Vacant position as director
The National Board of Amnesty international Australia (AI Australia) is looking for a director to fill a vacancy.
Background
AI Australia has a board of 14 directors, seven elected at its AGM (including the 4 office bearers), and an additional seven elected one each by its regional branches.
There is a vacancy in one of the non-office bearer AGM-elected roles. The person appointed will serve until the next AGM, in July 2017, when the vacancy will be filled by election.
Requirements
There are at least four substantial board meetings each year, and in addition most directors serve on between one and three committees, which meet by teleconference. Much of the work is conducted by email, and it is expected that all directors deal with matters arising from those emails promptly.
Attributes
Specific
In addition to the attributes sought from and expected of all directors (see below), the board is seeking for this particular role someone with a strong background in finance, financial strategy and financial governance.
General
All the directors have a commitment to Amnesty International and its human rights work.
Board capabilities, required for all directors, include all the following:
1. A governance outlook. Directors must:
- Act honestly, in good faith and in the best interests of AI Australia as a whole
- Be independent in judgment and action
- Make available adequate time to fulfill their duties
- Make known conflicts of interest or benefits received from being a director in line with AI Australia policy
- Disclose any matters that may impact on insurance policies or other undertakings of AIA in relation to directors
- Maintain confidential all material and discussion so identified
- Act in solidarity with decisions made by the Board
- Fulfill to the best of their abilities any office bearing position they hold; and
Directors must act in accordance with AI Australia policy and protocols. The Roles and Responsibilities of office holders are detailed in the Board Charter.
Directors must demonstrate a willingness to act in compliance with their statutory and common law duties set out in the Constitution and Board Charter (these duties are generally described in the section below on Key statutory and common law duties of directors).
2. Director skills and knowledge, specifically:
- Strategic analysis and planning
- People and communication skills
- Finance and risk analysis
- Knowledge of director and company legal duties
- Team work, and
- Knowledge of and experience in civil society, and especially in activist organisations and/or social change movements.
Selection Criteria
- A person recommended for appointment will have been able to demonstrate:
- A commitment to human rights outcomes;
- A strong background in finance, financial strategy and financial governance;
- An understanding of Amnesty International, and of AI Australia’s, vision and objectives;
- Knowledge of the internal operations of large organizations;
- Commitment to transparency and accountability to stakeholders;
- The ability and willingness to devote the necessary time and effort consistently and in a team context;
- Capacity and willingness to discharge all the responsibilities of a director of AI Australia.
Desirable:
- Currently practising as a certified practicing accountant, chartered accountant or public accountant.
While a person may not be a member of AI Australia upon application, they must be a member of AI Australia before they can be appointed.
Expressions of Interest
Expressions of interest should be in a single document, and include:
- A statement of how you match up to the selection criteria; and
- A CV which covers your professional and Amnesty International background relevant to the role and the selection criteria.
Expressions of Interest close Friday 3 February 2017 and should be sent to exec.admin@amnesty.org.au marked ‘Expression of Interest – Confidential’.
It is expected that candidate interviews will be conduct in early February and that the appointment will be made by mid-February 2017. All candidates will be advised of the outcome.
Questions
For further information regarding the role and our expectations, please contact the President, Gabe Kavanagh, at gabe.kavanagh@amnesty.org.au.
