Organisation

Swim England

Location

The total time commitment is around one to two days per month, inclusive of six or seven Board meetings per year (three to four hours in the afternoon), and two to three annual subcommittee meetings. The majority of Board meetings are to be held virtually, when attended in person the location will be either at the head office in Loughborough, Leicestershire and occasionally held in other locations nationwide as agreed in advance.

Salary Range

N/A

Contract Type

Volunteer

Closing Date

9 May 2023

Job Description

About Us
Swim England is striving to create a happier, healthier and more successful nation through swimming and aquatic activity. We strive to inspire everyone to enjoy the water in the way that suits them. As the recognised national governing body for swimming, artistic swimming, diving and water polo in England, we help people learn how to swim, enjoy the water safely, and compete in all our sports.

At our heart, Swim England is a membership organisation dedicated to supporting our clubs and members to develop and succeed. We maintain the laws of the sport and run world-class national events which are open to all competing members. We operate a comprehensive range of qualification and education programmes for teachers, coaches and officials. Our Learn to Swim framework is the most widely known part of swimming lessons for children and is the backbone of swimming lessons for primary school aged children.

This year, we have launched the Heart of Aquatics – Swim England’s new safeguarding, welfare and culture plan. Our mission is to create a culture and environment that makes everyone feel safe, included and welcomed at all times. Within the plan we have set out our commitment to listen, support and resource the aquatics community, to create a better future for everyone involved in our sports.

About The Role
We are seeking an independent Chair for our new Oversight Committee for a four-year term. The Oversight Committee is part of our formal governance structure, reporting directly to the Swim England Board.

The purpose of the Oversight Committee is to provide independent scrutiny and oversight to Swim England’s safeguarding, welfare and culture work – including that outlined in the Heart of Aquatics.

Four independent experts will sit on this committee, bringing external expertise in safeguarding, welfare and organisation culture and direct athlete experience. They will also provide direction to any evolution of the Heart of Aquatics plan as we learn more from our members and stakeholders as part of the listening work.

Action will be delivered by an implementation team led by members of the Senior Leadership Team and heads of service from across the organisation, who will oversee, facilitate and drive forward the actions.

Responsibilities of the Chair of the Oversight Committee include:

Provide effective leadership to the committee, ensuring that members complete all tasks. and responsibilities to a high standard and in a timely and proportionate manner.
Lead the committee meetings and monitor the progress of work connected to the group.
Take the lead in producing relevant reports including; a regular report to the Board, a contribution to the Annual Report and any other relevant reports that are required.
Ensure that the voices and experiences of participants and workforce are heard and acted upon within the committee’s work.
Develop and maintain links and communication with relevant Chairs and groups within Swim England to ensure that culture, welfare and safeguarding are considered as part of any decision-making.
Contribute to ensuring that culture, welfare and safeguarding are central to the work of Swim England.
Champion and promote culture, welfare and safeguarding within and outside of Swim England.

About You
We are looking to engage the Chair on a voluntary basis, with the following person specification:

Experience in aquatic or membership sports is not needed, but an interest in and commitment to supporting the future and goals of Swim England is essential.

Extensive experience within safeguarding and welfare, within a sporting landscape, if possible.

Ideally previous experience being a Chair of a Board or Committee.

To satisfy Sport England’s definition of ‘independence’, the Chair of the Committee must be completely free from any other close personal connection with the Swim England Board and must from the perspective of an objective outsider, be viewed as independent – which participation in aquatics does not in itself prevent any individual from being.

If you feel you meet these criteria, can commit to the role and want to be part of a positive culture change within aquatics, we want to hear from you.

We’re looking to hold interviews via Zoom on Thursday 20th April.

If you’d like an informal discussion about the role before applying, please contact our company Secretary and Director of Legal, Lois Jarvis, via legal@swimming.org

Terms of Appointment

The role is unremunerated with travel and accommodation expenses paid in accordance with Swim England’s policy. The total time commitment is around one to two days per month, inclusive of six or seven Board meetings per year (three to four hours in the afternoon), and two to three annual subcommittee meetings. The majority of Board meetings are to be held virtually, when attended in person the location will be either at the head office in Loughborough, Leicestershire and occasionally held in other locations nationwide as agreed in advance. The length of the appointment is for four years, with the possibility of extending for a further four-year term. Candidates should be UK-based.

Diversity

Swim England is committed to inclusion and embracing the spirit of all equalities legislation. As a Disability Confident Employer, we actively encourage applications from disabled people. We recognise that the diversity of our workforce is not reflective of today’s society and we are currently operating a pilot scheme whereby applicants from ethnically diverse backgrounds can opt into our guaranteed interview scheme. Candidates that have opted into the scheme will be guaranteed an interview provided that they have demonstrated, within their application, that they meet the essential criteria for the role. When completing the application, applicants from ethnically diverse backgrounds are encouraged to ‘Opt In’ to the scheme, by ticking the box.

Where possible, Swim England will always make reasonable adjustments for accessibility to anyone who requires it. If you would like any of the documentation in a different format or would like to apply in a different way please get in touch via careers@swimming.org.

All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process, in line with the Equality Act 2010. However, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.

Swim England is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

No Agencies Please

To Apply

To register with us and apply for this role please visit our candidate portal – link below: https://careers.swimming.org/vacancies/vacancy-search-results.aspx