People and Culture Committee Member

Samaritans is looking for new Committee members to contribute to the success of the Committee, championing and driving a culture of 'One Samaritans' in which people work alongside one another in both paid and unpaid roles, in a culture of trust, care and high performance.

We are looking for up to three People & Culture Committee members with a strategic mindset and commitment to delivering our vision. The committee members will have an independent eye and the ability to challenge and bring fresh ideas to our organisation.

People and Culture at Samaritans

In recent times we have seen a number of significant challenges and changes impact the worlds of work and volunteering. We are looking for candidates who can help Samaritans consider these challenges and also seize opportunities in ways of working, flexible volunteering, use of AI and deployment of new systems and working practices.

The committee also considers our approach to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and this is a fantastic opportunity to influence the development of Samaritans to be truly inclusive place to work and volunteer.

Samaritans is looking to be a progressive employer and is currently working on a People & Culture plan to support the delivery of our strategic ambition. People Value Propositions are in the pipeline to present a clear expectation to staff and volunteers and the organisation is responding to the development areas within an impressive set of staff and volunteer engagement survey results.

The successful delivery of our plan must be supported by an effective board and committee structure, showing leadership, informed decision making, and a firm grasp of the opportunities and challenges facing charities.

We are seeking applicants who will help the committee fulfil its responsibilities in:

• providing scrutiny and constructive challenge to our staff and volunteer initiatives


• interrogating and review progress against the organisation's people and culture plan


• providing constructively challenge and review both the organisation culture and application of the principles of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in decision making


Applicants for these roles will have the ability to influence senior executive or governance roles and have relevant experience in governance development and best practice.

About the role:

• Term: Committee members are usually appointed for a period of three years, with the possibility of a second three-year term.


• Location: In order to balance commitments of committee members, meetings are split between weekends and weekdays. Primarily meetings are by videoconference, with the possibility of one in-person meeting a year.


• Remuneration: The role is voluntary.


Being Inclusive: We recognise the enormous benefits and the social justice imperatives of ensuring diversity at every level of our organisation. Samaritans is wholly committed to inclusion and diversity and to building a culture and environment where everyone is appreciated for the unique person they are. To ensure Samaritans is representative of those we support and who support us, we particularly welcome applications from disabled candidates, as these people are under-represented at Samaritans.

Do you have a passion and expertise in Human Resources, Volunteer Management or Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and looking to make a real difference to people's lives?