Opportunities
Opportunities

Chair

Linkage Community Trust

Linkage Community Trust

Voluntary

Chair

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Candidate Pack

Ambition

Appointment to this role comes at a particularly exciting time for Linkage as preparations for our 50th anniversary in 2026 continue at pace and as we reach the mid-point of our current corporate strategy, which has been specifically designed to enable us to continue to thrive and grow, and better weather the challenging external environment within which we operate.

It also comes with a heavy heart, following the loss in December 2024 of our much-respected Chair, Mark Smith, who made a profound contribution and to whom we are deeply grateful for his leadership and commitment.

As we now move forward, we seek a new Chair who can honour that legacy and support us through our next phase of growth. Helping to set the strategic direction of the charity, ensure strong governance, and act as an ambassador for our work.

Intro

Thank you for your interest in the role of Chair at Linkage Community Trust, a well-respected and much-loved charity, supporting people with learning disabilities and autism to live the lives they choose.

Linkage has grown and evolved over the years, responding to the needs of the people we support to a position today, where we provide high quality education, care, employment support, community and day services that empower individuals to thrive across Greater Lincolnshire,
Yorkshire and beyond.

Proud to be so valued by so many families: that unique blend of personal, respectful care and transformational learning that changes lives.

Purpose

One of those rare opportunities to lead with both heart and vision, at a time when strong, values-driven leadership has never been more needed.

You will have the opportunity to work alongside a passionate and dedicated community of staff, trustees, partners, and most importantly, the people we support and their families. Guiding a committed Board of Trustees, and steering Linkage through the complexities of today’s social care landscape, ensuring it remains firmly anchored to its mission.

It’s a leadership role that reaches far beyond the Boardroom. It requires strategic insight, moral clarity, and the ability to support and challenge our CEO as a critical friend, along
with knowledge of the social care or specialist education landscape.

Career Level

Leadership

Qualification

Degree educated, with evidence of continuing professional developmenmt.

Specialisation

Charity Governance, Strategic Leadership, Person Centred Care

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

  • Guide the Board to maintain a clear focus on long-term strategy and mission impact.
  • Ensure the Board exercises proper oversight of financial viability, risk management, and resource stewardship.
  • Act as guardian of the charity’s values, ethos, and purpose.

 

Board Leadership

  • Lead the Board in exercising its collective legal responsibility for governance and strategic direction.
  • Promote an effective, transparent, and accountable governance culture.
  • Ensure the Board has the right skills, experience, and structure (including committees and working groups) to function effectively.
  • Chair Board meetings effectively, enabling inclusive debate and timely decision-making.
  • Lead annual individual Trustee appraisals and facilitate collective Board performance reviews to drive improvement.
  • Make decisions on behalf of the Board where delegated authority permits and ensure clear delegation to staff.

 

Governance & Oversight

  • Ensure the charity’s governance structures support effective decision making and the use of resources.
  • Regularly review major risks and opportunities with the Board, and ensure appropriate mitigation or action.
  • Ensure approval of annual budgets, capital expenditure, and the Treasury Strategy.
  • Maintain oversight of safeguarding, compliance, and accountability frameworks.

 

Supporting our Chief Executive (CEO)

  • Build a strong, constructive working relationship with the CEO, providing challenge and support.
  • Set clear annual objectives for the CEO, aligned to our strategic plan.
  • Monitor performance through regular one-to-ones and conduct the CEO’s annual appraisal.
  • Provide feedback on the CEO’s leadership of the executive team and identify training or development needs.
  • Ensure clear boundaries and mutual understanding of the roles of Chair, Board, and CEO.
  • Represent the charity jointly with the CEO at key internal and external events and engagements.

 

External Representation & Advocacy

  • Act as an ambassador for Linkage with regulators, commissioners, funders, and sector partners.
  • Promote and protect the reputation of the organisation and its people.
  • Engage with stakeholders professionally, in a way that reflects the charity’s values and supports its goals.
  • Attend internal events, supporting visibility of the Chair and Trustees, and engaging directly with learners, parents, staff, and partners.

Person Specification

Experience

  • Significant senior leadership experience within an organisation of comparable size and complexity.
  • Successful track record of achievement throughout your career.
  • Proven ability to manage and evaluate senior leaders, provide constructive feedback, and address underperformance and development needs.
  • Board-level governance experience, ideally with chairing responsibilities, and knowledge of UK Corporate Governance and conduct standards.
  • Clear understanding of trustees’ legal duties and responsibilities, with the capacity to commit time, delegate effectively, and provide strategic leadership.
  • Experience of leading change, including mergers, restructuring, or service innovation.

 

Skills

  • Strategic thinker with strong verbal, numerical, and critical reasoning skills.
  • Skilled in analysing complex data, testing assumptions, assessing options, and conducting cost–benefit evaluations.
  • Proven ability to challenge proposals, scrutinise investments, and support sound decision-making.
  • Strong negotiator with a track record in strategy evaluation and delivery.
  • Commercially astute, with solid financial and budget management experience.
  • Creative and constructive thinker who values diverse views and fosters inclusive debate.
  • Outstanding communicator, clear, persuasive, and influential at all levels.
  • Effective board leader with the ability to unite Trustees, build consensus, and drive high performance.
  • Confident ambassador, skilled in building relationships with funders and
    sponsors, and in maximising engagement and income generation.

 

Attributes

  • Personal gravitas, credibility, and impact to lead a significant local organisation operating in an increasingly important field.
  • Strong and visible passion and commitment to the values and vision of Linkage and an empathy for the people, families and communities we support.
  • Clear understanding of trustees’ legal duties and responsibilities, with the capacity to commit time, delegate effectively, and provide strategic leadership.
  • Demonstrates integrity, humility, honesty and a commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Relates easily to people from all backgrounds; open, collaborative, and skilled at drawing out diverse perspectives.
  • Independent and confident in challenging constructively; seeks clear, evidence-based assurance from leadership.
  • Reflective, resilient, and self-aware, with a commitment to personal development and growth.

Organisation Profile

A compassionate, ambitious, and forward-looking organisation that puts people first. Our approach is rooted in lived experience, guided by the voices of those we support and the people around them. Through which we deliver multiple engagements across multiple communities.

Founded in 1976 as a specialist college for just four students. Today, we are a lifeline for people with learning disabilities and autism, providing an extraordinary breadth of activities and service provision. With our work spanning 24 residential homes, a leading FE college over 5 campuses,
community support and day services, employability programmes, and three thriving social enterprises. We now have over 700 amazing staff and an income of circa £25m per annum.

In 2026 will be celebrating a significant milestone. 50 years of service dedicated to transforming the lives of people with learning disabilities and autism, and a Charity which has grown to become a locally and nationally recognised leading provider of high-quality services.

We remain committed to our model of providing person-centred support, with every pound we spend directed toward creating meaningful impact, whether that’s through expanding day services, enhancing residential environments, developing new homes for people with learning disabilities and autistic people, or investing in our staff and volunteers.

 

Industry Category

Company Size

Apply Now

If you would welcome the opportunity to apply and become our next Chair, please forward:

  • A CV or an extended biography outlining your executive and non executive appointments, achievements, and academic and professional qualifications.
  • A supporting statement (maximum 2 x A4 pages) demonstrating your motivation, skills, and experience relevant to the role, how you would hope to add value to both the organisation and the Board, and any other relevant information.

 

Your application should be sent to our advising consultant, Philip Nelson, via email to philip.nelson@thehiringdept.com.

Please also let us know if you need any special provisions should you be called forward for an interview.

The appointment will be subject to the Charity Commission/HMRC’s ‘fit and proper person’ test, receipt of satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS check.

Timetable
Closing Date: Monday, 15 September
First Round Interviews: Wednesday, 24 September
Final Panel Assessment: Friday, 10 October

Queries
For an informal and confidential discussion, to ask a question on any aspect of the appointment process, or for additional information, please get in touch with our advising consultant, Philip Nelson, on 020 3590 9978 or via email at philip.nelson@thehiringdept.com

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by Loom of ideas LTD

Company number: 13800171
Registered office: 13 Tavistock Place, London, England, WC1H 9SH

 
The Hiring Department LTD © 2023
by Loom of ideas LTD

Company number: 
13800171 Registered office: 13 Tavistock Place,
London, England, WC1H 9SH
 
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