Who we are
Stanley Arts is one of South London’s premiere arts and performance venues, providing our local community with a vital home for cultural expression and discovery. As a radically inclusive space we seek to foreground under-represented voices, providing artists of colour and LGBTQ+ creatives with a platform to reach out to audiences across South London and beyond.
The role
Position: Chair of the Trustees (from Sept 2026)
Term: Three year term, renewable twice with the agreement of the Board.
Time Commitment: Approx 18 days per year (4 Board meetings plus ad hoc engagement)
The new Chair will be responsible for working with Board Members and the senior leadership team to meet the challenges of the charity and ensure that Stanley Arts continues to play an important and growing role in the communities – both local and those of choice – it serves.
The Chair will:
• Act in the best interests of Stanley Arts, operating within the law and according to the governing documents of the organisation, as well as abiding by its policies and procedures.
• Support the objects and mission of Stanley Arts.
• Be an active leader of and spokesperson for the Board, as well as a champion and
representative of the organisation with stakeholders, a manager and mentor for senior management, and a liaison and support for colleagues within the organisation.
• Spearhead external partnerships efforts and support the community-led nature of Stanley Arts.
The Chair’s key responsibilities are to:
• Ensure that the necessary structures are in place to deliver on Stanley Arts’ vision, mission
and strategic direction, and lead the board in providing oversight of the management of the Charity.
• Hold the senior leadership team to account for the performance of Stanley Arts.
• Ensure that Stanley Arts complies with all legal and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure that the organisation’s governance is of the highest possible standard.
• Engage with external stakeholders and draw on their larger network as needed, acting as the main ambassador, representing the Charity in the press, or at key events.
• Acting as the named representative for the Charity with funders including Arts Council England.
• Present the Annual Report narrative and Letter of Representation on behalf of the trustees.
• Lead the board of trustees, ensuring it functions effectively, acts collectively, maintaining a diverse, skilled and inclusive team.
• Work with the CEO to set Board Meeting Agendas and lead Chair all Board Meetings.
• Join several of the Board sub-groups.
• Sign the Charity’s bank mandate and approve payments beyond the financial limits of the CEO.
• Provide mentorship and advice to the AD/CEO and oversee their pastoral care and 6-monthly appraisals.
We are looking for someone who brings:
- Strong governance expertise and experience of chairing meetings, boards or committees
- Collaborative, people-centred and effective leadershipFinancial literacy sufficient to lead robust
- Board-level scrutiny of budgets, forecasts, cashflow, risk and long-term sustainability
- Experience of or an interest in capital development projects
- A genuine commitment to the development of Stanley Arts and its role in the local community and creative industry
- Ability to offer insight, ask the right questions, and help guide good decisions.
We are also recruiting for a treasurer and trustee.
Supporting document(s)
- chair-of-the-trustees-recruitment-pack.pdf - Download
