Historic England Foundation Trustee

Summary

We are the public body that looks after England's historic environment. We champion historic places, helping people understand, value and care for them.

Historic England have a fantastic opportunity for you to join our Historic England Foundation as a Trustee. You will be alongside fellow trustees, to lead the charity and support fundraising efforts for Historic England's projects and programmes.

Location: Nationwide, with meetings held in London and online. Travel to events in London and across England

Term: An initial four-year term, with the opportunity to extend by a second four-year term.

What you will be doing

As one of our Historic England Foundation Trustees, you will be responsible for leading the Foundation, ensuring that it is run in compliance with relevant legislation and regulations, and in line with the highest standards of governance, decision making and risk management. You will assist in shaping and implementing the fundraising strategy of the Foundation, and in setting and monitoring performance against agreed fundraising targets.

You will coordinate with Historic England staff to support fundraising approaches to individuals and organisations within their networks. Act as ambassadors for the Foundation, representing the charity at key meetings and facilitating networking opportunities with potential donors, grant-makers and corporate partners. You will also advise on fundraising initiatives.

With support from Historic England staff, you will oversee the financial governance of the charity including approving financial accounts, grant-making and ensuring donations are accepted in line with relevant policies.

Time commitment and expectations

• Trustees meet quarterly in London with the option to join virtually.

• Papers are circulated for review with no less than 7 days before the meetings.

• Trustees use their networks to proactively make connections and fundraising opportunities.

• Fundraising events happen throughout the year, which trustees are asked to attend and occasionally host. These are an engaging way to learn more about our work and provide valuable opportunities to introduce your networks to outstanding experts and sector leaders.

• Additional ad-hoc meetings and email consultation may also take place from time to time.

Who we are looking for

• Interest in the historic environment: a genuine interest in heritage and the work of Historic England.

• Networking and philanthropy: engaging new and existing networks in building and sustaining relationships with high-value supporters. Campaign leadership experience and a track record of personally making or facilitating high-value donations would be desirable.

• Communication: ability to confidently articulate Historic England's mission, goals, and act as ambassadors to potential supporters.

• Strategic thinking: ability to advise on the development and implementation of fundraising strategies.

• Financial acumen: sound understanding of budgeting, financial planning, and reporting. Board members should be able to analyse financial data and make informed decisions about fundraising priorities.

• Cultural competence: Understanding and respecting diverse perspectives, cultures and values, especially when engaging with stakeholders from different backgrounds.

How to apply

For a confidential discussion, please contact Luminita Holban, Development Director at Historic England at

The application window closes at 11.59pm Sunday 25th May 2025.

To apply, upload an up-to-date CV and answer the accompany question on our applicant system, Applied.

Interviews for shortlisted candidates will be held on the following dates: W/C 9th June or 16th June.

Read more about the work of Historic England and the Foundation on our websites:

Please follow the link for a full copy of the Job Description -

Please follow the link for a full copy of the Historic England Foundation Trustee Recruitment Pack -

We are an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusion. If you have a disability or neurodiversity, we would be happy to discuss reasonable adjustments to the job with you. Having just won the Gold Award from MIND, we also recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance.

We are an inclusive employer and believe that flexible working options are for everyone. We want to make sure our working arrangements don't prevent anyone from joining us because of their personal circumstances. We also want to provide you with the best balance in your home and work life that we can.

Why work for Historic England

We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for everyone. Diversity helps us to perform better and attract more people to support our work. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds.

We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and candidates with disabilities as they are underrepresented within Historic England at this level.

Historic England want all of our candidates to shine in the recruitment process. Please tell us what we can do to make sure you can show us your very best self. You can contact us by email at if you have any recruitment queries.

At Historic England we use a hiring system called Applied. Applied is a behavioural science-backed recruitment platform that reduces bias, improves quality of hire and increases diversity.

To ensure a fair and inclusive recruitment process for everyone the use of AI or automated tools is not permitted.