Treasurer Trustee

Fine Cell Work is looking for a Treasurer to join its Board of Trustees. Fine Cell Work is a UK-based rehabilitation charity supporting prisoners and prison leavers to rebuild meaningful, independent, crime-free lives. This is a wonderful opportunity for an experienced committed individual who is passionate about rehabilitation, mental health and beautiful craftsmanship.

About Fine Cell Work

Fine Cell Work is a charity and social enterprise with a proven track record of reducing reoffending rates, producing beautiful products handmade in prison, and equipping prisoners post-release with the skills to aid their reintegration into society. The prisoners’ high-quality, handmade products are sold to the public through our website (www.finecellwork.co.uk). Designers, artists and heritage organizations commission bespoke pieces of the highest quality and creativity. The prisoners are paid about a quarter of the proceeds from sales and are encouraged to save for their families and to provision for their release.

With a staff of 15 FTE supported by approximately 140 volunteers, the charity has annual revenues of over £1 million. We currently have a presence in 19 British prisons. Fine Cell Work is the only British charity providing social enterprise and earned income for prisoners working in their cells on such a wide scale and has created the largest workforce of hand-embroiderers in Europe. The charity’s model is sustainable, with a quarter of its income derived from sales of prisoners’ work.

In 2017, Fine Cell Work opened a textiles workshop in London providing employment support to prison leavers. This programme has been extremely successful, with a reoffending rate of 4% (against the national average of 46%) and 40% going into work (against the national average of 17%).

Now entering our 28th year, Fine Cell Work continues to expand on our prison and post-release programmes, increasing the opportunities for rehabilitation by having more of a presence within the prison system. Our plans include:

• Building our production hubs in partnership with textile workshops in prison, allowing us to further upskill the prison-trained workforce.
• Establishing additional prison groups teaching hand-stitching, enabling more prisoners to engage in meaningful work in their cells.
• Continuing to develop varied, skilled textile products, adding new designs and product ranges to provide a wide range of work for our stitchers and products for our customers.
• Expanding post-release support nationally.

The above activities, and more, form part of a robust, detailed 5 year business plan now in its third year of execution.

Role specification

Fine Cell Work is managed by a Board of Trustees who are from a range of professional backgrounds, including design and the prison service but also marketing, finance, communications, business management and consulting, and volunteering. We are looking for a new Trustee, based in the UK, to serve as Treasurer.

The new Treasurer will help to steer the strategic direction and governance of the charity, as it focuses on the deployment of the business plan, charitable development and social enterprise.

The general responsibilities of a Trustee include the following.

• Ensuring that Fine Cell Work has a clear vision, mission and strategic direction and that these are fully reflected in all its work.
• Advocating for Fine Cell Work’s mission and, if possible, using their skills or contacts as appropriate to support Fine Cell Work’s work.
• Supporting Fine Cell Work’s fundraising initiatives, through engaging in fundraising events and inviting members of their network to events and making introductions.
• Engaging with and supporting Fine Cell Work’s Executive Director and senior leadership team in delivering against Fine Cell Work’s financial and social impact performance objectives.
• Ensuring that Fine Cell Work fulfils its legal requirements, including in respect of equal opportunities, safeguarding, meeting health and safety requirements and complying with its charitable objectives.

In terms of the specific duties of the Treasurer, these include:

• Regularly liaising with the Fine Cell Work Finance Director, who is responsible for the financial activities of the organisation
• Reviewing Fine Cell Work’s budgets, internal management accounts and financial statements and presenting them, with the Finance Director, to the Board of Trustees
• Leading in the Board’s duty to ensure that proper accounting records are kept, financial resources are properly controlled, invested and prudently spent, in line with good governance, legal and regulatory requirements
• Providing Board oversight and support to the Finance Director in the development and implementation of financial reserves, cost management and investment policies
• Monitoring and advising on the financial viability of the charity and the financial implications of the charity’s business plans and strategies
• Providing Board oversight and support to the Finance Director on the charity’s risk management process
• Acting as the Board liaison with external auditors on technical and other matters

Person specification

Fine Cell Work welcomes a wide range of applicants who are energetic, collaborative and committed to supporting the charity’s growth. Critically, applicants should have an appreciation of the charity, prison or public sector and sympathy, empathy and passion for the charity’s ethos, vision and mission.

Fine Cell Work is a logistically complex charity and so applicants should be able to demonstrate the appetite to learn and the experience and skills required to contribute well informed views, constructive challenge and a commitment to best practices while operating in a multi-faceted and challenging environment.

Specific to the role of Treasurer, we are interested in candidates with the following.

• Qualified accountant
• Experience working with a non-profit organization is desirable but we are open to those candidates who are willing to invest in growing the financial acumen specific to charities
• Experience in assessing, monitoring and developing plans to mitigate financial, operational and strategic organizational risks
• Understanding and acceptance of the duties and responsibilities of trusteeship and the role of Treasurer in particular

Terms of appointment

This role is unremunerated. There are four Board meetings each year, normally held on a Tuesday evening with two taking place in-person at Fine Cell Work’s offices in Battersea and two taking place virtually. There is also one strategy meeting each year. Ad hoc events include fundraising events and sales throughout the year. The appointment is for a three year term, which can be renewed twice at the discretion of the Board.

How to apply

Please address your application to jobs@finecellwork.co.uk. Please set out your experience and skills against the role and provide a copy of your CV. The closing date for applications is 3 March 2025. Shortlisted applicants can expect to be notified by the end of March.

If you have any questions about the process or the timetable, or you wish to discuss your suitability, please contact the email address above.