we’re looking for brilliant people to join our board!

Deadline: Wednesday 9th March 2026

2025 marked the 20th anniversary of Curious Seed, and the beginning of our next round of secure 3-year support from our core funder, Creative Scotland. As we settle into an exciting new phase of development, we are seeking a new Chair and 2 additional Trustees to strengthen our existing board.

The role of our Trustees at Curious Seed is to ensure that we operate within the law and implement our charitable purposes. Collectively, the Trustees oversee and contribute to the good management and effective governance of the company; agree the company’s strategic direction and work with other Trustees to maintain the company’s purpose and aims. 

We particularly encourage applications from those who have been or are historically underrepresented on boards due to age, disability, ethnicity, faith or belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, education, socio-economic background, or those with caring responsibilities. Candidates who may not think they fit the typical criteria required for Board membership, but who are inspired to contribute to our work, are warmly encouraged to apply.

Please find our full Trustee Recruitment Pack here in PDF, large print, dyslexia-friendly and audio formats.

If you are interested in joining our Board, but have questions about what is involved, we are happy to have informal conversations with any potential candidates - this can be done online, over the phone, or in person - please get in touch.

 You can view the information on this page in alternative formats by using the Accessibility widget on this page (found in the bottom right-hard corner). If you require this information in another format, or if you have any other access needs, please get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate these.


WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

As we move forward from our 20th anniversary year with secure Multi-Year Funding until March 2028, we wish to work with people who can bring a range of experiences, skills and backgrounds on our Board to help us to shape, support and realise our renewed strategic vision, found in our 2025-2028 Business Plan here.

We are seeking people from all sections of the community who:

  • have enthusiasm for Curious Seed’s artistic work and support our vision

  • are passionate about the impact and power of the arts and creativity

  • can bring sound, independent judgement

  • are creative and strategic thinkers

  • thrive working collaboratively

  • can advocate for Curious Seed and champion for the company’s work

We are especially, but not exclusively, interested in people who bring knowledge of one or more of the following areas:

  • Legal / HR

  • Fundraising

  • Finance / Charity Accounting

  • Being a resident of North Edinburgh

  • Working in community settings, such as arts, social care, health & wellbeing

For the role of Chair, we are interested in people who also bring knowledge and experience of:

  • Leadership and People Management

  • Facilitation

  • Charity Governance


INDUCTION FOR NEW TRUSTEES

No previous board experience is necessary. You will be supported by our current Trustees through an induction and matching you with an existing Trustee as a ‘buddy’. If required, you will also receive any additional support required to learn more about the role and responsibilities of trustees in a not-for-profit organisation, charity law and what is involved in being a Creative Scotland Multi-Year Funded organisation.

 TIME COMMITMENT

Trustees attend four Board meetings each year including an AGM (2-3 hours per meeting, usually early evening and in person in Edinburgh) as well as an annual full day strategic development meeting. As the company is managed by a small staff team, there is an expectation that Trustees can be available at other times to provide additional support and guidance to the team between meetings, e.g. during a recruitment process, financial reporting processes, etc. Trustees are also always encouraged to attend our events, performances and projects.

 TERMS OF OFFICE

Trustees will be asked to serve an initial term of 3 years (with up to three additional terms allowed), if mutually agreed with the Chair.

HOW TO APPLY

The deadline for applications is Monday 9th March at 5pm. If you would like to apply, please prepare a short written statement or a 2 - 3-minute video message which outlines why you are interested in the role and the skills and experience you would be able to contribute as a Trustee. In addition, you can also send us a CV if you would like to. Please send this to producer@curious-seed.co.uk by the deadline.

Once you have submitted your application, please complete Curious Seed’s Equalities Monitoring Form (click to complete online).

If we’re able to take your application forward, we’ll invite you for a conversation on either Wednesday 18th March before 2pm or Friday 20th March after 2pm; however, if you are interested in being on our Board but cannot make those dates, please get in touch for a chat – we can be flexible. After that, we may invite you to attend our May 2026 Board meeting as an observer, so you can get a feel for what being on our Board would entail. Following that, if everyone agrees, we will invite you to join the Board where you will be legally enrolled as a Trustee/Director of Curious Seed.

If you have any questions about the application process, the Board or the work of our organisation please contact Leigh Robieson-Cleaver: producer@curious-seed.co.uk. We can also put you in contact with current Board members if you would like to learn about their experience of the role.