(AS821) Continence Foundation of Australia – Board Chair

The Continence Foundation of Australia’s purpose is to promote continence health and to eliminate the stigma and restrictions of all aspects of incontinence through research, advocacy, solutions, consumer education and professional development.
  
As Chair, you will provide leadership to the board and to the organisation on behalf of its members, clients and all other stakeholders, in achieving the Foundation’s mission, strategic goals and objectives. You will be joining the Foundation at an exciting time in its development following the recent unification of state and national continence bodies. 
  
A seasoned governance professional and experienced chair of boards and/or committees, you combine extensive networks, strong influencing skills, sound commercial judgment, and a personal commitment to the values of the Foundation.

Position Description

The Chair

• Provides leadership to the Board and the organisation, ensuring that the Board fulfils its responsibilities for the governance of the organisation to achieve the mission of the organisation.
• Optimises the relationship between the Board and Management

Governance Philosophy
The Board’s role, on behalf of the community and the Foundation’s members, clients and other stakeholders, is to ensure that the Foundation achieves its mission, strategic goals and objectives. In doing so the Board is required to meet all the legal and moral responsibilities and requirements accompanying ‘best practice’ corporate governance.
  
The Board acts in trusteeship for the Foundation’s legal and moral owners, demonstrating this:

• By gathering information about their concerns, needs and aspirations;
• By remaining up-to-date in matters concerning their interests; and
• By reporting to them on a regular basis on the performance of the Foundation.

  
The Board will govern with an emphasis on:

• Strategic leadership rather than administrative detail;
• Encouragement of diversity of opinions and views;
• Collective rather than individual decisions;
• Future rather than present focus;
• A clear distinction between Board and CEO roles; and
• Pro-activity rather than reactivity. The Board will:
• Cultivate a sense of group responsibility with a close attention to achieving a high level of governance excellence; and

Accept a collective responsibility for all aspects of Board performance including the fulfilment
of official roles and the work of committees.

Key responsibilities
The Chair responsibilities in partnership with the Board, include:

• Ensuring that the organisation’s objectives, goals and mission are being followed;
• Setting and monitoring of policies, including delegations;
• Setting of strategic directions;
• Ensure, in partnership with the Board, that the organisation operates in an ethically, environmentally, and socially responsible fashion
• Chairing meetings of the Board. See that it functions effectively, interacts with management optimally and fulfils all of its duties;
• Approval of the Foundation’s annual budget, audit reports and business decisions;
• Being informed of and meeting all legal and fiduciary responsibilities;
• Chairing of the Annual General meeting and, if necessary, Extraordinary General Meetings;
• With the CEO, develop agendas and ensure the Board is effectively served with appropriate papers and contextual information;
• Ensuring all directors will be encouraged and enabled to contribute to the Board’s deliberations.
• The Chair will establish a regular communication arrangement with the CEO in which there is an exchange of information. This might also provide an opportunity for the CEO to use such sessions to “sound out” proposed actions or to check interpretations of Board policy.
• Annually undertake a review of each Board Director and help them to assess their performance;
• Representing the Foundation, acting as an ambassador for the organisation;
• Working with the board to recruit new board members;
• Periodically consulting with board members on their roles and helps them to assess their performance;
• Assisting the CEO in conducting new Board Director orientation;
• Recruitment, monitoring and support of the CEO; and 
• Coordinating the CEO’s annual performance evaluation.

Essential Chair Capabilities and Skills

• Demonstrated capacity to meet the roles and responsibilities (including legal responsibilities) of a Chair.
• Demonstrated ability to act in accordance with the Board Member Code of Ethics and able to act free of any conflict of interest.
• Demonstrated ability to abide by generally accepted principles of good governance, and to abide by the specific governance and other policies of the organisation;
• Demonstrated ability to provide leadership in community service delivery;
• Demonstrated ability to define current and future organisational culture and goals and contribute to strategy formulation.
• Demonstrated ability to utilise high level of interpersonal skills and sensitivity to individual issues within group decision making.
• Demonstrated specific capacity to use personal skills and experience to make a major contribution in one or more of the areas of:
• Finance, accounting, law, business or general management;
• Acquiring non-government income;
• Human resources;
• Advocacy, marketing, media or community development.

WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY
The Chair is responsible and accountable for:

• Familiarity and compliance with all organisational Policies.
• Active participation in activities associated with the management of workplace health and safety.
• Identification and reporting of health and safety risks, accidents, incidents, injuries and property damage at the workplace. Refer WHSP05 Incident and Accident Reporting Management.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT
The Chair is responsible and accountable for:

• Familiarity and compliance with all organisational Policies.
• Active participation in training activities associated with organisational Policies.
• Supporting the Continence Foundation’s commitment to quality improvement and contributing to the achievement of contractual deliverables.