Arts & Heritage Alliance Milton Keynes (AHA-MK) is seeking a new Chair and a new Treasurer

Recruitment for Chair of the Board

Strategic Context

A cultural alliance since 2001, AHA-MK became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2015. It has a board of nine trustees responsible for the governance, strategy and compliance with its charitable objective. This is:

• To promote the arts and heritage for the benefit of the public in Milton Keynes in particular but not exclusively by supporting and representing the arts and heritage sector through promotion, representation and development and by working in partnership with other like organisations to achieve joint goals that further the CIO’s charitable purposes.

The Board now wishes to appoint a new Chair to oversee the work of the organisation.

The current Chair has completed seven successful years in post. . The new Chair will be co-opted as a trustee with confirmation at the AGM in January 2024, at which point their term of office would formally commence.

About AHA-MK

AHA-MK is a membership organisation uniting and advocating for the cultural sector across the city. Currently, it has 44 members paying an annual subscription based on annual turnover. The members include organisations of international, national, regional and local significance. The breadth of members enables AHA-MK to advocate for culture and heritage as a vital ingredient of the City’s aspiration to be a world-class place for people to live, work and play.

In addition to acting as a voice for the cultural sector and providing opportunities for the sector to share good practice and develop, AHA-MK is involved in a number of funded projects. Current projects include:

• Establishing arts and heritage-based apprenticeships in a project funded by Milton Keynes City Council;
• Developing inclusion and diversity materials to be used within schools;
• Building cultural and creative education across the city; and
• Working with MK Museum to assist in community engagement.

AHA-MK also has overall responsibility for MAKE, the cultural education partnership for Milton Keynes.

Membership fees are an annual and unrestricted income for AHA-MK. Other projects provide restricted income for the organisation. As with all small arts and heritage organisations, an ongoing challenge for AHA-MK is to ensure that its income matches its expenditure and allows it to develop reserves for future activity.

During its existence, AHA-MK has been supported by professional staff on both a consultancy and paid employee basis. The board is currently considering the most appropriate staffing model to achieve its current priorities.

The Role of the Chair

The Chair leads the board of trustees and the organisation to ensure that it achieves its charitable objective. They will be responsible for building and diversifying the trustee team, giving trustees space to develop and be involved in the work. They will ensure that the board focuses on strategy rather than operational matters, working with paid staff or consultants to ensure that projects are completed on time, on budget and with satisfactory outcomes. The Chair will act as the spokesperson and figurehead as appropriate. They will also support and supervise staff.

Specifically, the Chair will:

• Plan and prepare for four annual board meetings a year and the AGM with the Director and other trustees as appropriate
• Liaise closely with the Treasurer on accounts and drive the strategic sustainability of the organisation supported by the wider board
• Ensure that during meetings a balance is struck between time-keeping and space for discussion
• Act as the lead point of contact with monthly check in meetings and annual appraisal as appropriate for the Director postholder (who in turn will line manage the Learning and Inclusion Manager)
• Have oversight of all strategic workstreams: Cultural Advocacy; Member Services; Inclusion and Diversity; and MAKE (MK Cultural Education Partnership)
• Check that decisions, actions and deliberations are accurately minuted; and
• Ensure that decisions are implemented and, if appropriate, monitored.

The board of trustees is therefore looking for someone who:

• Has leadership experience
• Possesses tact, diplomacy and the powers of persuasion
• Believes that arts, culture and heritage are a critical part of the social infrastructure delivering important social value and benefits
• Has the skills to run effective meetings

• Is a proven strategic leader with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and
• Has excellent stakeholder management and advocacy skills.

We welcome and actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experience. We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. AHA-MK aims to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength.

Timescales

The deadline for applications for Chair or Treasurer is Thursday 30 November@ Noon.

We will hold interviews with up to three shortlisted candidates.

To apply please email your CV and no more than two pages of cover letter on why you are interested in applying for the role to emma@courtneyconsulting.co.uk

We are happy to accept video expressions of interest if this suits your needs better than writing.

Please note that this is a voluntary unpaid position for a registered charity.

If you would like to arrange an informal chat about the role / work of AHA-MK, please email our vice chair Emma Courtney – emma@courtneyconsulting.co.uk

AHA-MK is Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), Registered Charity 1158874