Board Director

Doceo is seeking a new Board member with leadership, communication and governance skills. The successful candidate will be a team player and ambitious person with a passion for seeing young people grow and develop. We are looking for someone with experience in networking, fundraising and building partnerships through their strategic personal and professional networks. They will also be willing and able to help us grow through mobilising their networks or signposting us to new opportunities.

Doceo is a social enterprise dedicated to equipping 14-18-year-old students with essential employability skills, addressing the widening gap between education and industry needs. In the current landscape, where 75% of companies struggle to find qualified talent and 56% of young people narrow their career focus early, we believe it’s crucial to empower the next generation with the skills they need for life after education.

At Doceo, our work significantly improves social mobility. Currently, 97% of our students are BAME, 76% are female, and 42% are on free school meals. By joining hands with Doceo, companies can actively contribute to a positive change in these statistics and foster a more inclusive future workforce. Please find our latest impact report here.

If you are passionate about investing in a more skilled, confident, and career-ready generation, we invite you to consider joining Doceo. 

The Role of a Doceo Board Member

Board Members will be expected to:

• Contribute to Doceo’s bi-annual Board meetings and discussions, drawing on their field of expertise;
• Contribute to and review the strategic direction of Doceo;
• Monitor the extent to which the Board is meeting its objectives and targets;
• Contribute through ad hoc involvement with the executive team on specific areas of interest/priority on behalf of the Board;
• Work with the existing Directors to strategically position Doceo as the go-to employability skills experts for engaging with 14-18 year olds nationwide. Including making key introductions for the organisation.
• Harness personal and professional networks to support our fundraising strategy.
• Partner with the existing Directors and core team to cultivate corporate, foundation and major funders.
• Where appropriate, represent Doceo with external stakeholders, and help it build relationships with key private and public sector players; and
• Contribute their own professional experience to guide the development of Doceo in a way that is supportive, collegiate and adds value.

Board Members may also be asked to Chair or participate in at least two committees of the Board, including:

• Schools Committee
• Events and Programmes Committee
• Corporate Partnerships Committee
• Fundraising Committee

We welcome and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates. Prior non-executive experience is not essential for these roles. However, you must have a clear understanding of the role of the board and have operated at a strategic level. You will be required to:

• Align with Doceo’s social purpose and values, including its commitment to equipping students aged 14-18 with the employability skills necessary to thrive after education.
• Analyse and contribute at the Board level to the resolution of strategic issues which have economic, social and/or political implications whilst working effectively with executives and non-executives.
• Proactively support and challenge the executive to achieve results, with a focus on performance against targets.

The post holder will be expected to adhere to key policies of Doceo. The Appointment does not create a contract of service (employment) and is not within the jurisdiction of Employment Tribunals, neither is there any entitlement for compensation for loss of office through employment law.

Desirable Criteria

Skills

• Experience of using customer analytics and market research data to understand customer trends and influence strategic decision-making.
• Customer data expertise with a focus on customer centricity.
• Awareness of key strategic themes shaping the education landscape.
• Experience in developing external stakeholder relationships.
• Experience in working with schools and colleges.
• Good understanding of current and future issues affecting young people
• An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of being a director of the organisation.

Personal qualities

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work with other board members, core team members and a range of external stakeholders
• Ability to think creatively and to solve problems innovatively.
• Established a network of contacts and associates to assist with broadening the network of Doceo

Location:

Board meetings are held in person in London. Currently, a hybrid approach is generally taken for Committee meetings with attendance in person or via Zoom. Although Board meetings are held in London, Doceo welcomes applications from candidates who for reasons of disability require an accommodation to attend via Zoom.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We are an equal opportunity organisation and are committed to building a team with diverse voices and experiences. We are proud to be a diverse team and represent the community we serve. We are determined to ensure that no applicant or team member receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or race, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable request.

We can provide reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment application process and on the job, and we’ll always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible. If you have particular needs or requirements, please get in touch at [email protected].

If all of this sounds good to you, please apply! We’d love to get to know more about you!