Trustee role description

Role title:

Groups’ Secretary
Accountable to:  Board of trustees
Responsible for:  Regional & Affinity Groups
Term of office: Four years

Scope and purpose

The overall role of the Groups’ Secretary is to play a key role in the strategic development of the BSI’s regional & affinity groups and travel awards schemes.

General responsibilities

To ensure that the Society complies with its governing document, charity law, company law, and any other relevant legislation or regulation.
To ensure that the Society pursues its objects as defined in the governing document.
To ensure that the Society applies its resources exclusively in pursuance of its objects.
To contribute actively to the board of trustees' role in giving firm strategic direction to the Society, setting overall policy, defining goals and setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets.
To safeguard the good name and integrity of the Society.
To ensure the effective and efficient administration of the Society.
To protect and manage the property of the charity and to ensure the proper investment of the charity's funds.
To assist with the appointment of the Chief Executive and to monitor his/her performance through an agreed process.

In addition to the above statutory duties, every trustee should use any specific skills, knowledge, or experience they have to help the board of trustees reach sound decisions. These may involve:
Scrutinising board papers
Leading discussions
Focusing on key issues
Providing guidance on new initiatives
Other issues in which the trustee has special expertise.
All board members must be members of the BSI.

Additional duties of the Groups' Secretary

Reviewing and approving applications for one-off meetings from regional and affinity groups.
Ensuring that annual reports are received from all groups.
Allocating budgetary amounts to regional and affinity groups as part of the annual subvention award scheme and in liaison with the Head of Finance.
Liaise with Programme Manager on a regular basis.
Reviewing applications for BSI travel awards as chair of the travel award panel of experts.
Review applications for BSI congress bursaries as chair of a panel of experts.
Review applications any other travel awards / bursaries (EFIS, IUIS) as part of a panel of experts.
Attending Programme Committee meetings.

Groups' Secretary person specification

Membership of the Society is required under the rules
Commitment to the Society
Strategic vision
Good, independent judgment
Ability to think creatively
Willingness to speak their mind
Ability to work effectively as a member of a team
Nolan's seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership.
First Hand Experience of regional and affinity group matters
Skills to analyse proposals and examine their financial consequences
Willingness to be available to staff at short notice and on an ad-hoc basis

Search the BSI

------------------------------------------- 
Members login
------------------------------------------- 
------------------------------------------- 

British Society for Immunology
Vintage House, 37 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TL       E: onlinecommunity@immunology.org      T: +44 (0)20 3031 9800      F: +44 (0)20 7582 2882

Disclaimer: Due to questions of resource, and ethical considerations, as a professional organisation representing the interests of our members, we are not in a position to offer specific medical advice to individuals, nor are we willing to disclose member information for this purpose.