WELSH SPORTS ASSOCIATION DIRECTORS

     Strategy                    Directors should constructively challenge and help develop proposals on strategy.  
 
Performance                     Directors should scrutinise the performance of management in meeting agreed goals and
objectives and monitor the reporting of performance.  

Risk                                Directors should satisfy themselves on the integrity of financial information and feel comfortable that financial controls and systems of risk management are robust and defensible.

    People                             Directors have a prime role in appointing, and where necessary removing Directors and
Senior Staff and in succession planning.  

Directors should constantly seek to establish and maintain confidence in the conduct of the organisation.  They should be independent in judgement and have an enquiring mind.  To be effective, Directors need to build recognition by staff of their contribution in order to promote openness and trust.  

To be effective, Directors need to be well-informed about the organisation and the external environment in which it operates, with a strong command of issues relevant to the organisation.  Once in post, Directors should seek continually to develop and refresh their knowledge and skills to ensure that their contribution to the Board remains informed and relevant.  

Best practice dictates that effective Directors will ensure that information is provided sufficiently in advance of meetings to enable thorough consideration of the issues facing the board.  Directors should insist that information is sufficient, accurate, clear and timely.

An element of the role of the Director is to understand the views of the Membership, both directly and through the Chair and the General Manager.  

EFFECTIVE DIRECTORS:   

• Uphold the highest ethical standards of integrity and probity; 
• Support fellow Directors in their leadership of the organisation while monitoring their conduct; 
• Question intelligently, debate constructively, challenge rigorously and decide dispassionately; 
• Listen sensitively to the views of others, inside and outside the board; 
• Gain the trust and respect of other board members and staff; and 
• Promote the highest standards of corporate governance and seek compliance wherever possible.         

TIME COMMITMENT/ REMUNERATION  
Approximately 1-2 days per month, to include meeting time and associated meeting preparation and actions.  There are usually 5-6 board meetings per year, as well as an annual general meeting. Directors may serve or lead on other Committees or working groups or represent Welsh Sports Association on a variety of governmental or sports and recreation groups.  All board directors are voluntary, unpaid positions.  All reasonable travel and subsistence expenses will be reimbursed.  

PERSON SPECIFICATION
Below are the technical skills, knowledge, experience and qualities we need our Board members to possess.  Whilst Board member won’t have all these skills individually, we do need the Board, as a group, to have all these between them.  

Generic skills, knowledge, experience and qualities required        

• Leadership: Experience as a leader and strategic thinker in either a commercial, voluntary or public sector context           
• Strategic thinking: Strong intellect and analytical ability, innovative thinker and ability to focus on the issues to be dealt with; experience of planning, implementation and evaluation of a strategic plan; the ability and willingness to influence the Welsh Sports Association policy  
• Decision making: Strong decision making skills that allow informed decisions to be made on a variety of matters; able to demonstrate the strength of character to stand back from an issue under discussion and view decisions in a pragmatic, dispassionate manner          
• Governance: Experience, skills and a commitment to corporate governance          
• Member relations: experience in member and customer relations, management and effective communication          
• Finance and risk: experience of financial planning and management; knowledge of audit procedures of both accounts and systems; experience of identifying principal corporate risks and their mitigation; Ability to monitor risk and compliance management frameworks and systems.           
• Ambassadorial responsibility: The skill to represent, develop and promote the Welsh Sports Association externally           
• IT: knowledge of modern day information technology requirements           
• Diversity and Inclusion: knowledge and experience of contributing to the development of a culture that promotes equality and values diversity           
• Knowledge of Sport: knowledge and experience of national governing bodies of sport and the wider sporting landscape; thorough understanding of ethical issues in sport          
• Communication skills: the ability to listen to, and constructively and appropriately debate, other people’s viewpoints, develop and deliver cogent arguments, ask questions and challenge management and peer directors in a constructive and appropriate way          
• Commitment to the Welsh Sports Association and its objectives           
• The availability to attend meetings with appropriate preparation and action       

The Board of Directors normally meets six times each year.  Directors may serve on or lead other Sport and Recreation Alliance Committees or working groups. There are also opportunities to represent the Sport and Recreation Alliance on a variety of governmental and sports or recreational bodies.  

SPECIFIC ROLES  
At present the following specific roles exist:  

Finance Director: responsible for budget development, overseeing preparation of management and annual accounts, ensuring financial procedures are up to date, legally compliant and monitored and ensuring that financial risks are identified and mitigated
  
Outdoor and Expeditions Director: To lead the Welsh Sports Associations work with Governing Bodies of Outdoor Pursuits including chairing the Outdoor Pursuits Group and overseeing distribution of relevant grants

  
There are also 4 further elected members including the Chair (to be appointed by the Board members from amongst themselves) and 4 appointed members.  At this time we are seeking Directors for election only.  

Specific skills
The following areas of skills and experience are currently being prioritised across these 8 positions:
           
Political Influencing: Experience of dealing with and influencing political and government affairs, at both national and local level, Experience in the creation and delivery of campaigns 

Commercial Development: Experience of social enterprise, developing profitable business models, finding funding solutions and generating profit          

Marketing and Communication: Experience of developing and implementing a marketing and/or communication strategy, experience of generating media coverage          

Member services: Experience in the development and management of customer and/or members services and relations

Leadership: Experience of leading and/or chairing an organisation, preferably in the not-for-profit sector          

Education: Experience of education at primary, secondary and/or tertiary level as well as knowledge of education policy and its development          

Welsh Language: Understanding of the Welsh Language, experience of improving services for and communication with Welsh Speakers
         
Diversity and Inclusion: experience of leading work to embed a culture of diversity and inclusion across an organisation.  

Prospective board directors will be asked to submit an application for showing their previous experience and detailing how they demonstrate both the generic and specific skills and experience.  Prospective board directors should select from the above specific skills those which they fit best – they are only expected to be able to demonstrate skills and experience in one or two of the above areas. For elected positions, this information will be shared with members and elections will take place at the AGM.  Prospective board directors will be expected to be present at the AGM due to take place 30 June.  Post AGM further recruitment will take place and any areas of skills/experience not met across the elected board members will be prioritised for appointments. 

Application forms can be downloaded by following the link below:

WSA Application