Chair
Southwark Charities
Remuneration: Voluntary role
Location: Southwark, London
Contract type: Three-year term, with a maximum of three terms
Time commitment: Approximately one to two days per month
Help shape the next chapter of a deeply rooted Southwark charity supporting older people to live with dignity, independence and connection.
Who we are
Southwark Charities has supported older people in Southwark for more than 270 years, mainly through almshouse accommodation and grants to local voluntary and community organisations. Deeply rooted in the borough and financially strong, with reserves of more than £105m, the charity has the assets, relationships and local understanding to make a considerable impact for older residents in need, hardship or distress.
Their work is practical, personal and place-based, shaped by the diversity and distinctive profile of Southwark as a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic London borough. It provides truly affordable housing, supports individual members through annual stipends and social activities, and funds local organisations working with older people across the borough. In 2024, it committed 65 grants worth almost £500k, with the grants budget expected to rise to £1m by 2028.
This is a significant moment in the charity’s history. Southwark Charities is progressing the multi-million pound redevelopment of its Blackfriars site, providing 64 new almshouse flats, shared spaces and long-term income, alongside plans to replace its Surrey Square almshouse with a further 71 flats.
About the role
The Chair will lead the Board through growth, transition and renewal. This means supporting strong governance while the charity increases its housing, expands its grant-making and thinks carefully about what comes after the current development phase.
Working closely with the Chief Executive/Clerk, the Chair will help create a Board culture where trustees contribute fully, different voices are heard, and decisions are made with care and confidence. The role calls for someone who can hold the charity’s history and local identity, while helping the Board look outward, stay ambitious and continue responding to the needs of older people in Southwark.
What we are looking for
Southwark Charities is looking for a values-led Chair with strong governance judgement and the ability to bring people together around shared purpose. You may already be a Chair, or ready to step into your first formal Chair role, but you will bring clear experience of Board or committee leadership and understand how good governance works in practice.
You will be able to guide constructive discussion, manage different perspectives and embrace collective decision-making. Financial literacy, strategic thinking and the ability to build trusted relationships with trustees, staff, residents, community partners and wider stakeholders will all matter.
Just as importantly, you will bring inclusive leadership, emotional intelligence and a real commitment to equity of voice. Knowledge of Southwark and its communities would be valuable, as would lived experience relevant to the charity’s mission. Above all, you will care about older people, social purpose and the long-term future of a charity that wants to make an even greater positive impact.
People who connect with Southwark Charities’ mission, values and sense of place are warmly encouraged to explore the role.
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