Drake Music Scotland is seeking up to four individuals to take on the role of Trustee with the organisation, including Chair of the Board of Trustees. Drake Music Scotland is fully committed to diversifying the Board and aims to have a wide range of people including disabled people, those with chronic illness, from other Protected Characteristics groups and/or social backgrounds who might not consider themselves experienced enough for the role. We are open to conversations with anyone with a passion for equality and a belief in the importance of our work.

Trustees ensure the good governance and smooth running of the charity, supporting the CEO and wider staff team. With the senior team they oversee policy, budget-setting and strategic planning and represent fields including arts and culture, disability and social inclusion, music education, legal and charitable affairs, funding and finance, the public sector, HR, and IT and technology. Having a diverse range of people with different life experience ensures we extend our knowledge of the issues and challenges we face and meet the needs of the communities we support.

The Chair has additional responsibilities including working with the CEO to develop the direction and strategy of the charity, ensuring trustees have the information available to carry out this task and monitor progress;

• support of the CEO in their role, including developing external relations with key agencies, line management, professional development & annual appraisal;

• working with other members of the Board to organise and populate sub-committees and short-term working groups, and attend external meetings as appropriate, reporting back to the wider Board;

• planning the cycle of Board Meetings and working with the CEO to set agendas and plan meetings;

• acting as a principal ambassador for the organisation at Board level and developing external relationships for the benefit of DMS, drawing on their knowledge of other organisations and networks to support management and fundraising activities.

Board Meetings take place quarterly and a Finance and General Purposes Group meets quarterly prior to these and advises the larger group on finance and other matters such as HR and risk. Trustees are encouraged to attend events and projects and be involved in other ways. We will provide expenses and cover the cost of training and CPD to remove barriers to taking part for who may have difficulties such as financial barriers or caring commitments. Board members can attend meetings online if they wish and meetings are a mix of in-person, hybrid and online only.

We welcome applications from those with lived experience of disability, including physical disabilities, sensory impairments, long term health conditions, mental ill health and autistic and neurodivergent people. We also welcome applications from those protected under the 2010 Equalities Act due to age, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

We are interested to hear from those who may normally not consider Board positions due to social or financial disadvantage. Those with caring responsibilities and on low incomes are encouraged to apply, and we will work to make provision where possible. We will accept applications in any preferred format (including audio or video), and meet any interview expenses.

If you are interested and have any questions, please contact DMS CEO Thursa Sanderson at thursasanderson@drakemusicscotland.org or 0131 659 4766 who can also put you in touch with a current Trustee.

To apply, please send a current CV and a covering letter detailing your interest in the role (no more than two sides of A4) to thursasanderson@drakemusicscotland.org

We will offer a guaranteed interview to disabled applicants who meet the requirements of the role. We are happy to provide information in alternative formats. If you are unable to submit an application by email, please give us a call on 0131 659 4766 to discuss other options.
Interviews will be held in-person in central Edinburgh, or online over Zoom from the week beginning Monday 15 January 2024. Any access requirements for both in- person and online interviews will be met.

Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion
Our work is informed by the social model of disability which is based on the understanding that people face disabling barriers to full participation in society, asserting that the physical, attitudinal, communication and social environment must change, and these barriers be removed to enable people to participate in society on an equal basis with others.

We are continuing to develop EDI in every area of our work to improve access to music at all levels, provide appropriate support to artists, musicians and learners and diversify our workforce and Board.