Founded in Kenya in 1922 by Dr Richard ‘St. Barbe’ Baker and Chief Josiah Njonjo as Watu wa Miti — People of the Trees — International Tree Foundation (ITF) has worked for 100 years to improve both the natural environment and people’s lives through community-led tree planting, agroforestry, forest conservation, advocacy and education programmes. The highly influential St. Barbe was generations ahead of his time in terms of recognising the importance of trees and forests in sustaining life on Earth. The ITF works every day to plant trees and restore forests, strengthen community and ecosystem resilience and provide sustainable fuel, food and medicine for households and markets.

ITF has a small staff team based in Oxford, England and Kenya. It is a membership organisation that has a long history of history of achievements and currently has just over 600 members and supporters, with more than 2,000 subscribers to its e-Newsletter and annual Trees journal. Over the past five years ITF has supported 54 projects in 15 countries, working with 46 community partners. Over the past three years ITF projects grew over 1.4 million trees which directly benefited nearly 45,000 people.

ITF is developing an innovative array of new programmes with its international partners, including its centenary campaign, 20 million Trees for Kenya’s Forests. Its challenge is to ensure the high quality delivery of its work, to secure the resources to implement new programmes as well as maintaining a sustainable level of core funding. Please see here to find out more about ITF’s work in forestry and sustainability, and here to read the latest information included in its Impact Reports.

Treasurer

ITF is looking to appoint a Treasurer who will be responsible for maintaining an overview of Trust's financial affairs.

They will report on matters relating to the Trust's financial viability and risk management, including its adherence in these areas to good practice, and legal requirements. The Treasurer will advise the Board on how to carry out its financial responsibilities, and will lead the Board as it carries out its duties to ensure due diligence, and that proper accounting records are kept. The Treasurer will also work closely with the executive team to ensure that ITF continues to expand its reach while ensuring financial stability. The Treasurer, alongside other Trustees, will serve as a steward of the organisation's resources and will be responsible for the Trust's strategy, operations, adherence to law and regulation, and financial management.

---

Trustees
ITF seeks to appoint up to three Trustees with a strong alignment with its vision and mission who will be proactive in helping it to grow and succeed. In addition to the formal Board and committee meetings, Trustees will be willing to undertake informal engagement with the foundation, including providing strategic advice on an ad hoc basis to the management team. Trustees will be expected to use their specific knowledge and experience to help the Board reach sound decisions; assist the senior leadership team with advice as required; and keep informed about, and support as appropriate, the activities of the organisation.

Responsibilities of the Trustee may include:

• Offering strategic support, guidance and constructive challenge to the leadership team and provide effective oversight
• Contributing to the Board’s collective role in setting the foundation's strategic direction and evaluating performance against agreed targets
• Ensuring that the foundation uses its resources in line with its charitable objects
• Carrying out the core responsibilities of charity governance, as set out in Charity Commission Guidance
• Safeguarding the reputation and values of the foundation and have an active concern for diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to increasing the impact of the foundation
• Acting as an ambassador for the foundation and using their networks to promote its work and, where appropriate, to seek funding
• Have a commitment to integrity, honesty, accountability and openness
• Attending and engaging in training and events as required, for example, safeguarding

Treasurer

ITF is looking for someone with senior-level financial and / or accounting expertise to become its new Treasurer.

The successful candidate will have a solid understanding of financial, risk and corporate governance systems, gained by serving at a senior level in a UK-based organisation or charity. They will have the ability to advise and monitor the financial / accounting health of ITF, and will have a strong alignment with the vision and mission of the foundation. The successful candidate for this appointment will have previous non-executive experience and, because of restricted funding, will ideally have experience working in a charity at either a non-executive or senior, operational level.

---

Trustees

Trustees have joint responsibility for the financial running of the foundation, the management of ITF's strategies and the delivery of its charitable objects. This covers a wide range of skills and experience; however ITF is particularly interested in recruiting candidates with one or more of the following skills / expertise:

• Forestry: As a result of current Trustees due to completion their tenure, ITF predicts a skills gap in agroecology, agroforestry and environmental conservation on its Board. As the majority of its programmes are based around tree planting, and community sustainability, having at least one of the appointed Trustees with this skills is imperative for this search. ITF is interested in hearing from candidates with academic experience in sustainability, agriculture, or have worked with organisations with similar missions to its own, such as the Forestry Commission.
• Campaigning, marketing, and / or PR: ITF seeks a Trustee who can support the foundation in its campaigning and marketing activities, as it relates to fundraising. They will be able to use their experience in a senior-level position in a commercial and / or charity marketing role, to assist in the development of strategies to turn advertising and campaigning to fundraising leads.
• HR and people management: ITF seeks a Trustee with a background in human resources to complement the skills and experience of the existing Board. This person will advise on various strategic HR and people-related issues as the foundation continues to expand. Further, candidates should also have an understanding of UK employment law as well as a sense of current market trends in terms of people and employment practices.

Whilst not a direct requirement for any of these Trustee appointments, ITF would be keen to hear from candidates who have previous charity experience, either at a non-executive / Trustee level, or at a senior and more operational level. Aware that a number of its current Trustees are nearing the end of their tenure with ITF, it would also be keen to hear from candidates who have experience with Board leadership, and would be in the position to take over as Vice-Chair / Chair when the time comes; although, this is not a requirement for any of these Trustee appointments.

ITF welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. As the foundation is predominantly focused in the UK and Subsaharan Africa, ITF would be keen to hear from candidates who are representative of those geographic locations, as well as individuals from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.

The time commitment for this role includes four annual Board meetings, the AGM, additional sub-committee meetings and ad hoc engagement. This equates to roughly 12 days per year for the Treasurer role and 10 days per year for the Trustee roles. Both appointments are for a three-year term, after which renewal is encouraged. ITF requires that the successful candidate for the Treasurer role will be UK-based, but is flexible on specific geographical locations, whereas ITF is flexible on candidate locations for the Trustee positions and welcomes applications from candidates who are based in the UK, Africa, or internationally. The meetings can be attended virtually, but, COVID permitting, would encourage Trustees to attend at least one meeting per year in person. Pre-agreed reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed. It is not yet confirmed, but should travel be allowed, ITF would encourage Trustees to visit its projects in Kenya. Reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses for this travel is subject to discussion.