Chair
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- Employer:
- Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust
- Location:
- Chatham, Kent
- Salary:
- Unremunerated (reasonable expenses paid)
- Closing date:
- Thursday 6th November
- Job Ref:
- GSe123867
Description
The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a place where history meets innovation. Home to creative businesses, university campuses, skilled trades, and over 400 residents across 80 extraordinary acres, it is also a thriving visitor destination, museum and a sought-after film and TV location.
As custodians of the most complete dockyard from the Age of Sail, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust is a dynamic, award-winning charity that blends preservation, learning, and enterprise. With a newly launched ten-year strategy and a thriving mixed-use estate that welcomes over 170,000 visitors annually, the charity is poised for ambitious growth and deeper community impact.
As Chair, you’ll help shape the future of this unique heritage site to both preserve the past as well as actively powering the present and inspiring generations to come.
We are looking for a strategic leader and natural ambassador - someone who shares our passion for heritage and learning, and who can guide our high-performing Board through the delivery of our vision: to be a world-leading maritime heritage destination.
As Chair, you will:
- Lead the Board in delivering the Trust’s charitable objectives of Preservation and Learning.
- Champion good governance, inclusivity, and strategic oversight.
- Act as a key advocate for the Trust, representing us with stakeholders, funders, and the wider public.
- Support and challenge the Chief Executive, creating a collaborative and effective leadership partnership.
- Help shape the future of an historic estate that is home to museum galleries, businesses, residents, universities, and film productions.
What we are looking for:
- Proven leadership at a senior strategic level, ideally with non-executive experience.
- A strong understanding of governance and charity finance.
- Gravitas, diplomacy, and excellent communication skills.
- A deep appreciation for heritage, culture, or education, and ideally, a connection to the naval or maritime sectors.
- A commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of leadership.
This is a unique opportunity to lead a nationally significant heritage organisation with a global story, rooted in a vibrant local community.
The Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust acknowledges the role heritage sites play in promoting inclusivity and equality in society, providing a platform and voice for the community, we welcome applications from all backgrounds and encourage applications from under-represented groups.
For a confidential discussion, please contact our recruitment advisers at GatenbySanderson:
Stephanie Crossland, Research Lead – stephanie.crossland@gatenbysanderson.com
Rebekah Herz-Bauman, Partner – rebekah.herz-bauman@gatenbysanderson.com
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How to Apply
- Please submit your CV along with a Supporting Statement addressing the person specification criteria, evidencing how you meet the criteria.
- Be ready to provide the names, positions, organisations and contact details for two referees; one should be your current or most recent employer. Referees will be contacted for those proceeding to final stages. We will always gain your permission before we contact referees.
- Let us know any difficulty you may have with the indicative timetable.
- Check that your contact details are correct before you submit.
Contact
The following consultants are managing this role and will be happy to answer any questions that are not covered in the person specification on the next webpage.
- Contact:
- Rebekah Herz-Bauman
- Telephone:
- 07881 984 421