Chairperson

The Organisation

The Irish Refugee Council is an independent registered charity providing vital services and support to people seeking protection and those recognised as refugees in Ireland.

We advocate for humane, dignified protection procedures and work with individuals who have fled persecution – including torture, threats to life, or violence due to sexual identity, religious beliefs, political stance, gender, or ethnicity.

Our Vision

A world where refugees can access and exercise their rights, live with dignity and agency, and look forward to a future defined by their courage and potential and not their status.

Our Mission

We work with, support and represent refugees, delivering a broad range of services, sharing and learning from best practices, conducting research and undertaking advocacy that defends and strengthens rights, prevents regression and contributes to a stronger, more inclusive Ireland.

Our Strategic Priorities

• Driven by lived experience.
• Increased information reach, targeted casework and legal support.
• Improved and reflective service delivery.
• Strengthened advocacy for refugee rights.
• Empower our people, expand our resources and strengthen our governance.

Our Values

• People-centred
• Rights-based
• Excellence
• Partnership
• Misneach

Website:  Home - Irish Refugee Council

The Role:

The Irish Refugee Council is seeking a Chairperson to lead the Board of Trustees.

This crucial role encompasses guiding the Board in overseeing the organisation’s strategic direction, governance, and overall performance. The organisation launched its strategic plan for 2025-2028 last year. The Chairperson will be responsible for ensuring the Board operates effectively and supporting the CEO and leadership team to achieve the charity’s strategic objectives.

The ideal candidate will be a strong facilitator, decisive, empathetic, and committed to human rights, social justice and refugee protection. The Irish Refugee Council encourage applications from individuals with lived experience of the international protection process and extensive experience in leadership and governance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Facilitate effective Board meetings.
• Provide leadership to the Board.
• Promote exemplary governance among Trustees.
• Emphasise transparency and accountability.
• Provide continuous support to the CEO and the team of 31 staff.
• Collaborate to achieve organisational objectives.
• Uphold the organisation’s integrity.
• Advocate for and communicate the charity’s mission and values.
• Full responsibilities of a charity trustee and a company director

Skills and Experience Required:

• Ideally, previous Chair experience.
• Experience in an organisation combining service delivery and advocacy.
• Strong strategic thinking.
• Comfortable working with strong legal minds.
• Clear understanding of Board-Executive roles and boundaries.
• Strong communication skills.
• Conflict management and resolution capability.
• Low-ego, collaborative leadership style.
• Experience of developing high performance teams.
• Capacity to provide coaching and support to the CEO.
• Sufficient time availability.

Charities Regulator’s General Duties of a Charity Trustee:

• Comply with the Charity’s governing document.
• Ensuring charity is complying with its charitable purpose for the public benefit.
• Acting in the best interest of the charity
• Act with Reasonable Care and Skill
• Manage the assets of your charity.

Board Meetings

There are eight board meetings per year, in-person (Dublin 1) with a hybrid option, and an in-person AGM. Meetings take place on a Wednesday evening, lasting two hours, from 6.00pm.

There are three sub-committees: Finance, audit and risk, HR, Advocacy. Meetings are scheduled as required and the Chairperson will join the finance, audit and risk committee.

Time Commitment

It is anticipated that the role requires 12-16 hours per month.