Treasurer and Trustees CPRE - The countryside charity

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Treasurer and Trustees CPRE - The countryside charity

Help shape England's countryside by joining our Board as Treasurer or Trustee and be a part of creating positive change for rural communities and landscapes.

• Location: London
• Salary: Unremunerated with reasonable expenses paid

Who we are

We are a vibrant charity working to promote, enhance and protect the countryside for everyone's benefit. With local CPRE groups across England, we work with communities, local authorities, businesses, and the government to find positive solutions to the issues facing the countryside.

Through our nationwide network, we promote, enhance and protect the countryside, ensuring it remains a vital resource for generations to come. From tackling the rural housing crisis to promoting sustainable farming, from protecting local green spaces to advocating for climate-smart solutions, our work touches every aspect of rural life.

Our countryside sustains us in every way. Its beautiful landscapes provide the food we eat and a haven for the nature and wildlife we love. As we approach our centenary in 2026, we are focused on tackling critical challenges and pressures on the countryside from badly thought-out developments to pollution and the climate emergency.

If it is going to thrive, it needs our help.

About the roles

These challenges demand innovative solutions. As our current strategy comes to an end in 2026, we are looking for visionary leaders to join our Board and help shape our next strategic chapter, to support us to build our audience and movement, define our next strategy and ensure England's countryside thrives in a changing world.

We are looking for four new board members to join us, including a new Treasurer. You will share our passion for creating a thriving, beautiful countryside that enriches all our lives.

Combining this experience with strategic insight, you will have developed stakeholder engagement skills, a commitment to CPRE's vision, an understanding of federated models, strong communication and a diplomatic approach.

Treasurer

We are looking for a new Treasurer as our current Treasurer ends his term later this year. We're looking for someone who brings more than just financial expertise. You will be a strategic thinker and qualified accountant who can help shape CPRE's future while ensuring sound financial management. Ideally, you will bring charity finance experience alongside commercial acumen to guide our financial strategy during a transformative period for both CPRE and the countryside.

Working closely with the Board and executive team, you'll oversee our financial governance and risk management while contributing your broader strategic insights and experience across all aspects of our work. You'll chair the Finance Committee and take a leading role in developing strategies that support our ambitious plans for growth and impact.

This is an opportunity to apply your senior financial leadership experience to an organisation tackling some of today's most pressing challenges.

Your strategic thinking and solutions-focused approach will help ensure CPRE has the financial foundations to deliver positive change for England's countryside and communities for generations to come.

Trustees

We're also seeking three Trustees who can strengthen our expertise in critical areas as Trustees come to the end of their terms. We need a Trustee who understands organisational development and cultural change and has experience in people transformation to enable organisations to thrive. You will bring experience of bringing together people working across multiple locations.

We're looking for expertise in audience development and digital engagement with an understanding of the power of data and insight to help us reach new supporters and grow our movement. This could be someone with experience in any sector who will support CPRE in developing our audience and building a campaigning movement.

A new Trustee with a deep understanding of government relations and policy mechanisms will support us in strengthening our advocacy and policy work. This person could come from a government background or background in government relations, local government, or external affairs.

As we approach our centenary in 2026, we're transforming our organisation to reflect better and serve our communities. The countryside belongs to everyone, and our Board should reflect this fundamental truth.

We're actively seeking diverse leadership to bring new perspectives and experiences to our decision-making. Our commitment to inclusion goes beyond words. We need leaders who can help us engage with diverse audiences, and who bring varied life experiences to our work. We welcome people who are currently underrepresented in the sector, such as people from the global majority, people who are earlier in their careers and disabled people. We also want to ensure our Board reflects the geographical diversity of the communities we serve across rural England.

Time Commitment

• Trustee: Approximately the equivalent of one day per month.
• Treasurer role: Between 1-2 days per month.
• These time commitments include attending all meetings and related responsibilities.

Meetings

• The Board holds quarterly in-person meetings, usually in Central London.
• A monthly virtual catch-up session lasting up to one hour takes place online between the main meetings.
• The September board meeting is our annual strategy away day that includes an overnight stay outside London.
• One of the quarterly meetings includes the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
• Trustees can join a subcommittee which are usually held quarterly hybrid or online.

While this is a voluntary role, it offers the opportunity to make a real difference in England's countryside at a crucial time.

If you share our vision of a thriving countryside that enriches all our lives and have the strategic skills to help make it happen, we want to hear from you.

For further information about the role or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:

If you would like to know more about this role please contact Jennifer Horan.