Express an Interest

Targeting:

Board Member Vacancy for assuming the role of Board Chair:

Applications close 24 December 2024

About Us

Rights, Information, and Advocacy Centre Inc. (RIAC) is a non-profit community organisation committed to building the capacity and wellbeing of individuals, families, carers and communities through advocacy, access, and support services. RIAC works across 22 Local Government Areas throughout central and north-western regional Victoria and parts of southern New South Wales on the lands of the First Nations people, the Djaara, Yorta Yorta, Wurundjeri, Ladji Ladji, Barkinji, Wadawurrung, Bangerang, and Taungurung, with offices in Bendigo, Geelong, Shepparton, and Mildura.

RIAC has been working for over 40 years, advocating for the human rights of people with disabilities. RIAC is an incorporated association, registered as a charity with the ACNC, and has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status.

About the Opportunity

RIAC’s Board is the Governance body for RIAC, with responsibility for the organisation’s strategic direction, satisfying ACNC and statutory governance requirements, and appointment and oversight of the CEO.

Our current Board Chair is planning to step down from the role and we are seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified and experienced people for appointment to the RIAC Board in a voluntary Board member role on the expectation they will assume the role of Chair following a brief handover period.

The Chair’s role requires an additional commitment of time beyond that of other Board members, in liaising with the CEO, and other Board members, in preparing for meetings and guiding Board processes, and other aspects of Board and organisational leadership.

RIAC’s Board embraces diversity and is keen to recruit members that expand its diversity in terms of age, gender and ethnicity. As a disability advocacy organisation, it is particularly important that its Board membership is inclusive of and open to people with disability.

Thus, we place particular value on involving people with direct lived experience of disability on our Board. 

To enable an orderly handover, appointment would be initially to the Board as an ordinary member, and then on resignation of the Chair, to a casual vacancy in the officebearer role of Chair. This would then be subject to election at the next Annual General Meeting for a two-year (renewable) term.

About You

As RIAC is a regional organisation, with a geographically dispersed Board, most meetings are online, and we are flexible about the location of members, though our preference is to recruit members from our service catchment areas.

Prospective Board Members will ideally have direct lived experience of disability, along with experience as a member of a board or committee in the community sector, and a demonstrated ability to be strategic and solutions focused.

In addition, as Chair, you are expected to have the competencies listed below.

General competencies

• Relationship building – maintaining an effective working relationship with the CEO.
• Time management – willingness to deliver the expected time commitment required by the role for: preparing for and participating in board meetings, board committee meetings and board/director/CEO evaluations; preparing for and participating in member meetings; acting as spokesperson for the board; and representing the organisation at industry and community gatherings.
• Soft skills – balancing the numerous personal traits required of an effective chair, such as tact and diplomacy, the ability to reconcile opposing views and the power/ability to influence.

Governance Leadership competencies

• Knowledge of corporate governance – the ability to facilitate the governance processes and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Leadership facilitation – the ability to inform and brief fellow directors on current organisational matters and strategies and the ability to lead constructive and timely discussion and debate, drawing on the expertise of the board.
• Business acumen – having a strong understanding of the organisation’s business and financial model and key elements which drive performance and how they relate strategically to the mission and values of RIAC.
• People skills – experience in motivating, managing and dealing with people including evaluating performance, succession planning and executive remuneration.

Personal competencies

• Integrity – meeting fiduciary duties and responsibilities, acting ethically, having appropriate independence, putting the organisation’s interests before personal interests.
• Collaborative leadership – the ability to inspire the individual contribution and participation of each board member and senior executive to fully utilise their collective expertise to set the aims, strategies and policies of the organisation.
• Effective communication – the ability to engage and effectively communicate with all stakeholders.
• Emotional intelligence – as well as self-awareness and self-management, the chair needs to be able to motivate and be able to empathetically manage situations where strong emotions are present.
• Commercial astuteness – demonstrates good business instinct and acumen.
• Engaged commitment – a willing participant with genuine interest in the organisation and its capacity to serve the community effectively.

For more information or to express interest, please contact Sandy Ross on 0417 557 420 or lauren@riac.org.au

Duty Statement: VIC