Interested? We’d love to hear from you!

If you’d like to find out more, please get in touch with our Volunteer Coordinator for an informal conversation about the role and to learn more about what we do. Please contact Eliza at office@cpreherts.org.uk

You may also wish to download the Chair role profile for reference.

The Hertfordshire countryside is wonderful – help us to look after it.