Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

We are looking for a Treasurer and co-Director at Very Local Food Hubs CIC (VLFH). As well as fulfilling the duties of a Director, the Treasurer maintains an overview of VLFH’s financial affairs. The Treasurer ensures that effective and appropriate financial measures, controls and procedures are put in place and reports to the Directors at regular intervals about the financial health of the organisation.

The directors are the ultimate governance body for the organisation, responsible for management of VLFH’s resources, operations, strategy, governance, and adherence to law and regulations. The directors serve on a voluntary basis. 

We are committed to leading our organisation desirably with people living in or near our members in Bevendean, Moulsecoomb, Bates Estate, and Coldean. We are open to applicants across East Sussex. We understand that people bring different expertise to our team and aim to directors with balanced skills and capacity to create a strong organisation. 

As a small charity, directors need to dedicate time outside of committee meetings. Main responsibilities of the Treasurer can be reviewed below. 

About the Very Local Food Hubs CIC (VLFH)

Very Local Food Hubs CIC was set up by a small team of local coordinators and volunteers in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2020. Our goal is that people in Bevendean, Moulsecoomb, and Bates Estate are healthier, better equipped, supporting one another, and feel empowered because they are connect to a resilient, local food system. To achieve this, VLFH grows connections between individuals, communities, and projects. Key activities include: delivering bi-weekly veg boxes to 60 families & homes with a mix of locally produced and locally distributed produce, growing partnerships across local producers, green spaces, and communities, and offering opportunities to grow skills related to food through employment and volunteering.

We are supported by The Brighton & Hove Food Partnership and are also linking with other food projects including Moulsecoomb CHOMP, the Real Junk Food Project and the Sussex Gleaning Network. 

After becoming a CIC in Spring 2024, our funding and operations are growing and our directors would like to establish a Treasurer to ensure the clear financial management. We are no longer in the ‘start-up’ phase, but would like to grow sustainably.

Role Responsibilities 

• Act as a representative of the Very Local Food Hubs CIC’s best interests, ensuring the organisation complies with its responsibilities to government and its members, and ensuring the effective management of resources and risk
• Attend committee meetings on a monthly basis in Mouslecoomb/ Bevendean/ Brighton 
• Overseeing the presentation of budgets, internal management accounts and annual financial statements to the Board of Trustees. 
• Ensuring that proper accounting records are kept, and that appropriate accounting procedures and controls are in place. 
• Ensuring that robust and comprehensive financial policies are in place and being implemented, and supporting the development of policies covering financial reserves, and cost management. 
• Advising on the financial implications of the charity’s strategic plan, including overseeing the charity’s financial risk-management process 
• Lead on the appointment of and liaison with external auditors. 
• Ensuring that the accounts are prepared and disclosed in the form required by relevant statutory bodies, for example, the Charity Commission and/or the Registrar of Companies.
• Keeping the board informed about its financial duties and responsibilities and develop the financial understanding of the Board of Trustees.

Person Profile:

• Experience with financial management and overseeing organisational resources
• Experience and confidence in use of Gmail, Sheets, Word and Excel.
• High level of attention to detail 
• Capacity to volunteer time related to responsibilities of role
• Sensitivity and discretion regarding sensitive data
• Ability to manage different information and prioritise
• Flexibility and can do approach! Willingness to adapt to demands of role/project
• Personable and approachable, ability to positively represent the project 
• Teamworking skills; be able to balance different needs of team, especially at pressure points such as packing/ delivery. Willingness to ask for help if you need it!
• Enthusiasm for community organising and working as part of a small, friendly team
• Interest in sustainable food solutions

It is not necessary to have previous board experience.

Get in Touch

We welcome you to get in touch with us or if you need any support making an application to us, we would be happy to help.

We take equal opportunities seriously so please let us know if there are ways we can make this role more accessible to you.

If you would like an informal chat with a director or the project manager do email us and that can be arranged.

Email verylocalfoodhubs@gmail.com 

Thank you for your interest!

Application information

Please share your CV (or equivalent) and covering email to Verylocalfoodhubs@gmail.com.

Please make the subject line of your email '[Your surname] Treasurer'. In your cover email, please explain how you are suitable for the role and why you’re interested in our project. No more than 500 words please.

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs