Trustee Roles & Trustee Vacancies

Trustee Roles

NED Capital works with experienced professionals seeking trustee roles, charity board appointments and housing association board positions across the UK. We are a search firm rather than a jobs board — our trustee mandates are conducted on a retained, confidential basis and candidates are identified through direct professional approach within our network rather than through public listings. If you are an experienced professional who would like to be considered for trustee opportunities we are working on, the right approach is a direct conversation with Adrian Lawrence FCA.

Call 0203 137 2496 or email recruitment@nedcapital.co.uk to register your interest in trustee roles.

What Is a Trustee Role?

A trustee is a member of a charity’s governing board — also called the board of trustees, board of directors (in charitable companies) or the council of governors (in some charitable structures). Trustees are responsible for the strategic leadership, governance and financial oversight of the charity. They hold ultimate legal responsibility for the organisation under charity law and owe duties both to the charity’s beneficiaries and, where the charity is also a company, under the Companies Act 2006.

Trustee roles are distinct from non-executive director roles in the commercial sense in two important ways. First, most trustee roles in the pure charity sector are unremunerated — trustees serve voluntarily, motivated by commitment to the charity’s mission rather than financial return. Second, trustees owe their primary duty to the charity’s beneficiaries under charity law, not to shareholders or investors, creating a different governance accountability framework from commercial NED roles.

Despite these differences, the governance skills required for effective trusteeship — strategic thinking, financial oversight, independent challenge, stakeholder engagement — are closely aligned with those of a commercial NED. Many experienced executives and NEDs serve as charity trustees alongside their commercial board appointments, bringing governance rigour and professional expertise to organisations that benefit significantly from it.

Types of Trustee Role

General trustee. The most common trustee appointment — a board member who contributes strategic guidance, governance oversight and professional skills to the charity’s governing board. General trustee roles typically require attendance at three to six board meetings per year, plus committee participation and ad hoc availability.

Finance trustee and treasurer. The most consistently sought-after trustee profile across the sector. A finance-qualified trustee — typically a qualified accountant or experienced finance director — who takes primary responsibility for the board’s financial oversight, reviews management accounts, engages with the external auditors and chairs or participates in the finance or audit committee. Finance trustee roles are sought by virtually every charity seeking a new trustee appointment.

Chair of the trustee board. The most senior and most demanding trustee appointment — responsible for leading the board, managing the relationship between the board and the chief executive and representing the charity to its major funders, regulators and stakeholders. Charity chair appointments require prior trustee experience and significant interpersonal leadership capability. See our Chair of the Finance Committee Recruitment page for related information.

Sector specialist trustees. Many trustee briefs specify particular sector expertise — clinical governance experience for health charities, housing development knowledge for housing associations, legal expertise for organisations with significant legal risk exposure, or technology governance experience for digital-first charities. Sector specialist trustee appointments draw from a narrower candidate pool than general trustee roles.

Housing association board members. Regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing rather than the Charity Commission, housing associations require board members with expertise in finance, housing development, asset management, resident engagement or governance. Housing association board roles are often remunerated — see the paid trustee roles section below.

Paid Trustee Roles

Most trustee roles in the UK charity sector are unremunerated. Under Charity Commission guidance, charity trustees cannot receive payment for their trustee services without specific authorisation from the Commission or explicit power in the governing document. The majority of charities do not have this authorisation and their trustee roles are voluntary.

However, a meaningful proportion of trustee and board member roles across the broader not-for-profit sector are remunerated:

Housing associations and registered social landlords pay their board members in many cases — the Regulator of Social Housing permits this and most larger housing associations remunerate board members at £5,000–£18,000 per annum. Chair roles at larger housing associations can reach £20,000–£40,000 per annum. Finance committee chairs and audit committee chairs typically receive a modest premium on the standard board member fee.

NHS foundation trust governors and some NHS trust board non-executive director roles carry remuneration — NHS trust NEDs are paid public appointments, typically £6,000–£15,000 per annum depending on trust size and governance complexity.

Further education college corporation members — most FE corporation board roles are unremunerated but some larger colleges with significant commercial activities have moved to remunerated board structures.

Larger charities with Charity Commission authorisation — a small number of larger charities have specific Charity Commission authorisation to pay trustees where the complexity of the organisation justifies it. These paid charity trustee roles are uncommon but do exist and are sought-after by experienced professionals who want to contribute to the sector while receiving appropriate recognition for the governance commitment involved.

NED Capital has active trustee candidate relationships across all of these remunerated role types. If you are specifically interested in paid trustee roles, please mention this when you make contact and we will focus our conversation on the opportunities most relevant to your interest.

Trustee Salary and Remuneration

For voluntary trustee roles — the majority of charity trustee appointments — there is no salary. Expenses incurred in connection with trustee duties (travel, accommodation, subsistence) may be reimbursed by any charity without specific Charity Commission authorisation, and most charities do reimburse reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. The motivation for voluntary trustee service is cause-related commitment and professional contribution rather than financial return.

For remunerated trustee and board member roles, current UK market rates by organisation type: housing association standard board members £5,000–£18,000 per annum; housing association chairs £20,000–£40,000; NHS trust non-executive directors £6,000–£15,000; further education corporation chairs (remunerated) £10,000–£25,000. These figures reflect the additional accountability and time commitment of remunerated roles, which typically have more formal governance obligations than voluntary trustee positions.

What Organisations Look for in Trustee Candidates

Commitment to the mission. Unlike commercial NED appointments, trustee selection places significant weight on the candidate’s personal connection to or interest in the charity’s cause and beneficiary group. A trustee who is engaged with the mission brings energy and advocacy that pure professional expertise cannot provide. Charities actively assess mission alignment in trustee selection — and candidates who cannot demonstrate genuine interest in what the organisation does are unlikely to be appointed regardless of their professional credentials.

Relevant professional expertise. The specific skills gap the trustee appointment is intended to fill — financial governance, legal expertise, technology, sector knowledge, fundraising experience — is typically the primary search criterion after mission alignment. Candidates whose professional background directly addresses the board’s current gap are significantly more likely to be considered than generalist candidates.

Time availability and commitment. Trustee roles require genuine time commitment — board meetings, committee work, reading board papers, potentially attending charity events. Many well-qualified trustee candidates are declined because their availability is insufficient for the commitment the role requires. Being realistic about time availability at the outset avoids the common outcome of a trustee who resigns within twelve months due to underestimating the commitment.

Prior governance experience. Prior trustee or NED experience is valued but not always required — particularly for first appointments. Charities vary significantly in the governance experience they expect of incoming trustees: a well-governed major charity may expect candidates to have prior board experience; a smaller organisation making its first structured board appointment may actively welcome trustees who bring professional expertise without prior board governance experience.

How NED Capital Works with Trustee Candidates

NED Capital approaches trustee candidates directly when a specific mandate matches their background and interests. We do not maintain a public job listing for trustee roles. When you contact us, Adrian Lawrence will take the time to understand your professional background, your sector interests and the type of trustee commitment you are able to make — and will approach you when a relevant opportunity arises that we believe is a strong match.

We work with trustee candidates at different stages: professionals considering their first trustee appointment who want to understand what the commitment involves; experienced trustees who are selectively available for an additional mandate that matches their expertise; and professionals transitioning toward a portfolio of board and governance roles who want to include voluntary trustee service alongside commercial NED appointments.