The Racial Justice Network is at a crucial moment of deep inner transformation to realign with our founding values and principles, and bring coherence between our work in the world and how we look after ourselves in doing so.

We are looking for people to support and hold us through our growth, challenges and ambitions for the future. If our vision and mission resonate with you and you actively practise anti-racism, we want to hear from you. 

We are especially interested in hearing from those with skills and experience in charity law, radical leadership, human resources, finance management, fundraising, organisational management and development. 

Who are we?

Founded in 2014 by people with lived experience of racial injustice, the Racial Justice Network (RJN) brings together organisations, groups and individuals across West Yorkshire, nationally and internationally to proactively promote racial justice. 

Our vision is the end of racial injustice. Our mission is to address the legacies of colonialism through holistic, societal, environmental, spiritual and cultural repair and transformation.

Our values and positionality

Our work is rooted in transformative and reparative justice, abolition and anti-racism. We practise this through our values of learning, collaboration, centering those who are most marginalised and staying true to our vision and purpose. 

Trustees will play a vital role in creating  the conditions that allow RJN and its people to be well while ensuring that we stay true to and are driven by our vision and mission. 

What are our aims?

Our aims are to:

• Organise, mobilise and take positive and effective action with racially minoritised communities towards ending racial injustice
• Listen and work with disempowered communities to challenge and hold people and systems of power accountable
• Build solidarity by raising awareness of racial inequality and injustice in the mainstream

What do we do?

Our key areas of work include, but are not limited to:

1. Activism, organising and mobilising: We support individuals and groups to embolden confidence and skills to tackle challenges and to run effective campaigns. We also support and encourage people to build solidarity and mobilise large communities of resistance to affect change. Our current work includes #StopTheScandal, a campaign to resist the use of mobile fingerprint scanners with links to immigration databases.

• Research and reports: We research and produce reports on the issues affecting our communities to provide a knowledge base to influence change. 

• Informing and influencing: We use our platform to engage with institutions and decision-makers to influence public policies, bills and institutional practices. Our anchor is, and will always be, ‘speaking truth to power’ and standing with racialised and minoritised communities. 

• Training and workshops: We offer consultancy and deliver bespoke training for groups and institutions covering a wide range of topics related to migration, campaigning, and organising with a special focus on race, racism and radicalisation.

Key responsibilities

The board of trustees plays a critical role in ensuring that the overall strategic direction of the charity aligns with the vision and mission of the charity. This includes ensuring that the organisation:

• Complies with its governing document, charity law, employment law and other relevant legislation and regulations
• Is supported to be financially secure and stable
• Has clear strategic direction and the policies, resources and support to make the above possible
• Is safeguarded against financial, legal, operational, strategic and reputational risks
• Organising the annual general meeting, usually held in December

More information about the responsibilities of a trustee can be found here. 

Who are we looking for?

We would love to hear from people who have lived experience of racism and other intersecting structural harms such as ableism, sexism, homophobia and ways of being ‘othered’ by systems of oppression. It’s really important to us that you understand racial (in)justice, intersectionality and social justice, including issues of migration, internationalism and colonialism. 

Ideally, you would have some understanding and/or experience of being a trustee and understanding of the responsibilities that come with it, but a willingness to learn is essential.

Skills and experience in one or more of the following areas would be beneficial: charity law, radical leadership, human resources, finance management, fundraising, organisational management and development. However, we are most interested in people whose values and practices align with our vision and mission.

Training and commitments 

We do our best to make volunteering with us as enjoyable and rewarding as possible. You will receive a thorough introduction to the type of campaigning we do as well as training on how to fulfil the role of trustee. 

We anticipate a commitment of up to two days per month (including time involved in emails, reading papers ahead of meetings etc) and a term of three years. There might be a requirement for slightly more commitment initially for induction and training. 

Board meetings are currently held online every month but we hope to move to a hybrid format soon. Meetings in person are usually held in Bradford or Leeds. 

RJN will reimburse any reasonable expenses associated with the role, including travel, childcare and any other access needs. 

Application process

Stage One: Application

We are interested to get to know without the limitations of a CV. In your application, we will be looking for information about:

-Your lived experience and how it relates to your approach to work, volunteering and life

-Your specific skills, knowledge and experiences, specifically in the area(s) of charity law, radical leadership, human resources, finance management, fundraising, organisational management and development.

-Your understanding of grassroots movement-led change in relation to the role of trustee of RJN in achieving its vision of ending racial injustice.

If your application is in writing, please ensure that it is no more than 2 pages of A4. For audio and video submissions, we ask that this is no more than 5 minutes in total.

*Please email your applications to info@racialjusticenetwork.co.uk with the subject line ‘RJN Trustee Recruitment’. We will be reviewing applications on an ongoing basis with some set deadlines. The first of these deadlines is 12:00 on Thursday, 12 January 2023.*

Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Stage Two: Interview

We only expect you to share a CV with relevant experience if you are shortlisted for an interview.

The interview process will be more conversational than a traditional interview. It is your opportunity to learn about us, just as much as it is for us to get to know you.

Information on the makeup of the panel and any interview questions will be sent at least a week in advance of the interview date. 

Timeline