About the Coeliac Society of Ireland

The Coeliac Society of Ireland was founded in 1970 to support, educate, empower and inspire all who have to live a gluten free life for medical reasons. The Society is a registered charity in Ireland (CHY7484) and a registered company limited by guarantee. We are a not-for-profit organisation and are overseen by a voluntary board of directors who manage the charity's strategic vision. Day to day operations are managed by our CEO, Gill Brennan, who manages a team of 9 consisting of paid employees, volunteers, and contractors. The board meets a minimum of 4 times a year and holds its AGM in September annually. Our financial year runs from 1st Jan to 31st Dec annually and all returns are visible via the Companies Registration Office website and the Charities Regulator's website.

CHAIRPERSON

The Board of Directors of the Coeliac Society of Ireland (CSI) are seeking applications for an experienced and qualified person to offer their services in the role of Chairperson of CSI's Board of Directors. The Board are seeking a growth-oriented individual with an ambitious stance on innovation and healthcare transformation.

This is a great opportunity to be part of the only regulated patient support group for the estimated 100,000 people living with coeliac disease in Ireland, and a further 400,000 who are non-coeliac gluten intolerant.

The Coeliac Society of Ireland is determined to make sure that we continue to empower the entire coeliac and gluten intolerant community by providing them with information, advice, and practical solutions as they navigate a gluten-free life.

The Chairperson is a director and Chair of the board of Directors and directly provides support to the CEO in delivering the organisation's Strategic objectives.

The Person we are looking for

·      Enthusiasm for the mission of CSI which is to make Ireland the best place in the world to live gluten-free by supporting, inspiring, empowering and educating those having to live a gluten free life every day. Be committed to the continued success of CSI as it embarks on a new growth and development phase.

·      Understand the community and voluntary sector and section 39 funded organisations.

·      Previous experience on boards, ideally with some experience as Chairperson.

·      A background in strategic business management, fundraising and/or business development or professional services.

·      Understand fundraising skills and a good understanding of revenue generation for charities and non-profit organisations desirable.

·      Knowledge of the compliance environment that applies to CSI, a registered charity which must comply with the Charities Governance Code.

The responsibilities of the Chair are as follows:

The Chairperson has a strategic role to play by effectively communicating the vision and purpose of the organisation, to ensure the Board functions well, that there is full participation at meetings.

·      The Chair will chair all meetings of the Board of Directors (every 2^nd month) and will lead the board in its role in accordance with the company constitution and governance policies.

·      To bring impartiality and objectivity to meetings and decision making

·      To ensure that decisions made at meetings are implemented

·      Actively participate as a key member of the Audit & Finance and Nominations & Governance committees every 6-8 weeks.

·      Ensure the board of Directors function appropriately, that all meetings are planned and prepared and there is full participation during meetings, that all relevant matters are discussed and that effective decisions are made and carried out.

·      To provide leadership, be an effective strategist and good at networking.

·      Advocate for CSI and have effective working relationship with our key service partners and funders (HSE).

·      To be involved in the development of the Section 39 Service Arrangement to be submitted annually to the HSE (Disabilities).

·      To attend any organisational events (estimated 2-3 per year) and be available to speak publicly about the work of the organisation.

·      To liaise with CEO and to keep up to date on the affairs of the organisation

·      To be available to discuss issues as they arise with the CEO and the leadership team in CSI.

·      To be aware of issues that might affect CSI.

Qualities and skills required

We are seeking an individual with:

·      Great leadership skills, excellent communication and interpersonal skills

·      Impartiality, fairness and the ability to respect confidences

·      Ability to ensure decisions are taken and followed-up

·      Good timekeeping

·      Tact and diplomacy

·      Understanding of the roles/responsibilities of a governing body

·      Background in senior management ideally c-suite level, with expertise in fundraising, and revenue generation is desirable.

Board Meetings:

There will be a minimum of four board meetings and a minimum of three sub-committee meetings a year. Meetings are held in primarily by virtual means but there will be at least one meeting in person during the year.