We would like to invite any interested members to apply to the role of BERA’s Engagement Committee Chair. The role will commence in September 2024 and run for a period of four years.  The current chair, Gerry Czerniawski, is eligible to apply for a second term. We will also have an open call for Council membership in the new year.

The Engagement Chair has a key role in BERA’s governance, ensuring BERA’s membership offering remains attractive, reviewing the health of BERA’s Special Interest Groups (SIGs), ensuring the suite of awards and fellowships supports BERA’s strategic objectives and they uphold the highest academic standards. The Committee’s remit can be found here.

We will be shortlisting candidates based upon the experiences, skills and understanding of the role they demonstrate:

Candidates must be able to show a majority of the following criteria:

• Experience and understanding of BERA’s membership
• Strong knowledge of awards and fellowships, their processes and criteria
• A thorough understanding of the BERA SIG and network structure
• Understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing learned society membership

The Engagement Chair is also a member of BERA Council and a trustee of BERA. Further information on Council, including the trustee role description, can be found here.

This is a significant leadership role and we are keen to hear from those who may be interested in standing. Should you have any further questions, please contact secretariat@bera.ac.uk  

If you would like to apply to this position, please click ‘Apply Now’ and upload a short two-page CV (for internal use only), and answer the questions outlined. The deadline for applications is 12:00 on Monday 15 January 2024.

The Engagement Chair will serve as a key member of the Association and therefore are expected to attend all Council, Leadership Committee and Engagement Committee meetings. The time commitment during the period will normally be at around 20-25 days per year. These are a blend of virtual and physical meetings, ordinarily in London.

Should you be elected, you may be invited to meetings of the committee, Council, or Leadership Committee as part of handover.

As part of our wider commitment to greater equality and diversity at all levels of the organisation, we continue to seek increased representation from members with a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background. We are also committed to ensuring an appropriate balance of male and female representation in leadership positions. In acknowledging the structural inequalities and unjust power imbalances that affect our members, we wish to be proactive in addressing this within our own structures.

If you require this application in a different format for accessibility reasons, please contact secretariat@bera.ac.uk