Job: Chair of Trustees

Background

Nofit State is driven by the desire to create powerful performances that explore and push the boundaries of accepted forms in new and revelatory ways, to create work that is sensuous, immediate and enthralling, to break down the barriers created by empty virtuosity and build a company in which ordinary people do extraordinary things.

Nofit State Circus delivers:

• Medium and large scale professional touring productions
• An extensive participatory arts programme including community workshops and residencies and both medium and large scale mixed media community productions
• A professional development programme to support the transition from community participation to professional training and from professional training to employment through a range of educational workshops, mentoring, apprenticeship, and trainee schemes

The quality of the company’s creative vision and practise is demonstrated by:

• The positive critical response to the company’s work
• The growing levels of attendance and participation and thus demonstrated demand for the work
• The extent to which other companies and artists wish to collaborate with Nofit State

Nofit State is a critically acclaimed company with a truly international reputation and is widely recognised as the UK’s leading contemporary circus company.

The growth and success has been made possible by substantial and regular grants from a wide range of funders including the Arts Council of Wales, Arts Council England, the Welsh Government, Cardiff City Council, the British Council, and a growing network of commissioning, producing and presenting partnerships with local authorities, venues and festivals throughout Britain and Europe.

Crucial to the company’s success has been a very strong entrepreneurial drive that uses public funding as investment rather than subsidy. As a result the company’s financial profile shows significant income diversification with funding as an unusually low proportion of turnover, and an unusually low level of funding per beneficiary. This is not only evidence of entrepreneurialism, nor is it simply the result of hard work; the company’s demonstrated return on public investment is the result of focussing on artistic quality and possessing the skills, structures, and practises to develop strong partnerships and combine critical success with strong public engagement.

Nofit State fosters a culture of innovation – the company is constantly challenging itself to stimulate ideas and creativity. For this company entrepreneurialism is far more than a business tool – it is an approach in which ideas and practise are constantly challenged and in which hard thinking is brought to what the company does and how it does it. As a result, Nofit State is leading the development of contemporary circus as an artform in Britain. Through international networks and participation in fora the company is able to learn from and be inspired by its peers and engage with the issues and challenges that face the sector.

Company turnover is approaching £2m per annum and each year the company engages with 90 – 95,000 beneficiaries.

Community, Education & Training Programmes

Nofit State’s Community & Education Programme engages with approximately 25,000 beneficiaries a year through the medium of both English and Welsh. From weekly classes, to workshops in schools and community centres, to community productions, to trainee programmes and international exchange programmes – the company creates a rich spectrum of opportunities for people of all ages and levels of ability to participate in circus

Professional Touring Productions

The company’s annual touring programme includes professional productions at all scales and for a range of performance contexts; from open air and site specific performances to an audience of 3 – 5,000 to Big Top touring in the company’s purpose built Spaceship tent to smaller productions designed for mid scale presenting theatres. Nofit State aspires to create world class productions in partnership with both British and international partners. Recent presenting and producing partners include:

Brighton Dome and Festival Cirque Jules Verne, Amiens Curve, Leicester Eden Project, Cornwall National Theatre, Southbank Centre National Theatre Wales Norfolk and Norwich Festival Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Tohu, Montreal Wales Millennium Centre ZEPA

amongst many others.

Corporate Clients

Nofit State is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee with a wholly owned trading subsidiary – Nofit State Trading. Nofit State Trading delivers a range of services to corporate clients, from team building workshops to product launches. Current and recent clients include:

Admiral Insurance BBC Football Association of Wales Hugh James Solicitors Legal & General ING Principality Building Society Shine TV S4C

The Chair’s Role

Context Nofit State is under going a significant period of growth. The company has recently secured revenue funding from the Arts Council of Wales, become an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, and been awarded Catalyst funding by ACE. In addition, the company is in the middle of refurbishing a Grade II listed building in Cardiff, 4 Elms, to become the company’s new permanent home and the first dedicated circus training space in Wales.

The company has an able and committed Board, an excellent and hard working Executive Team, and an exciting period of development ahead. As the company’s international profile is rising so is the profile of its partners both in the UK and internationally. Nofit State now wishes to strengthen the Board at this critical moment in the company’s development and is looking to recruit a Chair able to lead a company which aspires to be world class.

The Opportunity The Chair is required to provide leadership to Nofit State and to harness and direct the Trustees’ efforts in support of the company’s wide ranging charitable artistic and education activities. A key element of this involves the development of the company’s next strategic business plan and the completion of the capital project. He/she is the direct line manager for the Executive Director and leads the annual appraisals process.

With a number of Trustees retiring in 2012 Nofit State is actively engaged in determining the future needs of the company and seeking new Trustees willing to join the Board.

Governance Nofit State is a membership organisation and both a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee with a wholly owned trading subsidiary. The Members of the Company are entitled to attend and vote at the Annual General Meetings. The directors are expected to comply with their legal, financial and fiduciary duties under company law and as Trustees must also comply with charity law. Even though many of these duties are delegated to the Executive staff, the Board sets the context for delegation and for specific delegated powers, the ultimate joint responsibility for every aspect of the Company’s operation lies with the Board of Directors.

There are two sub-committees of the Board; Finance and Premises. The current Board has a broad range of professional, corporate, and arts experience and to support the development of Nofit State, though a number of recent and prospective retirements mean that the Chair on appointment will be actively involved in recruiting five or six new Trustees to the Board over the next 12 months.

Time Commitment The post of Chair is a part-time, unpaid, non-executive appointment. The Chair will be appointed for an initial two-year term with an option to renew for a second term. In addition to the six Board Meetings per year and annual away-day, the Chair will be expected to attend some performances, development and education events, as well as making himself/herself available for consultation with the Chief Executive and meeting with diverse stakeholders as required. Total commitment to be around two days per month although initially this may be more as the new Chair gets to know the organisation.

The Person Solid leadership experience as a board executive and non executive director, ideally with some prior experience in a chairing capacity, whether in the commercial, public or not-for-profit sectors

Strong understanding of the role of non-executive Chair, with a focus on leading and developing Board members and working closely with the Chief Executive to provide strong leadership to the wider organisation

Excellent communication and presentational skills, comfortable in an ambassadorial role and appearing in a wide range of public forums

Passion for the performing arts, ideally with a strong interest contemporary circus and mixed media performance

Empathy with the background, culture and social ethos of Nofit State as a significant production company with a strong and thriving participatory and training programme

Excellent interpersonal and team skills, used to working with a wide range of senior stakeholders from diverse backgrounds

A fluent and persuasive communicator, who can represent the organisation externally as well as internally

Well networked and willing to use contacts for the benefit of Nofit State

How to Apply Application is by CV and a supporting statement outlining the reasons for your interest in the post and why you believe yourself to be suitable. Please include your full contact details including daytime and evening telephone numbers on the application cover sheet.

Please apply by e-mail to alison@nofitstate.com

If you would like an informal, confidential conversation before submitting your application, please contact

Alison Woods, Executive Director, on +44 (0) 2920 221330 or by email alison@nofitstate.com

Jane Davidson, interim Chair, on 07875606145 janebryngwyn@btinternet.com

Application deadline – July 23rd 2012

There will be an opportunity to meet the current Board, attend a drinks reception and see a performance of our summer production, Bianco, at the Eden Project in Cornwall on August 4th 2012.

Interviews will be held in Cardiff on either September 1st or 8th 2012.

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Job: Chair of Trustees