Job Vacancies

BALLET BLACK TRUSTEE 

Ballet Black is looking for one new trustee to join our board and help us to achieve our vision. We welcome applications from people from Black, Asian and global majority backgrounds.

We are seeking an individual with experience in safeguarding and the aptitude to support and challenge the Executive team in ensuring best practice in safeguarding across all aspects of our programme, but particularly at the Ballet Black Junior School and Ballet Black Associate Programme. The successful candidate, as the Board’s safeguarding lead, will assist the board to offer oversight and scrutiny to our safeguarding policies and practice. A knowledge of the education sector would be desirable for this role.

You will bring demonstrable experience and a willingness to receive training and development for the role as required. Ballet Black Trustees are ambassadors for the Company and therefore a passion for the arts and for diversity is essential.

This role is voluntary with a commitment to attend four board meetings a year, an annual away day, performances, and events. Appointments are for an initial term of three years with the option of an additional three years.

About Ballet Black

Founded in 2001 by Artistic Director, Cassa Pancho MBE, Ballet Black is a professional ballet company that exists to make a fundamental change in the diversity of mainstream classical ballet – on stage, behind the scenes, and among audiences and participants.

We do this by creating world-class new ballet that is bold and distinctive, fresh and surprising, and challenges perceptions; devised with and for dancers of Black and Asian descent, promoting greater inclusion in ballet training, and growing audiences and diversity.

Key Facts

● Ballet Black is a company limited by shares and a registered charity with a turnover of around £1 million.

● Ballet Black is an Arts Council England National Portfolio organisation (2018 – 2025) and in receipt of grants from a number of charitable trusts and foundations.

● We are a multi award-winning touring company working at mid-scale, producing two national tours a year. Venues we tour to include Barbican, Birmingham Rep, The Lowry (Salford), York Theatre Royal, Royal Opera House and Theatre Royal Stratford East.

● We run the Ballet Black Junior School for children and the Ballet Black Associate Programme for exceptional young women aged 12-16 years.

Our Board

Chaired by Althea Efunshile CBE, Ballet Black has a diverse board made up of trustees who bring skills and experience in cultural and organisational leadership, choreography and art form knowledge, fundraising and corporate networking, law and entrepreneurship.

The Board meets four times a year at the company’s office in Marylebone, London and holds an annual awayday.

The role of the Board is to support the strategic vision and leadership of the company, ensure our future sustainability and ensure we continue to fulfil our mission and live by our core values. Our trustees are key ambassadors for Ballet Black, promoting our work and helping to ensure best practice across the company’s management.

The Role

Board members are expected to attend four board meetings per year and an annual awayday, as well as attending performances and events and acting as ambassadors for Ballet Black.

It is the role of each trustee to:

• Promote and advocate for Ballet Black, enhancing and protecting its reputation.

• Contribute to formulation of vision, mission and values, and development of strategy.

• Contribute to effective board performance through participation at productive meetings that offer appropriate constructive challenge and support to the Artistic Director

• Follow high standards of conduct.

• With the rest of the board, oversee, monitor, and approve financial planning, reporting, and budgeting.

• With rest of the board approve and monitor operational and governance policies

• Participate in regular board skills audits and performance reviews.

• Ensure accountability required by law to the Charity Commission, HMRC, Companies House, UK Visas and Immigration and other statutory bodies.

• Ensure compliance with the law.

• Ensure compliance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association

• Respect the role of staff.

• Maintain confidentiality of board business.

• Declare any potential conflicts of interest at the earliest opportunity.

• Attend all board meetings, except when absence is unavoidable.

• Engage fully in Ballet Black’s work, including attendance at some performances/events and, on occasion, to formally represent the charity on behalf of board and staff.

For a full job description and person specification please click here to download the Job Pack

How to apply

Please send:

• A CV and the details of two referees (referees will not be contacted without your prior knowledge and consent)

• A supporting statement explaining what you think you can offer the organisation (no more than two sides of A4).

Please send completed applications to [email protected] with the subject line Board Vacancy by Sunday 26th November 2023.

Following shortlisting, interviews will take place on Thursday 7th December 2023.

We will aim to support any access requirements you may have during the recruitment process and ensure that reasonable adjustments are in place. If you have any access needs, or barriers to access that you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to let us know either before applying or as part of your application.

Ballet Black is an equal opportunities employer and wishes to hear from candidates from the widest range of diversity, culture and lived experience.