LYCS Chairperson

LYCS is seeking to recruit a new Chairperson to support our community development objectives and the development and move to our newly refurbished facility later this year.

The Board is responsible for succession planning at Company Director level and we are now seeking expressions of interest from persons who wish to be considered for the role of Company Director and Chairperson of the Board.

In selecting a Chairperson the Board will be guided by our commitment to ensure that LYCS has a diverse Board membership that includes independently minded and committed people.

The role is an unpaid voluntary position.

LOURDES YOUTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES (LYCS) 

LYCS is an integrated community-based education, training and development project, based in Dublin's North City Centre. Our ‘cradle to grave’ provision endeavours to create an equality of opportunity for over 250 of our neighbours who participate in our programmes each week.  We provide a high quality, affordable early year’s service that supports educational programmes leading to positive futures characterised by choice. We provide the following services: Early Years Education; Community Training Centre (provision of full-time education for early school leavers); Adult Education; a unique Global Citizenship Education programme and Community Employment Scheme for long term unemployed people.  LYCS recently celebrated our 40th anniversary of delivering community based education services at the heart of the North Inner City.

As one of the foremost providers of community-based education and training services in our community, our programmes are needs- and evidence-based. They are continually reviewed and evaluated to ensure the best possible provision for local children, young people and adults living in Dublin’s north east inner city.

We envision a time where no person in our community is left behind, when aspirations are high and our community has excellent services and humanising employment. We work to ensure this future by providing opportunities for the oldest, the youngest, newest and most vulnerable people in our community.

Further details on LYCS can be found on www.lycs.ie 

THE ROLE OF CHAIRPERSON

In leading LYCS, the role of the Chairperson sets the culture and tone for the rest of the Board. They are a highly visible representative of the organisation within the community and they champion LYCS at events and on media platforms. The Chairperson provides the organisation with sound governance, strategic oversight and direction. They build and maintain relationships with LYCS’s key stakeholders and provide guidance and support to the CEO and the Senior Leadership Team in the absence of the CEO.

The Chairperson also ensures that LYCS establishes and maintains standards of compliance in keeping with our statutory requirements, the LYCS constitution, our vision, mission and values.

General Duties

• Leadership and guidance to the Board of Directors of LYCS ensuring its effectiveness in all aspects of its role.
• The Chairperson is accountable to the Board and acts as a direct liaison between the Board and the management of LYCS, through the CEO.
• The Chairperson acts as the communicator for Board decisions where appropriate.
• The Chairperson ensures that funding streams and associated budgets are adhered to.
• The Chairperson sets and maintains the highest standards of integrity and probity, sets clear expectations concerning the company’s culture, values and behaviours of the Board.
• It is the Chairperson’s responsibility to drive the development of corporate governance in the company in line with good practice and in line with current and emerging legislation.
• The Chairperson represents LYCS at external meetings with key stakeholders and other relevant events and is the spokesperson for LYCS where appropriate.

Responsibilities

• Act as a liaison between  senior management and the Board.
• Provide independent advice and counsel to the CEO and acts as a critical friend.
• Keep abreast generally of the activities of LYCS and its management.
• Ensure that the Directors are properly informed, and that sufficient information is provided to enable the Directors to form appropriate judgments and decisions.
• Work with the CEO to develop and set the agendas for meetings of the Board and Sub Committee meetings as appropriate.
• Review financial reports and other critical information regularly.
• Attend and chair Board meetings.
• Sit on Sub Committees of the Board where appropriate as determined by the Board.
• Call special meetings of the Board where appropriate.

• Review and sign minutes of Board meetings.
• Recommend an annual schedule of the date, time and location of Board and Committee meetings.

Other Duties

• Work in concert with the CEO and Company Secretary, to determine the date, time and location of the Annual General Meeting and Extraordinary Meetings as required, and to develop the agenda for relevant meetings.
• Perform annual performance reviews with the CEO.
• Work with the CEO and Company Secretary in commissioning and/or undertaking Board review processes to assess the effectiveness of the Board as a whole, the Sub Committees of the Board and individual Directors.
• Ensure that the Directors hold discussions without management present as and when required.
• Ensure the right complement of experience is on the Board.
• Foster a good relationship of mutual trust with the CEO and the rest of the management team.
• Recommend to the Board, after consultation with the Directors, the establishment of Board Committees with the appropriate terms of reference.
• Ensure that decisions are reached in the best interests of LYCS.

More information on the role of the Chairperson is contained in our Director’s handbook, which will be made available to applicants upon request.

THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS:

A confidential two-stage process will be followed:

1. Expressions of interests which are now being sought will be treated with the strictest confidence.  All of the information requested from you and collected by the Board of LYCS during this application process is necessary and relevant to the performance of the role applied for. The Board will treat all information you supply with the utmost confidentiality and in line with current data protection law.

2. The Board will review expressions of interest that are received and based on that review will invite a number of people to discuss their interest in becoming the Chairperson.

In recruiting for this position the Board will be guided by our policy on Board diversity and best practice in recruiting for leadership roles in community organisations. We particularly welcome applicants from traditionally underrepresented sections of society.

If you wish to express an interest in becoming a Board member or wish to discuss this position, please email Jackie Lawlor, Board Member at jackielawlor73@gmail.com