Treasurer for research institution

What will you be doing?

The British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) is one of the British-Academy supported British International Research institutes. It is a UK registered charity with its own board of trustees, and supports research in the humanities and social sciences in and on Africa.

Our honorary treasurer is stepping down for health reasons, and we are looking for someone to take on this role. The honorary treasurer is a voluntary role and is a key member of BIEA's governing council of trustees. The role will take around 15 hours per month, sometimes with additional meeting time on top. The honorary treasurer is a key member of the governing council of trustees and oversees BIEA's paid staff in the UK and Kenya in

• preparing budgets
• managing spending against budgets
• preparing applications and reports for the British Academy and statutory submissions for the Charity Commission and for Companies House.

BIEA maintains a research base in Nairobi, Kenya, and is active in a number of countries in Africa as well as in the UK. It currently spends around £700,000 in each year on a range of activities.

As well as conducting their own research, BIEA's staff are involved in producing research publications, holding workshops and conferences, and supporting the research of a wider community of scholars. The honorary treasurer role may also involve occasional short trips to the research base in Nairobi.

What are we looking for?

The honorary treasurer will oversee BIEA's paid staff and service providers in preparing budgets, managing spending against budgets, and preparing regular management reports in finance for the other trustees and for the British Academy. Formal qualifications in book-keeping and accounting are not essential, but some experience in project management and/or overseeing book-keeping and accounting staff will be necessary.

The honorary treasurer also liaises with BIEA's independent examiners in the UK to produce the annual financial statements for presentation to the charity's members and for submission to regulators.

The honorary treasurer is responsible for the submission of returns to the charity commission and to Companies House (like many charities, BIEA is an also a limited liability company). Previous experience in preparing such submissions will be an advantage.

While BIEA is an academic research body there are no formal academic requirements for the role. However, some experience of academic institutions will be an advantage.

BIEA's work is focussed in eastern Africa. An interest in the past and present of societies in the region and some personal knowledge of the region will be an advantage for the role.

What difference will you make?

The honorary treasurer's role is vital to our work. By ensuring that our funds are spent effectively and properly they make possible the wide range of research that we are involved in - in archaeology, history, geography, development studies and other fields. They also help us make sure that the results of this research reach audiences, and provide financial oversight for our work developing the skills and experience of researchers in the UK and Eastern Africa.

Before you apply

If you are interested in the role, please get in touch with a CV and a brief statement explaining why you would be interested in the role.

We will be happy to discuss the role further informally in the first instance, followed by a formal interview with a group of trustees in early March. We hope to identify a suitable candidate by mid-March, so that they can be presented for approval at our next scheduled full trustees' meeting in late March.