Moorfields Eye Charity is an independent charity which supports pioneering eye health work at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust ("Moorfields") and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. Combined, they form the oldest and largest centre for ophthalmic treatment, teaching and research in Europe.

The charity's mission is to improve eye health by funding innovation in research, education and patient care to benefit Moorfields’ patients. Over the last year alone, it has awarded c. £5m in grants to support these aims, with ambitious plans to double this over the coming decade; fundraising is the main source of its income but the charity also holds a significant investment portfolio providing a long-term total return. Other strategic aims are set out in its recent Strategy 2021-2027, including an objective to “attract, retain and develop diverse, talented and innovative people.”

Moorfields Eye Charity has 30 employees (c. 27 FTE) but, as part of its ambitious plans, the Board has agreed that it should invest further in additional staffing, which may lead to a staff of c. 45 people. In addition to staff, the organisation is planning to grow the number of charity engagement volunteers.

Professional support for some aspects of HR (e.g. recruitment and issues relating to the management of staff and volunteers) is currently provided (free of charge) by members of staff in the HR department of Moorfields under a service level agreement with the charity. The charity adopted new flexible working arrangements in October 2021 - an annual, externally-supported anonymous survey of staff attitudes shows high levels of staff engagement compared with other charities and is used to drive further improvement.

Please find the charity's Impact Report 2021 here, and its annual accounts here.

Moorfields Eye Charity is seeking to appoint a new member of the Remuneration & People Committee, which is a Sub-committee of the Board. The Board currently comprises 14 Trustees under the leadership of Chair Mervyn Walker; the majority of these are independent, with a minority appointed by Moorfields.

There are seven Committees reporting to the Board. Each Committee is chaired by a Trustee and has other Trustee members. Some committees have additional non-Trustee members. The Remuneration & People Committee currently comprises four Trustees, including the Chair, Vicky Hastings. The Chief Executive co-ordinates the work and information provided to the Committee and attends all meetings other than in respect of his own remuneration.

The Committee’s purpose is to:

• Provide advice and recommendations to the Trustees about remuneration policy and major HR policies, and their dissemination
• Review salaries through benchmarking (by any means) and make such amendments as are appropriate to ensure that they remain affordable, appropriate and competitive
• Approve the annual percentage increase in the salary for all staff (which can be zero) taking into account change in the cost of living
• Approve any consolidated pay awards and staff salary increases outside of the annual review process as recommended from time to time by the CEO
• Approve any awards under performance recognition schemes as recommended by the CEO and to make minor changes to the rules of such schemes (for the avoidance of doubt the board retains authority to decide whether or not to institute such schemes and to decide on their design and main rules)
• Approve the remuneration of senior staff in consultation with the CEO
• Determine the remuneration of the CEO
• Monitor remuneration ratios and report on them to the Trustees
• Approve pension arrangements for staff
• Ensure that contractual terms on termination are fair to the individual and the charity, that poor performance is not rewarded and a duty to mitigate loss is recognised
• Review annually the expenses and hospitality declaration of Trustees and Advisers

Moorfields Eye Charity is looking for someone with significant and current HR experience and charity experience to become a member of its Remuneration & People Committee.

Candidates will have held a non-executive or senior executive position leading the HR function, ideally of a large charity which has a substantial part of its income from philanthropic fundraising. They will have experience in all aspects of the remuneration, management and development of people. An appreciation of volunteer management, matters of diversity and inclusion, or grant-making is very welcome but not essential.

The successful candidate will be able to provide both support and scrutiny to the executive team as well as other members of the Committee. Above all, applicants will have an interest in and commitment to the mission, vision and values of the charity, and the work which it does to improve the lives of those affected by sight loss. They will inspire confidence and trust, and will bring sound, independent judgement to matters which come before the Committee, as well as a commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion.

This appointment represents a good opportunity for an appropriately-qualified person to take an appointment in charity governance.

This role is unremunerated, but reasonable, pre-agreed travel expenses will be reimbursed. The Committee meets three times per year; meetings normally last two hours and take place during the working day. Some decisions are taken by email between meetings. Committee meetings are likely to be two in-person and one virtual, with in-person meetings being held at the charity’s office at Moorfields on City Road, London EC1. The Committee is occasionally consulted by the Chief Executive on specific issues.