Who we are:

We are the UK's leading autism charity. Since we began over 50 years ago, we have been pioneering new ways to support people and understand autism. We continue to learn every day from the children and adults we support in our schools and care services.

Based on our experience, and with support from our members, donors and volunteers, we provide life-changing information and advice to millions of autistic people, their families and friends. And we support professionals, politicians and the public to understand autism better so that more autistic people of all ages can be understood, supported and appreciated for who they are.

Until everyone understands. 

Who we are looking for:

The current specific need is for an individual with senior level experience of schools and education, including experience of the education of children with special educational needs. Such experience might have been obtained from an operational, governance or regulatory perspective (or any combination).

We are seeking an individual with the qualifications, skills and experience to take a lead role in the leadership and governance of our independent and free schools. The right person will have a good knowledge of Ofsted’s requirements, not only in terms of assessing a school’s performance but also in Ofsted’s expectations for leadership and governance.

The individual appointed will become a member of the board’s ‘Education, Quality and Development’ committee. Each member of this committee is either a ‘link trustee’ for one of the independent schools or in the case of the free schools, is the chair of the local governance body. Thus there is a direct link between the governance function of the board and each individual school. The individual appointed will need an ability to read and understand periodic reports from schools that include the analysis of detailed performance information.

The Board can have up to 16 trustees and meets, typically, four times a year. The October meeting generally extends over two days and combines a regular board meeting with a strategy day.

The EQD committee meets typically three times per annum but please note that in any event the role is likely to require a significant time commitment and travel to visit schools that are distributed across England, plus one school in South West Scotland.

For more information about this job please contact Bruce Thompson (Bruce.Thompson@nas.org.uk)

Interviews: Tuesday 31st July 

Applications for this job are sought from anyone who is suitably qualified and experienced for the role but particularly welcome from those with a diagnosis of autism or Asperger syndrome.

The NAS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and adults who use our services and as such expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to complete the relevant safeguarding checks.

We are an equal opportunities employer.