Director Recruitment - January 2025

We are recruiting 2 or 3 new Directors to help us continue to deliver and expand our wonderful second-hand school uniform service. We are looking for individuals who:

• care about the environment and reducing textile waste
• are passionate about ensuring that school children have equal access
• have up to 2 hours per month to share their expertise with us
• have a particular interest in and/ or experience of
• working with and influencing schools
• communications and marketing - experience in marketing a digital selling platform would be particularly welcomed

Background information about Smarter Uniforms

Smarter Uniforms is a Brighton based Community Interest Company and has been helping families in Brighton and Hove to access second-hand school uniforms since 2017. We are driven by the need to reduce textile waste and protect our environment and also the desire to ensure that all school children would be able to access good quality and affordable school uniform. We do this in 2 ways -

• we run an online marketplace where people can buy and sell second-hand school uniforms - some of the proceeds of sales on the marketplace are donated to schools.
• we run a free uniform programme and support a network of community organisations to provide free school uniforms to the families they support

In addition, we champion government guidance on school uniforms and advocate for changes to school uniform policies to ensure school uniforms are more affordable for families and better for the environment.

We are a very small organisation and currently employ 2 part-time members of staff. We have 2 volunteers and currently 3 volunteer directors. In the summer we employ interns form Sussex University and subject to funding being available we plan to recruit a 3rd member of staff.

The role of Directors at Smarter Uniforms

The overarching role of the Directors is to ensure that Smarter Uniforms operates effectively and meets its statutory obligations. Directors make sure that the CIC’s assets and resources are used only for the community's benefit. In addition to attending and participating in quarterly Director meetings and supporting the development and implementation of the organisation’s strategy and supporting staff recruitment, Directors each have responsibility for an area that interests them and reflects their experience and expertise.

The Directors roles cover the following areas:

• Finance including fundraising
• Communications and marketing
• Engaging with schools
• Engaging with communities and families
• Engaging with businesses
• HR and governance
• Monitoring impact

For each of these areas the Directors are expected to provide ad hoc support to the staff team this is likely to include

• inputting to and reviewing key documents and strategies
• providing expert advice to the staff team

It is expected that this function should take no more than 12 hours per year.

Why become a Director at Smarter Uniforms?

Being a Director at Smarter Uniforms will give you experience of

• working in an organisation that is grounded in the local community that makes a real difference to people’s lives
• being part of a network of organisations working together to address the environmental and social impact of clothing manufacture, waste and care
• being part of a team committed to providing solutions that eliminate the stigma of second-hand clothing
• leading a small organisation and contributing to strategy development chairing Director meetings

Criteria

The following skills and experience are desirable but not essential:

• organisational leadership - developing an organisational strategy, experience of governance arrangements
• experience of fundraising, community development and managing stakeholders
• an understanding of the environmental impact of textile waste and the financial burdens that school uniform costs have on families

Expectations

You will be expected to:

• be available to attend quarterly meetings and carry out assigned tasks. It is expected that the monthly time commitment will be around 2 hours
• ensure staff are delivering on expectations and meeting our objectives and legal commitments
• provide challenge and scrutiny at Director meetings
• provide expert advice and support to the staff team for your assigned areas

Next steps

If you are interested in being a Director with us please forward your CV and a short covering letter to anna.mcdevitt@smarteruniforms.org by 7 February. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed - it will be possible to do this online. Date to be confirmed.

For more information about our work please visit www.smarteruniforms.org or call Anna the Service Manager on 0777 9658919