Barnet and Southgate is one of the largest further education college in north London, delivering a broad range of further and higher education to 13,000 adults and young people across three main campuses, working in partnership with local, regional and national employers to provide bespoke training specific to industry needs.

The College is renowned for offering a broad range of full and part time courses, including A Levels, foundation degrees, technical and professional qualifications, vocational training, work skills training, and apprenticeships, as well as education and employment pathways for people with learning difficulties and disabilities. The college has a focus on vocational training and works closely with employers and economists to continually analyse the jobs market, filling any skills gaps that may be developing with the appropriate courses.

The college is the result of a merger between Barnet and Southgate college approximately 12 years ago and operates across three main College Centres in Southgate, Colindale and High Barnet, along with a small adult learning centre based in Edmonton Green Centre.

Barnet and Southgate College seek to hire two additional Governors as Members of the Audit Committee. 

The Audit Committee's key responsibility is to scrutinise the robustness of the College's control framework and to assess its application in practice. Given the breadth of assurance which the Audit Committee will be covering, the College wishes to hire two additional members who bring recent, relevant experience in either risk management, finance, and / or assurance so as to ensure the committee is suitably diverse, skilled and experienced to scrutinise assurance reports and provide sufficient challenge. 

In making these two appointments, the College is keen to add further "lived experience" to the board so as to better reflect their student base, many of which do not have Higher Education in their past or future learning path. In addition, the College would also welcome incoming Governors who may be able to contribute to broader Board strategic objectives around financial sustainability and growth. 

At least one of the successful candidates will have a background at a senior level in either finance, risk management or assurance. They will be able to give an opinion on the adequacy and effectiveness of the College's assurance arrangements, framework of governance, risk management and control processes. They will be able to provide robust and fair challenge, ask the right questions at the right time, and will be prepared to support, challenge, and warn the Governors.

The College is also open to hearing from candidates who may not have a financial background, but who bring experience in social services and education care.

For both appointments, the College would be very open to applications from individuals who bring further social and cognitive diversity to the Board. They are particularly open to applications from individuals with experience of the Further Education learning path.

This role is unremunerated, but reasonable, pre-agreed travel expenses will be reimbursed. There are six board meetings per year held in London (occasionally held remotely), as well as additional committee engagement. Total time commitment is expected to be eight hours per month. There is a Governor immersion visit at least once a year in-person at the college to see how the college operates and the College is keen that incoming Governors would wish to engage with some of the College's extracurricular events. The appointment is for a four-year term.