Chair – Instrumentation

george james ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 120,000; Part time

Job summary

george james ltd in the United Kingdom seeks an independent board Chair to lead the new board, ensure governance excellence and steer the organisation toward its mission and growth plans. The Chair will oversee compliance, mentor the senior team, and shape the future structure and direction of the business to support ambitious expansion.

The ideal candidate has CEO or senior‑level board experience, preferably in scientific instrumentation or a growth‑stage private company, with a track record of

Qualifications

• Proven experience as CEO or senior executive leader seeking governance role.
• Experience in forming and leading boards, governance frameworks, compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the board and governance function.
• Ensure legal and regulatory compliance and ethical standards.
• Mentor senior leadership and shape the company’s structure and strategy.
• Oversee succession, risk, and growth planning.

Skills

CEO experience

Non-Executive Director

Governance

Job description

Our client aims to expand the frontiers of particle, materials, and surface characterisation. They are well-known for their expertise in developing unique characterization solutions for solid-state materials, from manufacturing state-of-the-art instrumentation to offering tailored characterization solutions. The business is privately held, fully commercial and operates internationally.

They seek an independent board Chair to ensure that the senior leadership team/board operates at its highest potential, advancing the organisation’s mission & strategy, safeguarding its long-term success and most importantly, supporting its ambitious growth plans. This is the first time the company will have appointed a chair and formed a traditional board. The Chair will lead the new board in fulfilling its governance responsibilities, ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory, and ethical standards. The role holder will also provide mentorship direction and oversight and shape the future structure and direction of the business to fulfil its growth ambitions.

The role requires someone with proven experience as a CEO/senior executive leader, now operating as a Chair and/or Non-Executive Director. Experience in the scientific instrumentation industry is ideally sought. Experience in a growing privately held business and in seeing a company to exit or follow-on investment is required. This role requires strong leadership skills with excellent strategic vision and business acumen. The ability to build relationships across diverse stakeholder groups is key as is strong mentorship skills, with the ability to bring out the best in individuals.

The role will require circa 2 days a month and is fully remunerated.