Join our team

About the Chairperson

The principal role of the Chairperson is to provide leadership for the BE-ST board and to enable the board to fulfil its obligations and responsibilities in relation to the strategic direction and governance of the innovation centre.

The Chairperson will also have responsibility for ensuring that BE-ST fulfils its legal obligations as required within its host institution, Edinburgh Napier University, the objectives of its Infrastructure Investment Plan and conditions attached to public and private funding in its work.

The Chairperson will be a non-executive member of the board. They will establish a professional working relationship with the CEO who has day-to-day responsibility for the efficient and effective running of BE-ST and its activities,  and wider leadership team tasked with the delivery of BE-ST's objectives.

 

Responsibilities of the Board Chairperson

• Leading, managing, and developing the Board
• Chairing board meetings, encouraging collaboration while challenging the Board in a constructive and supportive way
• Anticipating individual and group needs and supporting board members to maximise their contributions and reach timely, consensual decisions
• Setting an agenda which is primarily focused on strategy, performance and value creation for the built environment and ensuring that issues relevant to those areas are considered important by the board
• Monitoring progress on the implementation of board decisions
• Representing BE-ST in the public arena and where appropriate, acting as a spokesperson for the organisation
• Ensuring appropriate delegation of authority from the board to executive management
• Knowing and reinforcing the roles and responsibilities of each board member, coaching where necessary
• Ensuring effective governance at all times, including the Remuneration, Audit and Risk, and Finance and Performance Committees, and leading the board in monitoring BE-ST's financial performance in the context of its budget, business, and operational plans
• Managing the performance of, and conducting regular performance management reviews with the BE-ST CEO

 

Relevant experience

• Experienced member of a public sector and/or private sector board
• Ideally, experienced as a chair or vice chair of a body with financial responsibility
• Experience of liaising with university or research organisations at national and international level
• Experience of engaging in policy development and/or debate, as well as building relationships with senior civil servants and/or politicians
• Understanding of structures and mechanisms for funding of joint public/private initiatives
• Familiarity with the principles and objectives of the Innovation Centre
• Practical knowledge and understanding of business, and the Scottish construction, built environment, innovation and/or research sectors
• Experience and skills to facilitate effective decision-making

 

Expected commitment

• Around 24 days per year
• Chairing quarterly board meetings held in February, May, August, and November each year (at BE-ST's Innovation Campus in Blantyre) and other meetings of the board as is deemed necessary
• Representing and supporting BE-ST at public and private events and attending meetings with key industry stakeholders, academic partners, funders and Scottish and UK Ministers
• Holding periodic meetings with key stakeholders such as the Scottish Government, Scottish Funding Council & Scotland’s Enterprise Agencies
• Providing strategic advice to the CEO

How to apply

Please send your CV and covering letter detailing why you have applied for the role and what your experience, knowledge and networks would bring to BE-ST, to hello@be-st.build

The closing date is 5.00pm on 13^th October 2023.

At our BE-ST Innovation Campus in Hamilton where we call home, we have an opportunity for an Events Assistant with an enthusiasm and passion for all things events looking to kickstart and develop their career. You will also be part of our mission to accelerate the built environment’s transition to zero carbon emissions.

And we’re not a typical organisation, we’re a highly creative team in the innovation space so we fully expect that you’ll like to challenge the norm and bring something special to our events that makes us stand out from the crowd.

We trust that you aren’t afraid to get stuck right in either, as the person behind the magic of our events, you will love connecting with people to help us transform our creative ideas into reality as well as creating experiences that people will remember and talk about.

This includes supporting  with the organisation and setting up of the UK’s biggest festival for a zero-carbon built environment ‘BE-ST Fest’. The BE-ST Fest 2023 is a three-month festival showcasing best practice, new solutions, hands-on training, and emerging opportunities for a zero-carbon built environment.

You’ll also get to bring people and organisations together, not only at your business-leading events, but through liaising with a huge variety of people from our suppliers, our inspiring speakers, and our event delegates. 

You can expect no day to be the same. You’ll be present at all our events ensuring our events space is set up perfectly, letting your personality shine welcoming our event delegates and coordinating with our outstanding speakers and suppliers. You’ll also provide the crucial background administration support to ensure our events run smoothly.

What are you waiting for? Come join the BE-ST family where we are passionate about seeing you grow and unlock your potential, so we provide you access to knowledge, resources, and inspiration to do so as well as working in an inclusive environment created by our lovely team.  Our values are important to us and help us all to thrive and grow (see them here).

For more detailed information about the role and responsibilities, please click here.

What’s in it for you?

Salary: £24,533 - £29,605 per annum (Grade 3)

We’re here to make a difference. This is only possible because of the people that work here – it’s our people that make us great. And with our people at the heart of what we do, it’s important that you are supported and rewarded.

We are committed to providing a wide range of benefits including:

• minimum of 41 days annual leave (including 10 fixed holidays at Easter and Christmas) and the option to purchase additional annual leave
• employer pension contributions of 20.8%
• a wide range of learning and development opportunities
• opportunity to join our staff inclusion and support networks
• access to our benefits platform Vivup which includes huge range of discounts across the UK’s major retailers, health care discounts and Cycle to Work (click here for more info)
• access to our Employee Assistance Programme

What do we need from you?

We’re looking for someone who is passionate about creating memorable and inspiring moments, as well as:

• Experience in organising events including setting up, organising equipment and suppliers, and booking and coordinating speakers
• Experience in general events administration
• Excellent communication skills, including experience engaging and coordinating with a variety of different stakeholders
• Excellent organisation, planning and time management skills
• Ability to use own initiative

Please note, we’re based at BE-ST Innovation Campus, Hamilton International Technology Park, Glasgow (find us here). As you’ll be on campus to help support our events, regular travel to work is required.

Additional Information

Application closing date: Sunday 8 October

Interview date: w/c 16 October

We’re currently operating a hybrid working model however, due to the nature of the role you will primarily be based at our BE-ST Innovation campus in Hamilton (find us here) with some external travel may be required.

Please note, interviews will take place at our site in Hamilton where possible.

BE-ST and Edinburgh Napier are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels proud, confident, challenged and supported and are holders of Disability Confident, Carer Positive and Stonewall Diversity Champion status. More details can be found here.