Sussex Area Chair

Sussex Area Chair

Posted for The Ramblers Association - Sussex Area

Posted by Community Works

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The Ramblers are Britain's biggest and most vibrant walking community with over 3000 members in East and West Sussex. The Area Chair oversees all activities of the Ramblers across both counties of Sussex and delivers the Ramblers' vision for the Area.

Sussex is one of around 60 Ramblers' Areas in the UK which campaign to keep our footpaths open to all and fight for the things that matter most to walkers, as well as coordinating the Groups (8 in Sussex) through which organised walks are provided.

The Chair leads the Area Executive Committee and Area Council in driving the campaigning activity, supporting the Groups to run well, ensuring that Ramblers' national policies and procedures are followed by the Area and Groups, and overseeing the Area's working relationship with local authorities, politicians, and other stakeholders.

The Area Chair also has a key responsibility for the recruitment and retention of Area Officers.

Benefits

● The opportunity to be in a key Ramblers' leadership role for the Area, to help deliver the organisation's aims

● Bring to life the vision for the Area that you and the Area leadership team agree

● A challenging leadership role that offers many different opportunities for you to get involved with.

Practical Considerations

You will need to attend quarterly Executive Committee (held by Zoom) and Area Council (held in Haywards Heath) Meetings and the Area AGM as well as travel as necessary to meetings with Groups, Central Office staff and other stakeholders.

What skills do I need?

We are looking for someone who is passionate about walking and keeping the footpath network across East and West Sussex open for everybody to enjoy. You will need to be committed to leading the activities of the Ramblers across the Area; able to represent the Area effectively in interactions with a range of stakeholders, both inside and outside the Ramblers; and capable of leading and coordinating teams of people with a variety of different skill sets.

The specific skills and aptitudes required for the role include:

• People person, able to lead a team with good humour and patience  

• Able to understand policies and apply them to real life situations

• Organised, with the ability to develop and manage Area plans

• Diplomatic, with excellent communication skills for developing working relationships with people who may not share Ramblers' aims and objectives.