Board Members, Promising Trouble
Recruitment Pack, April 2024
Promising Trouble is a social enterprise that puts community power at the heart of technology and innovation. Founded by Rachel Coldicutt OBE in 2021, we are now recruiting our first board, and are beginning by looking for members.
We are seeking entrepreneurial individuals who can support us to build stronger relationships with business and philanthropy, be a critical friend as we grow and change, and help us to create connections with changemakers beyond the technology sector.
Our Board will:
share our values and ambitions for change
bring a different set of skills and experience to those of the leadership team [meet the team]
have a well-established set of networks and contacts
have experience of growing and maintaining a successful business or change-based organisation
The time commitment for this role will be up to, and no more than, 8 days a year.
We can offer a small fee – per meeting – which we would expect to increase in line with our income generation.
We are committed to equity and justice, and strive to create, and support, a workplace where people want to show up, feel they belong and can use their agency to make positive change. If you have any questions about Promising Trouble please email Anna Hamilos, Director of Culture and Practice, on jobs@promisingtrouble.net.
How to apply
Deadline: rolling recruitment
We will hold two rounds of interviews in May, one will be in-person in London
Please email jobs@promisingtrouble.net with CV and a short letter that:
Outlines your approach to securing investment or funding for novel, forward-thinking work
Describes what success might look like for Promising Trouble over the next three years
Offers an example of your approach to governance
About Us
Our sister organisation, Careful Industries, is a research and foresight studio whose work understands the social impacts of technologies. Together we are known as Careful Trouble.
We are a team of eight researchers, community builders and producers, based across the UK and Europe.
At Promising Trouble our funders and partners include Nominet, Impact on Urban Health, and Power to Change, and we also develop and deliver our own programmes, such as the AI and Society Forum.
At Careful Industries we research the social impact of technologies and technology policies; forecast possible futures; and design and deliver technology policy, governance and training solutions.
Our partners and clients include Nominet, Power to Change, Impact on Urban Health, Wellcome Trust, Genomics England, FCDO, Ada Lovelace Institute, Salesforce, Lego Group, Power to Change, TNLCF, DCMS, and Open Society Foundations.
Our Values
Care is the organising principle for everything we do: care for and about people and the planet, combined with a rigorous and diligent approach to investigating uncertainty.
We are constantly learning, always curious, and strive to be inclusive and accepting.
We champion careful innovation and feminism for the 99%.
We are wayfinders not competitors.
We ask good questions, seek useful answers, and listen closely
We are impatient for change, but careful in our actions
We use our power to state the unsaid and make space for others
We look after each other so we can make careful trouble together.
Legal Structure
We are a Company Limited by Guarantee.
Company registration number: 13334908
Registered address: 7 Bell Yard, London, WC2A 2JR
Board Composition
Over the next year, we will build the board to four non-executive directors and appoint a Chair.
Time commitment
No more than 8 days a year. There will be 4 board meetings a year (each around 2 hours long), interspersed with monthly updates with the Executive team. Board meetings will take place in London or online.
The Board will be tasked with business and partnership development; as such, from time to time, you may be invited to meetings or asked to support proposal/fundraising development.
The appointment will be for an initial term of 3 years.
The ideal candidate will:
Have experience of:
• the technology sector.
• working with board members and executives to drive strategic direction, investment and high quality services.
• developing external stakeholder relationships.
• influencing in a policy making environment.
Be able to demonstrate:
• A good understanding of the importance of community power in relation to technology.
• Personal commitment to the overall aims, objectives and values of Promising Trouble.
• Ability to represent the organisation in the media as appropriate.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work with other board members, staff and a range of external stakeholders and communicate clearly, accurately, efficiently, with diplomacy and cordiality.
• Ability to think creatively and to solve problems innovatively.
• Willingness to speak out and the ability to respect the views of others.
• Established network of contacts and associates to assist with broadening the network of Promising Trouble.
Be an effective Board member, bringing:
• An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of being a director of the organisation.
• Ability to plan strategically and make strategic decisions in line with the organisation's governance arrangements.
• Relevant financial skills in order to effectively interpret, guide and challenge the organisation’s business plans.
• Ability to work collaboratively with the chief executive including undertaking regular support.
• Ability to develop highly effective external relationships with a range of stakeholders, including funders, policymakers, civil society organisations, businesses, community groups, and other partners.
Role and Responsibilities:
The Non-Executive board members should avoid getting involved in day to day management of the organisation, although they do need to be aware of what is happening.
Principal responsibilities include:
Strategic Support
Provide support to the Executive Director, Executive team and the board, ensuring maximum impact of the organisation. This includes effective governance and ensuring the organisation operates within its objectives.
Governance
With the Executive Director, ensure governance arrangements are working in the most effective way for Promising Trouble and meeting the requirements of any regulators, whilst also ensuring that there is a continuous process of developing the knowledge and capability of the board as a whole and resolving conflicts if they arise.
External Relations
To act as an ambassador for Promising Trouble, maintaining close relationships with key stakeholders, acting as a spokesperson for the organisation when appropriate, representing Promising Trouble at external meetings and events.
Efficiency and effectiveness
Bring impartiality and objectivity to the decision-making process while supporting all board members to be fully engaged and that decisions are taken in the best interests of Promising Trouble.
Fund raising
Proactively fund raising for Promising Trouble by supporting the work of the Executive Team in this area and assisting with identifying new funding streams and opportunities.
The above list is indicative only and not exhaustive.
We are headquartered in London, but the team is located across the UK and Europe.