Trustees | The Edward James Foundation (West Dean)

Peridot Partners; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent charity consulting firm is seeking Trustees for The Edward James Foundation. This role supports governance and strategic direction at West Dean, requiring senior commercial experience, particularly in governance and financial oversight. The ideal candidates will contribute to preserving and enhancing the Foundation's mission to nurture creativity and conserve heritage in a collaborative environment. Reasonable expenses will be reimbursed for this unremunerated role.

Benefits

Reasonable expenses paid

Qualifications

• Strong financial and operational judgement is crucial.
• Experience as a charity trustee or non-executive is preferred.
• Senior commercial or retail leadership experience required.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to strategic planning and performance scrutiny.
• Support the Chief Executive and senior team effectively.
• Ensure good governance and compliance with legal duties.

Skills

Financial and operational judgement

Experience of transformation or turnaround

Strong governance knowledge

Advocacy for arts and heritage

Job description

Trustees The Edward James Foundation (West Dean)

Help steward one of the UK’s most distinctive institutions. As a Trustee of The Edward James Foundation Ltd, you will support West Dean’s mission to nurture creativity, conserve heritage, and sustain the environment.

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

Our mission is to advance creativity, conserve heritage, and care for our extraordinary estate – providing world‑class education in arts, design, craft and conservation, while enriching culture and the environment.

Our vision is to be recognised internationally as a centre of excellence, where creativity, heritage and landscape are brought together to inspire and equip future generations.

Across West Dean – from our college to our gardens, collections and estate – we bring people together to learn, make and experience. Students and visitors are guided by leading practitioners and the distinctive environment we care for. In turn, they develop the insight, skill and imagination to conserve heritage, enrich culture and contribute to a better world.

Who we are

West Dean College

At West Dean, we believe that making makes a better world. West Dean College is a leading specialist institution for craft practice, art, design, conservation and material‑based creativity. It is a remaining example of an experimental rural arts college founded with the express purpose of changing society through education and creative work.

In the 50 years since its foundation, the college has developed an international reputation as a centre of excellence in conservation, fine art, design and contemporary craft.

It offers a unique educational environment – one that nurtures technical skill, critical inquiry and the transformative power of making.

Our impact is disproportionately high for our size. We have awarded over 2 000 degrees and diplomas, and more than 250 000 people have taken one of our short courses.

Our graduates work in major museums, heritage organisations, studios and ateliers around the world. The work of our staff and students – frequently rooted in traditional craft skills – is both innovative and world‑leading.

The idea for West Dean College began in 1939 in a remarkable correspondence between Edward James and Aldous Huxley. Inspired by Ends and Means, James committed to gifting his estate for the creation of a radical centre for arts education.

The college opened in 1971 as a place of learning, practice and imaginative freedom. That independent spirit continues to animate our work today.

In August 2021, the college acquired KLC School of Design, bringing together two long‑established and respected providers of specialist creative education. Today, West Dean College consists of three schools – arts, conservation and design – operating across two campuses: our historic rural site near Chichester and a central London campus in Bloomsbury.

Together, these campuses offer an unparalleled setting for interdisciplinary practice and learning, supported by expert tutors, specialist workshops and access to nationally significant archives and collections. The West Dean campus is also home to the West Dean Tapestry Studio and a number of iconic Surrealist works, including pieces by Salvador Dalí and Leonora Carrington, of whom Edward James was a close friend and patron.

In numbers:

• 65 000+ student days of creative, practice‑based education annually (targeting 100 000 by 2030)
• 500+ expert tutors delivering short courses and degree‑level education
• 70 000+ visitors to West Dean Gardens each year

West Dean Estate is integral to the life and identity of the Foundation. Spanning over 6 500 acres in the South Downs National Park, it includes farmland, woodland, tenancies, gardens and heritage buildings – a landscape shaped by centuries of care and adaptation.

The estate is both a working environment and a place of learning, creativity and public engagement. It includes:

• West Dean Gardens – a major visitor attraction open to the public throughout the year
• Residential and commercial lettings – providing long‑term income and supporting the local economy
• Historic parkland and woodlands – managed to enhance biodiversity and landscape value
• The college campus – including studios, workshops, classrooms, student accommodation and exhibition space

Our stewardship of the estate reflects the Foundation’s long‑term values: conservation, sustainability and education. We are committed to increasing biodiversity, investing in environmental land management and integrating our rural context more fully into the educational and public‑facing work of the organisation.

In numbers:

• 6 500 acres of land owned and managed across West Dean Estate
• 14 000+ habitat units of biodiversity

About the roles

Our current context

West Dean is at a pivotal moment. Under the leadership of a new Chief Executive and refreshed senior team, we are addressing longstanding financial challenges and reshaping the organisation for the future.

A deficit reduction plan is being developed, with renewed focus on:

• Commercial and operational resilience
• Sharper strategic clarity
• Sustainable stewardship of our assets and estate

We are preserving what is unique and irreplaceable, while being rigorous about modern expectations of scale, impact and performance.

As a Trustee, you will contribute to the governance, oversight and strategic direction of the Edward James Foundation. You will work closely with the Board and Executive Team to ensure West Dean is governed responsibly, managed effectively and delivering on its charitable purpose.

Who we are looking for

We are particularly keen to appoint Trustees with senior commercial or retail leadership experience, ideally from a large, complex organisation. This may include:

• National retail groups or membership organisations
• Visitor attractions or heritage organisations
• Consumer‑facing brands with a values‑led ethos
• Further Education and Higher Education

You may have held executive roles such as Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer or Commercial Director – or you may now be operating in a non‑executive or portfolio capacity.

Crucially, you will bring:

• Strong financial and operational judgement
• Experience of transformation or turnaround
• A focus on commercial performance and organisational impact
• Experience as a charity trustee or non‑executive is strongly preferred. A connection to the arts, design, heritage or education will be welcomed – but is not essential.

Attendance and meetings

• Five Board meetings per year (typically four at West Dean, one in London)
• Two to three sub‑committee meetings annually
• Attendance at occasional key events, including graduations and exhibitions

We are reviewing our meeting arrangements to support flexibility and accessibility. The role is unremunerated, but reasonable expenses (including childcare or access costs) will be reimbursed.

Primary responsibilities

• Contribute to strategic planning and scrutiny of performance
• Offer support and constructive challenge to the Chief Executive and senior team
• Ensure good governance and compliance with legal and charitable duties
• Support financial oversight and long‑term sustainability
• Serve on one or more Board committees
• Represent West Dean externally and act as an advocate when required

New Trustees will be invited to join at least one sub‑committee in addition to regular Board meetings.

Our sub‑committees are:

• Finance and Estates Committee
• Audit Committee
• Nominations & Governance

There may also be project‑based working groups that also include Trustee representation.

Time commitments for each committee vary, and your availability and attendance will be agreed upon with you once appointed.

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

A message from the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Professor Paul O'Prey CBE

Thank you very much for your interest in the opportunity to become a Trustee of the Edward James Foundation and West Dean.

It is my great honour to serve as Chair of this exceptional institution. West Dean is unlike anywhere else – a place of intense creativity and care, steeped in history but never static. It is a community of makers, artists, designers, writers, conservators and gardeners, shaped by a strong sense of purpose and place. That purpose – to advance the creative and applied arts, cultural heritage and environmental stewardship – continues to be urgently relevant today.

We are entering a defining chapter in West Dean’s story. A new Chief Executive joined us in early 2025, bringing a renewed clarity of vision and determination to tackle longstanding challenges. While the values that underpin our work remain unchanged, the organisation is undergoing necessary transformation to ensure its future.

We are now implementing a deficit reduction plan, re‑examining our operating model and investing time and leadership energy in building a sustainable foundation for the decades ahead.

This is not without difficulty. Like many in the arts and education sectors, we face complex financial, demographic and operational pressures. But we also have significant strengths – an extraordinary estate, a globally respected educational offer, a skilled and committed workforce and a highly distinctive identity rooted in the imagination and legacy of Edward James.

Trustees play a central role in helping us navigate this moment. Working closely with the Chief Executive and her senior team, they offer both challenge and support, ensuring that our charitable purpose is not only preserved but translated into contemporary relevance and long‑term viability.

We are now seeking to appoint up to two Trustees to help strengthen our Board and support this next phase of development. We are particularly looking for individuals with senior commercial leadership experience – people who understand how to run complex organisations, who can bring insight into business transformation and who are comfortable balancing ambition with financial realism.

You may have a background in retail, large‑scale operations, visitor‑focused businesses or commercial functions within the cultural or heritage sectors. You will share our belief in the value of creative education and our responsibility to steward this unique institution wisely. Experience as a charity trustee or non‑executive director is very welcome.

The Board is committed to broadening the diversity of skills, experience and perspectives around the table, and we welcome expressions of interest from individuals of all backgrounds.

I hope this candidate pack gives you a strong sense of West Dean – our work, our challenges and the opportunities ahead. I can genuinely say that there has never been a more important or rewarding time to become involved.

With warmest regards,

Professor Paul O’Prey CBE
Chair of Trustees

Accessibility information

The Edward James Foundation, encompassing West Dean College of Arts and Conservation, West Dean Gardens and the wider estate, is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of its work. We are dedicated to ensuring that our opportunities, services and facilities are as accessible as possible for everyone.

We are guided by our Equality Policy and will not tolerate discrimination on the grounds of disability. We seek to ensure that all students, visitors, staff and Trustees experience the same standards of respect and support. To achieve this, we:

• Provide disability awareness and equality training where appropriate
• Consult and engage with disabled people to inform improvements
• Make reasonable adjustments to facilities, services and information, including the use of assistive devices
• Regularly review the accessibility of our estate, buildings, gardens and digital information
• Ensure all employees and volunteers are aware of our policy and its expectations.

West Dean operates from a historic Grade II listed house and estate, and while there are some physical limitations, we are committed to doing all that is reasonably possible to improve accessibility. Adapted accommodation, accessible facilities and dedicated support are available, and we continue to review and develop our provision to meet diverse needs.

We warmly welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and are committed to ensuring that our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible. If you would like this information in a different format, or if you require adjustments to participate fully in the application or selection process, please let us know.

Timetable

Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 6th October 2025
Candidates informed of outcome: By Tuesday 21st October 2025
First stage interviews: Friday 31st October 2025 (Online)
Second stage interviews and tour: w/c Monday 3rd November 2025 (In person)

We are in the process of confirming dates for interviews. As soon as we have this information, we will update here and inform all who have already applied.

Peridot and The Edward James Foundation (West Dean) are committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions. We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout, and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.

The information will be treated confidentially and anonymously and will help us to support our commitment to fair recruitment practice. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with anyone, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 launched on 25 May 2018.

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