The application process
All of the senior governance appointment and election application processes are managed by our Governance team. Based at Heelis, our award-winning central office in Swindon, the team works closely with the relevant Appointments Committee (in respect of appointments made by the Board of Trustees) and various Nominations Committees (in respect of appointments made by and elections to our Council). Ably lead by the National Trust’s Deputy Secretary, the team is the key point of contact from initial enquiry through to appointment or election.
The majority of our senior governance appointment and election terms run for three years. This allows us plenty of time for succession planning and, in turn, plenty of time to advertise opportunities. Typically, we’ll start advertising six months before a known vacancy arises. We always aim to advertise senior governance vacancies for several weeks before a published closing date. We’ll also be clear about planned interview dates so that you’re able to make any necessary arrangements.
Where the interview takes place will depend on the nature of the appointment or election vacancy. We tend to hold interviews for Council or Trustee roles at Heelis or in London. If it’s a Country/Regional Chairman role, we’ll hold it a National Trust property in the area.
Appointments
Appointments made by our Board of Trustees are managed by our Appointments Committee and, in most cases, they’ll put together an interview panel for the vacancy. Appointments and elections overseen by our Council are managed by a four member Nominations Committee – and most of them, if not all of them, will be actively involved in the interview process. Of course, we’ll let you know who will be on the interview panel well before your interview.
Our Board of Trustees meets six times a year. So, any appointment timetable will take account of the need to propose recommendations at a suitable opportunity before appointment dates become effective. We also need to build in time to make sure that there’s sufficient opportunity for a throrough induction and handover.
Elections to Council
Things work slightly different for elections to Council. While the application process itself is similar, the timeline is longer. We’ll usually start advertising our election vacancies in February, with applications being reviewed and interviews held some time over April/May. The details of each candidate then go forward for publishing to our entire membership in the ballot papers which form part of our AGM booklet. Members cast their votes in the ballot during September and October. The results are then formally announced at the Annual General Meeting which is usually held some time from late October to early November each year.
Induction
If you’re successful, you’ll then receive a comprehensive welcome pack, thorough induction and details of your ‘buddy’ to help you find your feet.