Help steer a charity that changes young lives
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Trustee | Dallaglio RugbyWorks
Voluntary (travel expenses reimbursed) | London / Remote | c25-30hours per annum | Three board meetings a year plus AGM
Dallaglio RugbyWorks is seeking new Trustees to join its Board and help lead the charity through its next stage of growth.
Most people who have done well can name someone who believed in them before they had proved anything. Thousands of young people in the UK have no one like that. Our job is to change that, and the Board’s job is to make sure we do it well.
About Dallaglio RugbyWorks
Dallaglio RugbyWorks is an employment and social mobility charity. We work with young people who have been excluded from mainstream education, so that they are not excluded from society as well. Our work begins at around age 13, often just as things begin to go wrong, and continues until each young person is settled in sustained employment, education or training, sometimes into their mid-twenties. We measure our success by how many of those young people go on to secure a positive future.
Our approach
Although rugby is at the heart of our approach, this is not a sports charity and Trustees do not need an interest in rugby. Our coaches use non-contact, rugby-based activities to build teamwork, discipline, resilience and self-belief. The sport is a means of engagement. The substance of our work is the long-term support that follows.
Our impact
In the 2023/24 academic year, 10,885 students were excluded from mainstream education in the UK. The odds are stacked against them. Only 4% of pupils in Alternative Provision pass their English and maths GCSEs, compared with 64% in mainstream schools, and only 62% go on to sustained education, employment or training, compared with 94% of their mainstream peers. We exist to close that gap.
• 13,054 young people supported to date.
• Almost 99% of participants moved into education, employment or training when they left our programme.
• 86% were still in sustained education, employment or training after the age of 18, compared with 62% of young people leaving Alternative Provision.
• 63% of the young people we work with are eligible for free school meals.
• Around £30 of social value is created for every £1 invested, according to a social return on investment analysis by a certified practitioner. That includes an estimated • £23 saved for the taxpayer in long-term public costs, and a total social impact of around £56,000 per young person.
• 15 members of our team have lived experience of the challenges our young people face.
Behind every number is a young person. Demi, who we met at a Pupil Referral Unit, earned a Level 2 Sports Leaders qualification and now works as a teaching assistant at that same unit. Dylan moved from a Young Offender Institution into a rugby coaching traineeship. As a Trustee, you’ll help make sure many more young people get the same chance.
Our Board and leadership
You will join a Board that brings together experience from education, safeguarding, business, finance, law, marketing, investment and social policy.
Founder: Lawrence Dallaglio OBE, former England and Wasps captain and World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee.
Chief Executive: Zenna Hopson, former Chair of Ofsted, who brings an extensive commercial background. Zenna served as a Trustee before being appointed CEO in 2021.
Trustees:
• John d'Abbro OBE (Acting Chair). Educationalist
• Andy Cook. Chief Executive of the Centre for Social Justice.
• Nick Theakstone. Former Chair of the UK Board of GroupM and member of its Global Executive Committee.
• Mai Fenton. Former Chief Marketing Officer at Superscript, and Non-Executive Director of Henderson International Income Trust plc and Scottish Friendly Assurance Society.
• Keir Stephenson. Investment professional at private equity firm Tenzing, formerly of Kings Park Capital, The Hut Group and PwC.
The role
Trustees share collective responsibility for the governance, strategic direction and financial health of the charity. Dallaglio RugbyWorks is both a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee, so Trustees also serve as non-executive directors and carry the legal duties of both roles.
As a Trustee, you will:
• Uphold the charity’s purpose. Ensure the charity pursues its objectives as set out in its governing document, and applies its resources solely to those objectives.
• Set strategic direction. Contribute to and approve the five-year strategy, annual business plan and budget, and evaluate performance against agreed targets.
• Lead and hold the executive to account. Appoint the Chief Executive, provide support and guidance, and hold the executive team accountable for delivery.
• Safeguard the charity. Ensure its financial stability, the proper management of its funds and assets, and the protection of its reputation and values.
• Ensure compliance and good governance. Ensure the charity meets all legal and regulatory requirements, including safeguarding, and that its governance is of the highest standard.
• Contribute your expertise. Apply your skills, experience and networks to help the Board reach sound decisions, offer advice to the executive team in your area of expertise when needed, and challenge constructively, including when your view may be unpopular.
Responsibility is held jointly. Every Trustee is expected to understand their individual and collective duties, to engage fully with all areas of the Board’s business, and not to rely on others for any aspect of governance. A full role profile is available on request.
Time commitment
The Board meets three times a year, with an Annual General Meeting each December. Trustees receive a monthly update from the executive team and are expected to read board papers in advance and attend meetings consistently. Most meetings can be attended remotely, but Trustees are asked to attend at least one meeting in person in London each year. Including preparation, the minimum commitment is around 25-30 hours a year.
We have three committees 1. HR, Remuneration & Nomination, 2. Finance & Audit and 3. Safeguarding and Impact each made up of two or three trustees, and we ask every trustee to join one.
Support for our Trustees
You’ll be well-supported. Our Trustees are covered by directors’ and officers’ indemnity insurance. Every year you’ll receive a full suite of carefully drafted policies to review and approve, so the right frameworks are always in place, and our safeguarding practice is excellent. The executive team is experienced and the Board delegates operational management to it, so your focus stays on governance and strategy rather than day-to-day operations.
No financial contribution is expected. Trustees are not expected to donate or fundraise. What we ask for is your time, your judgement and your expertise. If you’d like to visit a session, meet our young people or come along to a tournament, you’ll be very welcome.
A strong first board role. As we’re both a charity and a company limited by guarantee, you’ll serve as a Trustee and a non-executive director. With a full induction and the support of experienced fellow Trustees, you’ll learn how good governance works in practice and build experience that will serve you well on other boards in future. Some of our best Trustees joined us with no previous board experience at all.
Who we are looking for
Above all, we are looking for people with a genuine commitment to improving the life chances of young people. We are particularly keen to strengthen the Board in the following areas:
• Legal expertise. This is our most significant skills gap at Board level.
• Commercial experience. For example, as a founder, operator or someone who has built and sold a business.
• Marketing, PR or communications experience would be a value-add, as would serving executives in the charity sector.
• Public affairs or lobbying experience. This would help us influence policy on youth employment and school exclusion.
• Networks. The ability and willingness to open doors on the charity’s behalf.
• Lived experience. For example, of disadvantage, exclusion, or the difference made by someone stepping in at the right moment.
All Trustees must be able to demonstrate sound, independent judgement and strategic thinking, the confidence to speak their mind, impartiality and discretion, and an ability to work effectively as part of a board. Trustees should also understand the distinct roles of the Chair, Trustees and Chief Executive, and accept the legal duties and responsibilities of trusteeship.
Previous board or non-executive experience is valuable but not essential, provided you can demonstrate the judgement and commitment the role requires. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, and particularly encourage women and people from under-represented groups, as we want a Board that reflects the young people we serve. All appointments are made on merit.
Selection process
The first stage is an informal conversation with the charity’s leadership team to discuss the role and its responsibilities. No CV is required at this stage.
Candidates who wish to proceed will be asked to submit a CV or a brief statement of interest. Shortlisted candidates will meet two current Trustees, after which nominations will be put to the full Board. We aim to appoint new Trustees at our AGM in London on 10 December.
This appointment is being managed by our Talent Partners, RR. For a confidential discussion, please contact Lucy Mackenzie at Recruitment Revolution.
Application notice... We take your privacy seriously. As you might expect you may be contacted by email, text or telephone. Your data is processed by our talent partner RR (Recruitment Revolution) on the basis of their legitimate interests in fulfilling the recruitment process. Please refer to their Data Privacy Policy & Notice on their website for further details
