Trustee

Role Title: Trustee – Retail Expertise Focus

Reports to: Chair of the Board

Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire

Time Commitment: Approximately 4–5 Board meetings per year, plus occasional strategy days, sub-committees and events.

Remuneration: Voluntary

Purpose of the Role

Trustees provide governance, oversight, and strategic leadership to Happy Days UK, ensuring the charity is well-run, financially sustainable, and able to deliver meaningful, trauma-informed support to individuals experiencing homelessness, poverty, crisis, and health inequalities.

Trustees ensure the charity operates in accordance with the Charity Commission’s CC3 guidance, the governing document, and all legal and regulatory requirements.

As Happy Days UK now includes a retail enterprise (our bike shop), the board will particularly benefit from trustees with retail experience, to advise on commercial operations, revenue generation, and community engagement while maintaining alignment with the charity’s mission and values.

Key Responsibilities

1. Uphold the charitable purposes and ensure public benefit

• Understand Happy Days’ mission to reduce homelessness, improve wellbeing, and support people experiencing crisis.
• Ensure all activities, including retail operations, support these aims and deliver demonstrable public benefit.

2. Provide strategic direction and oversight

• Contribute to the setting and monitoring of organisational strategy, priorities, and impact frameworks.
• Advise on the development and oversight of retail operations, social enterprise initiatives, and income-generating activities.
• Ensure plans align with the charity’s values, trauma-informed approach, and person-centred support model.

3. Ensure good governance and legal compliance

• Comply with the governing document, charity law, and all relevant regulations (including safeguarding, housing, health & safety, and data protection).
• Ensure accurate, timely reporting to the Charity Commission and relevant stakeholders.

4. Protect and responsibly manage resources

• Monitor financial performance, approve budgets, and ensure long-term sustainability across all charitable and retail operations.
• Advise on retail performance, risk management, and commercial opportunities to enhance charitable income.
• Ensure assets including housing units, support services, community facilities, and retail stock are protected and used effectively.

5. Support and challenge the leadership team

• Provide constructive scrutiny, guidance, and accountability to the Chief Executive and leadership team.

• Advise on commercial decision-making while maintaining clear boundaries between strategic oversight and operational management.
• Encourage a culture of learning, transparency, safeguarding, and continuous improvement across both charitable and retail activities.

6. Promote safeguarding and trauma-informed practice

• Ensure governance structures support a safe environment for clients, staff, and volunteers.
• Champion safeguarding responsibilities and risk-aware practices across the organisation.

7. Represent Happy Days externally

• Act as an ambassador for the charity, supporting relationship-building with partners, commissioners, volunteers, and the local community.
• Uphold the charity’s reputation and values in all external interactions.

8. Ensure accountability and effective performance

• Monitor service impact, retail performance, client/customer feedback, and organisational outcomes.
• Support development of quality assurance, data reporting, and evaluation processes.
• Ensure transparency and accountability to beneficiaries, funders, donors, and stakeholders.

Person Specification

Essential

• Commitment to Happy Days’ mission, values, and trauma-informed approach.
• Ability to think strategically and contribute to long-term planning.
• Independent judgement, integrity, and willingness to speak up constructively.
• Ability to analyse complex information and ask thoughtful questions.
• Willingness to devote the necessary time and effort, including preparation for meetings.
• Understanding of collective board responsibility and governance principles.
• Retail, Commercial or business management experience

Send a copy of you CV and a short expression of interest outlining your experience and motivation to Tanya, Chief Operating Officer at tanya@happydaysuk.org.