Organisation
Swim England
Location
SportPark, Loughborough
Salary Range
N/A
Contract Type
Part Time
Closing Date
9 May 2023
Job Description
We are seeking an independent person who brings insight and experience as an athlete within Swim England clubs and pathway, to join our new Oversight Committee as a member, 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 Independent Member (Athlete) of the Oversight Committee include:
Attend Committee meetings and lead on those discussions which require the insight of the Member’s experience as an athlete within Swim England clubs and pathway.
Ensure that the voices and experiences of participants and workforce are heard and acted upon within the committee’s work.
Provide advice and guidance on culture, welfare and safeguarding to the Chair, Chief Executive, Directors and SLT members as appropriate.
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.
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.
Champion and promote culture, welfare and safeguarding within and outside of Swim England.
For full details of the role, download the Role Description and the Terms of Reference for the Oversight Committee from the ‘job description’ button.
About You
We are looking to engage the Independent Member on a voluntary basis, with the following person specification:
Extensive experience as an athlete within Swim England’s clubs and pathway.
Ideally previous experience being a member of a Board or Committee.
To satisfy Sport England’s definition of ‘independence’, the Member 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 27th and Friday 28th 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.
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 Independent Member (Athlete) of the Oversight Committee include:
Attend Committee meetings and lead on those discussions which require the insight of the Member’s experience as an athlete within Swim England clubs and pathway.
Ensure that the voices and experiences of participants and workforce are heard and acted upon within the committee’s work.
Provide advice and guidance on culture, welfare and safeguarding to the Chair, Chief Executive, Directors and SLT members as appropriate.
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.
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.
Champion and promote culture, welfare and safeguarding within and outside of Swim England.
For full details of the role, download the Role Description and the Terms of Reference for the Oversight Committee from the ‘job description’ button.
About You
We are looking to engage the Independent Member on a voluntary basis, with the following person specification:
Extensive experience as an athlete within Swim England’s clubs and pathway.
Ideally previous experience being a member of a Board or Committee.
To satisfy Sport England’s definition of ‘independence’, the Member 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 27th and Friday 28th 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.
To Apply
To register with us and apply for this role please visit our candidate portal – link below:
https://careers.swimming.org/vacancies/194/independent-member-of-oversight-committee-athlete.html