Trustee and Audit Committee Chair

Trustee and Audit Committee Chair

Education For Industry Group specialises in the creation and operation of industry-led specialist education and training to deliver highly-skilled, job-ready graduates to the sectors it serves. The Group comprises four business divisions: Fashion Retail Academy, London College of Beauty Therapy, EFI Training and EFI Awards. United by a common goal to create and deliver outstanding vocational and academic education in partnership with industry, each division operates independently whilst accessing centralised functions across Marketing, Finance, Operations and Student Services.

The Group is a Registered Charity and also a Company Limited by Guarantee.

Our Board of trustees/directors has overall responsibility for the Group, with strategic responsibilities that include:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• Supporting and holding the CEO to account for the Group’s performance, including the quality of education and the progress of students;
• Overseeing the financial performance of the Group; and
• The safety and wellbeing of its staff and students.

The Board comprises a mix of senior executives from industry, educationalists and other professionals. We are currently seeking to recruit a new trustee/director with experience of audit and risk management, and with the capacity and capability to serve as Chair of the Group’s Audit Committee. The Audit Committee advises the Board on the adequacy and effectiveness of the Group’s systems of internal control and its arrangements for risk management, regularly reviewing the Risk Register and providing oversight of the Group’s engagement with its external auditors.

The overall qualities and attributes that we are seeking include: 

• Proven leadership experience, to help guide the Group in a business-like manner through current and future challenges;
• Passion and enthusiasm to serve; and
• The commitment and flexibility to be able to devote sufficient time to this important role.

The commitment that we expect of a trustee is to attend six in-person Board meetings (each lasting c. 3 hours) per annum. Two of these are part of full day programmes that include additional time spent on meeting students, liaison with industry and strategic matters, which helps trustees to be connected and informed and to gain further from the experience. Additionally, the Audit Committee, comprised of a smaller group of trustees, typically meets three time per annum for meetings of up to 2 hours – normally online.

The roles of our trustees/directors are non-executive and the roles are unremunerated, but they present a great opportunity to ‘give something back’, the excitement that comes from engaging with emerging talent, and networking opportunities with retailers and education specialists. Recent expansion in the Group’s activities and a forthcoming relocation to new state of the art premises in central London make this a particularly exciting time to get on board.

We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of our learners. The successful applicant will therefore be required to complete DBS checks.

Black and Minority groups are currently underrepresented and applications from individuals in these groups will be particularly welcomed.

Futher Information:

Further information about EFI Group is available on our website www.efigroup.ac.uk

How To Apply:

To apply, please send a current CV and covering letter to Graham Cooper, Secretary to the Board, at graham.cooper@efigroup.ac.uk, or please feel free to get in touch with Graham regarding any questions you may have relating to this exciting opportunity.