Help shape the next chapter of a deeply rooted Southwark charity supporting older people to live with dignity, independence and connection.
About the role
The Chair will lead the Board through growth, transition and renewal. This means supporting strong governance while the charity increases its housing, expands its grant-making and thinks carefully about what comes after the current development phase.
Working closely with the Chief Executive/Clerk, the Chair will help create a Board culture where trustees contribute fully, different voices are heard, and decisions are made with care and confidence. The role calls for someone who can hold the charity’s history and local identity, while helping the Board look outward, stay ambitious and continue responding to the needs of older people in Southwark.
Who we are looking for
Southwark Charities is looking for a values-led Chair with strong governance judgement and the ability to bring people together around shared purpose. You may already be a Chair, or ready to step into your first formal Chair role, but you will bring clear experience of Board or committee leadership and understand how good governance works in practice.
You will be able to guide constructive discussion, manage different perspectives and embrace collective decision-making. Financial literacy, strategic thinking and the ability to build trusted relationships with trustees, staff, residents, community partners and wider stakeholders will all matter.
Just as importantly, you will bring inclusive leadership, emotional intelligence and a real commitment to equity of voice. Knowledge of Southwark and its communities would be valuable, as would lived experience relevant to the charity’s mission. Above all, you will care about older people, social purpose and the long-term future of a charity that wants to make an even greater positive impact.
People who connect with Southwark Charities’ mission, values and sense of place are warmly encouraged to explore the role.
Time commitment
Time commitment: Approx one to two days per month, 3-year term, with max of three terms total.
Contract type: Three-year term, with a maximum of three terms.
To access the role information pack for this position, please follow the instructions on the ‘How to Apply’ page. Following this, should you like to have an informal conversation, you can email our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:
- James Hunt | james@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07711 405 444
Welcome from the CEO and Clerk to the Trustees
Dear Candidate,
Thank you for your interest in Southwark Charities.
As one of the oldest charities in Southwark, we have deep roots in this place and have been supporting older people for over 270 years, mainly through the provision of almshouses, i.e. charitable housing. Our beneficiaries are over 55 years old, have lived in Southwark for at least 5 years, and are in “need, hardship or distress”.
Since I joined the charity as Clerk to the Trustees and CEO in 2012, we have seen significant changes and growth, mainly driven by the redevelopment of our site in Blackfriars Road. We acquired this site in 1752, and have been in continuous occupation ever since, with the first almshouses built in Georgian times, replaced in the 1880’s with Victorian buildings, replaced again in the early 1970’s and now being rebuilt for the 21st Century. This development in partnership with JTRE London, who built the RIBA Stirling Prize-winning almshouse Appleby Blue for United St Saviour’s Charity, secures the long-term future of Southwark Charities. It will provide a new almshouse with 64 flats and a range of amenities, alongside a long-term income stream from the commercial office element of the development.
This also supports a growing grant-making capacity so that we can fund more local organisations who are working with the older population to provide a range of services, support and social opportunities in Southwark.
Whilst we are building in Blackfriars, we are also preparing for our next project, namely the replacement of the 1960’s almshouse in Surrey Square, Walworth. Planning consent has already been granted, and we are exploring the means of funding the development, which will commence once the new almshouse in Blackfriars is completed.
In short, this is an exciting time to join Southwark Charities as we make the most of a once-in-a-century opportunity to grow the charity and secure the future. We need a Chair with the skills, experience and vision to help the charity continue fulfilling its historic mission, while bringing new ideas, fresh energy and thoughtful ambition for the future.
Chris Wilson
CEO/Clerk to the Trustees
About Southwark Charities
Southwark Charities has supported older people in Southwark for more than 270 years, mainly through almshouse accommodation and grants to local voluntary and community organisations. Deeply rooted in the borough and financially strong, with reserves of more than £105m, the charity has the assets, relationships and local understanding to make a considerable impact for older residents in need, hardship or distress.
Their work is practical, personal and place-based, shaped by the diversity and distinctive profile of Southwark as a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic London borough. It provides truly affordable housing, supports individual members through annual stipends and social activities, and funds local organisations working with older people across the borough. In 2024, it committed 65 grants worth almost £500k, with the grants budget expected to rise to £1m by 2028.
This is a significant moment in the charity’s history. Southwark Charities is progressing the multi-million-pound redevelopment of its Blackfriars site, providing 64 new almshouse flats, shared spaces and long-term income, alongside plans to replace its Surrey Square almshouse with a further 71 flats.
Learn more about the Southwark Charities
Thank you for your interest in this role. Please download the role information pack.
To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement (ideally, a maximum of 2 A4 pages) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria in the person specification, including your interest and motivation in applying for this position.
Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk, inserting “Application – Southwark Charities, Chair” into the subject field.
For an informal conversation about this opportunity, you can email our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:
- or James Hunt | james@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07711 405444
As a sector-leading executive search consultancy, we know the importance of creating recruitment processes that are fair, inclusive and free from bias. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a process that values differences.
If you require any job information in an alternative format (e.g. large print), please contact the lead consultant. Please also let us know if you would like to submit your application in an alternative format.
Applicants with disabilities are welcome to contact us in confidence at any stage of the recruitment process to discuss any reasonable adjustments or support that may be required to ensure fair and equal participation.
Recruitment selection processes are based on evidence of competence stated in the person specification and in relation to our values.
Timetable
Closing date: 9 a.m. Tuesday 7th July 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: Wednesday 15th July 2026 by COB
First stage interviews (virtual): Friday 24th July 2026
Informal 121 session with board members (virtual): 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday 28th July 2026
Final stage interviews (Southwark, London): 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday 4th August
Equal Opportunities Monitoring
Peridot and Southwark Charities 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.
The information provided does not form part of the decision-making process and will not affect your application. Learn more about why we collect this data here.
Data Processing, Protection and Privacy Policy
By completing the form to view, or if you have access to this page from an email invitation, Peridot Partners will have processed your personal information. For more information about Peridot Partners’ data processing activities and your rights, please read our Privacy Policy.
