Trustee

Our trustees play a vital role in making sure that SYRLJ is a thriving organisation that meets its charitable objectives of providing high quality legal services and working to improve access to justice for all migrants in our community.

Our trustees work collectively, alongside the staff team, to ensure that SYRLJ has a clear strategy and that our work and goals are in line with our mission and our values.

Just as importantly, they support, challenge and oversee the Director and Legal Director in their roles managing the overall operations and administration of the charity.

These are some examples of the work that trustees are involved with:

• Reading and reviewing budgets and reports from the Director and ensuring that operational decisions and activities are in line with the organisations' mission, stated aims and valued.
• Making collective decisions about key strategic questions - such as whether to apply for a legal aid contract or whether to change the remit of the cases we take on, or whether to expand the paid staff team.
• Supporting the staff team with specific pieces of work where these fall within your area of knowledge or expertise - for example you might support with a funding application or advise on the design and delivery of a project.
• Taking minutes at board meetings.
• Working to ensure the functioning of the board - helping to make it inclusive and engaged, being part of recruitment processess as needed.

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We particularly welcome applications from those with lived experience of the asylum system in the UK.  

We are also seeking to address identified skills gaps on the Board, especially HR experience, relevant policy and legislation knowledge, campaigning and media expertise. A full induction programme and follow up training will be offered to successful applicants.  

The Board meets four times a year, sometimes online and sometimes in person, and Trustees will take lead responsibility for one or more aspects of governance. It is estimated that the time commitment will be between 0.5 and 2 days a month depending on capacity.  

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