BAFA is delighted to be recruiting new members to our Board of Trustees.

The British Arts Festivals Association (BAFA) was founded in 1969 and is the national development agency for arts festivals, representing some 70 members across the UK. BAFA members cover a broad swathe of the festivals industry, including individual single art-form and multi-arts festivals, festival groupings, individuals, universities and associated organisations.

We are seeking to augment our existing committed Board of Trustees by recruiting enthusiastic and knowledgeable individuals with experience and expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Arts and cultural policy
• Advocacy and campaigning
• Network and alliance development
• Governance

In addition, we are particularly interested in recruiting Trustees with relevant skills and experience to contribute to our Environmental Sustainability and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion subgroups, and with knowledge of the literature festival sector.  We welcome applications from candidates who bring a working understanding of festivals, but a current role within festivals is not essential.

Board meetings are held remotely 5 times a year, and applications are invited from across the UK.

Essential Requirements for all Board Members

• Be flexible, willing to learn and open minded, contributing to the Board as a team player.
• Have empathy with the aims of the organisation and to familiarise themselves with the business of the BAFA, its Memorandum & Articles of Association and their responsibilities as Trustees, in order to be able to listen, question and challenge effectively.
• Have time to fulfil the role effectively, in order to actively contribute their expertise and time in furtherance of the Mission & Objectives of BAFA, not only in Board and Sub-Group meetings but through extra work as required.
• To maintain confidentiality of Board business
• To declare any potential conflicts of interest to BAFA at the earliest opportunity

In addition, each Board Member is bound to:

• Execute the responsibilities of a company director according to the principles of BAFA, the law and ethical standards of the UK and of the Charity Commission.
• Take responsibility (with fellow Trustees, the Executive, staff team and volunteers) for overall good governance of the organisation
• Ensure a current knowledge and understanding of relevant policy, practice and legislation applicable to the Arts and Festivals sectors
• Act in a professional manner in executing the duties of a Trustee
• Represent BAFA as appropriate and/or asked in a variety of settings

Please ensure you provide the following:

• A supporting statement which sets out how you meet the criteria above. Please provide examples from current and previous experience to demonstrate your ability to meet these criteria. Equally, the organisation is keen to understand your motivations for applying, your interest in the role and your empathy with the organisation and its beneficiaries.
• A comprehensive CV including details of your achievements in each role
• Trustee Eligibility Certificate
• Details of two referees.

Applications should be marked Confidential and be marked for the attention of Sharon Canavar and emailed to [email protected] by 28 October 2024

Download the full brief here

Image credit: The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival | Still Moving Media