Trust Director
3 days a week, self-employed, working from home with meetings in London and Surrey.
£20,000 (+ reasonable travel expenses to attend meetings)
The Lutyens Trust is an independent charitable trust founded in 1984 with a Board of Trustees and volunteers who work on some of our committees.
Mission
The Lutyens Trust has 4 principal aims:
- to promote the preservation for the benefit of the public, buildings, gardens and objects designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens by protecting the spirit and substance of his heritage;
- to inform and educate the public about Lutyens buildings, gardens and objects;
- to provide information and support to owners of Lutyens buildings;
- to undertake and promote any form of research into Lutyens’s work.
The activities of the Trust should be seen in the context of supporting these four aims, including running the membership and the events programme, the income from which help fund the Trust’s mission.
The Board and Sub Committees
The Board meets 3 times per year, twice in London, whilst the June meeting is held at Goddards in Surrey to coincide with Goddards Study Week.
There are currently six Sub Committees of the Board:
- Operations and Finance Committee (OFCo), which usually meets monthly and works closely with the Director. It consists of the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Treasurer and another Trustee
- Architectural Advisers’ Panel, which deals with notifications of threats or changes to Lutyens buildings
- The Events Committee (EC) which is responsible for planning the events programme
- The Gazetteer Committee, which oversees the Trusts’s Gazetteer of Lutyens projects
- The Goddards Liaison Committee
- The Liaison Committee with Lutyens Trust America, an online committee that takes place every few weeks
Several volunteers help with aspects of the Trust’s work, but as the Trust currently has insufficient financial capacity to pay more than the fee package offered, there will be a need to enrol more volunteers to help carry out the functions. We are committed to work with you to find solutions to the capacity shortage and to prioritize the work accordingly. Please bear this in mind when reviewing the scope of work.
Your Role Tasks consist of:
Strategy
To work with the board and its advisers, and in particular the Chairman and members of OFCo, Treasurer and Events Committee chair, on achieving the mission of the Trust and enabling the means to do so: to help increase membership, raise funds, reduce costs, increase efficiencies and secure the help, where possible, of volunteers.
Trust Secretary
Board Meetings – agree the agenda, organise date and venue, invite attendees, collate and send papers, take the minutes and follow up agreed actions. Monitor the email accounts, prepare reports, including the Trustees’ Annual Report, liaising with the Treasurer and provide financial administrative support. Liaise with our insurance brokers to ensure adequate and timely cover. Ensure compliance with charity / company legislation and the terms of governing documents.
Membership Secretary
Note: Membership subscriptions account for about half the Trust’s income. The membership is the Trust’s lifeblood, and it benefits the Trust if the Membership Secretary gets to know its members. A drive to attract more younger members would be desirable. The Membership Database (Excel via Google Sheets) is used to keep members contact details, track subscription payments, record Gift Aid elections etc. We are in the process of adopting a new website with a membership database to make much of this work more automated.
Draft and send Mailchimp mailings to Trust members and team members including general updates, events notifications and general interest.
Events Committee
The Events Committee (EC) has responsibility for planning, pricing, running and ensuring collection of income from events (including webinars and virtual events). You will be a member of the EC and work with the EC chairman if required.
Communications
The Trust’s key means of communication with the general public is the website. This is in the process of being rebuilt and the Trust Director will oversee its content. Its functions include enabling donations, new members to join, gift aid eligibility to be registered, members to sign up and pay for events, etc. The website also advertises events, posts the newsletter and provides information, news and messages the Trust wishes to convey.
As Website Co-ordinator, your responsibility is to keep the website regularly updated.
Social media: the Trust has X, Facebook and Instagram accounts. The previous manager updated Facebook and Instagram regularly. It would be good to continue this and perhaps bring the Trust’s activity on X up to the same level.
Newsletter
The Newsletter is published three times a year in Spring, Summer and Autumn. The Newsletter is currently edited by Dominic Lutyens, who discusses content with the Board. The Newsletter is mainly delivered digitally. However, some members without internet access still receive a printed version.
You will be expected to ensure the planning of Newsletters is in hand, and distribution is executed.
Goddards
Goddards is a significant asset of the Trust. Leased to the Landmark Trust, who are responsible for maintenance, upkeep and insurance of the house and gardens, the Trust has access to the Library under a sublease throughout the year, and to the whole house for one week per year (Goddards Study Week) usually in June. The Goddards Liaison Committee (GLC) has responsibility for all matters relating to Goddards. Periodic meetings are held with the Landmark Trust.
Casework
Casework is carried out by the Trust’s Architectural Advisers. This is a vital component of the Trust’s work being the principal means of preserving the heritage of Lutyens’s building and works. Your responsibilities include dealing with initial queries where possible, asking for further information before passing on. Submitting comments to planning authorities and providing advice.
Photo Archive Committee (PAC)
The PAC is currently in abeyance although the Photo Archive itself is an important resource of about 29,000 Lutyens-related images for both researchers and image users. Deal with image requests, issuing licences and upload new digital photographs. Manage the software subscriptions.
Gazetteer Project
The Gazetteer will be an important resource available to the public for Lutyens researchers, academics, enthusiasts etc. It is run in conjunction with Lutyens Trust America. The project is nearing completion, with images being loaded in the US and content coming from the UK.
Lutyens House Owners
The Trust works hard to maintain good working relations with Lutyens House owners, several of whom are members. This helps the Trust understand issues of ownership, ensure preservation and secure potential visits by members.
Fund Raising
The Trust’s principal sources of funding are (1) Membership Subscriptions (2) Donations (3) Income from Events. Of these, the Subscriptions and Events Income are the most reliable. Donations are unreliable, and many are restricted to specific projects and can’t be used to fund the Trust’s regular operating costs. Nevertheless, restricted donations are invaluable to enable the Trust to carry out projects. You will be expected to keep a look out for funding opportunities and investigate the potential of legacy giving.
Hanson Archive
The Hanson Archive comprises the contemporary architectural collection of the late property writer and author, Michael Hanson (1936-2015), now housed at the Goddards library, Surrey. The archive consists of an accumulation of Hanson’s research, both personal and collected, relating to the architecture and life of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Volunteers have catalogued the collection, the next step is to digitise the photographic slides and to promote the resource and make it available. It could link with the Gazetteer.
Education
The mission to educate the general public is one where the Trust could do more. New links to schools, university architectural departments etc could be forged to engage in lectures or talks and encourage understanding of Lutyens as well as new and younger memberships.
Outside Collaborations
For furthering the Trust’s mission, liaise with other bodies such as the SPAB, the Victorian Society, the Twentieth Century Society, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Georgian Group, the National Trust etc and our associate, Lutyens Trust America.
Person Specification
Essential
Good written and verbal communication
Proven administrative skills
Ability to prioritise and deliver high quality work with minimum supervision
Excellent Computer skills (google docs, Microsoft suite, website/Wordpress, zoom, social media)
Membership Management experience
Ability to work independently and, when necessary, as part of a small team
Attention to detail and well-organised
Interest in Sir Edwin Lutyens.
Desirable
Experience of supporting a Board of Trustees (Governors / Directors)
Background in Planning and / or Architecture and / or History of Architecture
Events Management experience
Fundraising experience
To apply:
Please send your CV (up to 3 pages) and a covering letter (up to 2 pages) explaining how you meet the person specification and why you are a suitable candidate for the role to general@lutyenstrust.co.uk.
Closing date: 21st April 2024.
Interviews will be held in early May in London.
