Our current Chair, Neil Goulden, is approaching the end of his term in December 2024, and we are in search of our next Chair to lead our Board. We need a Chair who has extensive experience in modern board leadership, ensuring robust governance, and promoting collective strategic decision-making. We are looking for someone who is commercially astute, as we strive to drive our organisation's continued growth, ambition and development. We value a Chair who embodies credibility and adeptness in navigating complexity. The ability to work with others and build trusting relationships with a variety of stakeholders are key.

Our new Chair must be committed to making a meaningful impact and leading an organisation that empowers young autistic people during a pivotal period of change in our communities. We need a Chair who is an inclusive leader, fostering engagement, stategic thinking, and openness who will lead the board as an exemplar of inclusivity. They must be supportive and challenging, creating opportunities for growth and positive impact.

It is vital that our new Chair works with the board to ensure that all voices are heard and will have an affinity for our mission to stand with autistic children and young people, champion their rights and create opportunities.

The new Chair will work with an established board and ambitious executive team that is ensuring our organisation is sustainable, evolving, innovative and impactful, and leads change whilst providing outstanding education to young autistic people.

The Board meets once a term and has an annual strategy away day. We expect the time commitment for the Chair to vary, and we would expect the equivalent on average of circa two days a month across various activities such as preparation for board meetings, reading board papers, regular conversation with the Chief Executive, ad hoc discussions with board members and the executive team, and attending events throughout the year.

Our board is diverse in many ways, including autistic people, who are part of the board, alongside a balance of gender, ethnicity and age. We want to continue ensuring our Board represents society and the people we work with every day.

Important application information - we are working with Peridot Partners on this role, so to apply please do so via this link - https://www.peridotpartners.co.uk/jobs/chair-of-the-board-ambitious-about-autism/?apply. 

Ambitious about Autism is fully committed to equality of opportunity and diversity and we warmly welcome applications from all suitably-qualified candidates. We welcome applications regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, disability, or age. All applications will be considered solely on merit.

Ambitious about Autism is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. As part of our Safer Recruitment checks, an online search maybe carried out in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.

The Safeguarding responsibilities of the post as per the job description and personal specification.
Whether the post is exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendment to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2021. This means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected', so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS Filter Guidance.