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Job description

Farm Carbon Toolkit Seeks New Company Directors

About the Farm Carbon Toolkit

Created by farmers for farmers, the Farm Carbon Toolkit (FCT) is a leading, independent farmer-led enterprise. We support farmers and growers to reduce their carbon emissions and increase their carbon sequestration. For over 10 years, we have furthered the understanding of greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture, providing tools for measurement and delivering projects that inspire real action on the ground. We are constituted as a Community Interest Company. 

Please refer to our 2023 Annual Review for an overview of our recent achievements and how our organisation is supporting the agri-food sector to play its best part in delivering a nature-friendly decarbonisation.

Overview of this role

The FCT’s Board of Directors provides oversight and guidance to the organisation, helping to make sure it is running well and achieving our mission. 

We are seeking two new Directors to support our organisation through its exciting next phase. This is a voluntary role which is highly rewarding and you will be joining a professional and friendly team of Directors.

We are specifically seeking  Farming Directors with experience and expertise in:

• Livestock farming
• An understanding of the challenges of decarbonising agriculture
• An interest in IT solutions
• An enthusiasm for setting the agenda around Carbon Calculators and advice for a fossil fuel-free agricultural future

Over the last 12 months, we have continued to grow our turnover. In 2019 we had a single part-time member of staff; we now employ 20, excluding subcontractors. All indications point to this growth increasing in the short to medium term. Further information on our activities and governance is provided in the Appendix. 

Board members are ambassadors of the organisation and agree to a shared set of values that we aspire to. This includes being professional, respectful and inclusive, positive and collaborative, innovative and pragmatic. 

We are an inclusive organisation committed to building a team of talented people from all walks of life. As such, we encourage applications from anyone who feels they have the relevant experience and skills.

Role Profile

Position: Non-Executive Director

Location: Home-based, with 3-4 face-to-face meetings per year, usually in the South.

Time commitment: As a minimum, Directors are currently expected to attend monthly meetings, however, this is likely to shift to every 2 months in the future. These take place on a weekday evening. We also aim to meet in-person twice per year, otherwise, all meetings are an online video conference call. 

Additional duties are required, depending on the outcomes of meetings and any Director Working Groups you are involved with. We expect this to be 2 - 10 hours per month. 

Length of term: Directors are expected to consider their role on a three-year term basis, after which, if they would like to propose continuing as a Director, they can stand again for re-appointment. Please refer to the Director Handbook for further details. 

Expenses policy: Costs incurred for travel and subsistence can be covered, in line with FCT’s expenses policy. 

Remuneration: This is currently a voluntary position although constantly under review as the organisation grows and becomes more complex. However, if you would like to apply for this role, but feel that there are financial circumstances that preclude you from doing so, please let us know. To support inclusion, the Board is open to considering financial remuneration for your participation in Board meetings and Director activities.

Start date: Spring 2025

Key Responsibilities

Directors act as ambassadors for the Farm Carbon Toolkit and are expected to help promote the organisation’s activities and values - for example, through networking and events.

The Board is also expected to help make sure the organisation is running well and doing what it was set up to do. Specifically, this covers these three main functions:

1. Strategic direction: Have we got the right strategic priorities? Are we following or achieving our mission?
2. High-level oversight: e.g. Are projects generally on track? Are we providing high-quality products and services? Are we spending money sensibly? Do we have quality policies and procedures in place? 
3. Compliance: Are we legally and financially compliant? Are we acting in accordance with our Articles of Association? Are laws such as GDPR and Health & Safety adequately implemented? 

Knowledge, experience and capabilities

(E = Essential, D = Desirable)

Capabilities and desirable experience:

• Demonstrate wisdom, fairness and support the organisation’s values and ethos (E);
• Be organised, pragmatic and sensible, with an aptitude for problem-solving and good analytical skills (E);
• A respectable understanding of the drivers of climate change and nature loss, systems change, food and agricultural systems and greenhouse gas emissions (D). 
• Be involved in day-to-day farming, currently or in the past (E);
• To contribute to the organisation their experience and determination to make a difference in this area.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

The Board of Directors aspires to have a clear, agreed and effective approach to supporting equality, diversity and inclusion throughout the organisation and in its own practice. We believe that board diversity, in its widest sense, is important because it creates more balanced and better decisions that reflect different perspectives, experiences and skills, including current and future beneficiaries. 

As such, we welcome and encourage applications from anyone interested in this role who feels they have the relevant experience and skills. We particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups, including those who identify as disabled, LGBTQ, ethnic minorities, and come from diverse social and educational backgrounds. 

More information about our aims and visions is available on our website: www.farmcarbontoolkit.org.uk.

 

Appendix: Further information about our activities and governance

FCT was established in 2009 to raise awareness of GHGs within the agricultural industry and also to provide practical responses that any farmer, whatever their farming system, could put into place on their farm. Our main activities are: 

• Provision of a free online Toolkit for farmers
• The Farm Carbon Calculator: we aspire for this to be the UK’s leading farm carbon calculator and as such, we have major plans underway for investment into our calculator software, to ensure it is cutting-edge and competitive in the marketplace. 
• Running two competitions-  the annual Soil Farmer of the Year and  Carbon Farmer of the Year
• Provision of training and learning on whole-farm and soil carbon footprinting;
• Farmer outreach and support projects: consultancy and grant-funded;
• Bespoke advice and action planning with farmers, landowners and companies, centred around measuring and improving soil health, greenhouse gas emissions and other ecosystem services;
• Partnerships with research institutions to further our understanding of soil carbon sequestration and best practice protocols for measurement, reporting and verification.

Over the last 18 months, we have undergone exciting growth as an organisation. We currently have 6 Directors on the board (listed here on our website) and following an audit of our skills and experience, we are seeking new Board members to fill the gaps. 

Structure

The Farm Carbon Toolkit is the trading name of the “Farm Carbon-Cutting Toolkit Community Interest Company”, a CIC Limited By Shares. This is the legal entity that Board members are associated with and our Articles of Association are viewable here. 

Application information

If you are interested in applying or have further questions, please write to Samuel Smith at sam@farmcarbontoolkit.org.uk. In your application, please include your CV and a cover letter that provides your: 

• Reasons for applying  
• Experience, particularly in relation to the areas of expertise we’re interested in
• What you hope to bring to the organisation 
• How you would like to see FCT develop?

Please do not include any photos.

We are hoping to fill new Director positions by January 2024. This is an open recruitment process and we will consider applications on a case-by-case basis.  

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs