The Sentencing Academy is seeking to appoint a Finance and Accounting Trustee to our Board of Trustees to join its existing members: Professor Mike Hough (Chair); Bethany Currie; Anna Draper; Professor Peter Hungerford-Welch; and Orla Slattery.
Who we are
Launched in 2019, we are a small, dynamic charity with a unique mission to promote evidence-led sentencing policy and practice in England and Wales and to improve public understanding of sentencing. During autumn 2025, we will be launching our Sentencing Hub, which will become the Academy’s primary research and dissemination vehicle. Drawing together an array of resources on sentencing in England and Wales, it will provide a key research and statistical resource for those seeking the latest evidence on the effectiveness of the sentencing process. Coinciding with a critical moment when sentencing sits at the top of the political agenda as the Government introduces its legislative response to the Gauke Review, this is an exciting time to join our Board.
The Academy is a charitable incorporated organisation that is run by its senior leadership team of four Directors: Professor Estella Baker; Dr, Jonathan Bild; Ellie Cumbo; and Professor Julian Roberts, in conjunction with the Board of Trustees.
Further information about the Academy and its work can be found on our website: www.sentencingacademy.org.uk.
What we are looking for
Our Trustees play a vital role in making sure that the Sentencing Academy achieves its core purpose. They oversee the overall management and administration of the charity. They also ensure that the Academy has a clear strategy and that our work and goals are in line with our vision and comply with legal and regulatory requirements. Just as importantly, they support and challenge the senior leadership team to enable the Academy to grow and thrive to achieve its mission.
As a small charity, there will be times when the Trustees will need to be actively involved beyond Board meetings. This may involve scrutinising Board papers; leading discussions; focusing on key issues; providing advice and guidance on new initiatives; being part of a small task group; presenting externally or acting as an ambassador on our behalf; or engaging in other functions and activities in which the trustee has special expertise.
As our Finance and Accounting Trustee, your particular responsibilities will be to provide professional financial analysis and advice to the Board; report on our financial status while shaping our business plan; and to manage the budget and draw up feasibility studies.
We are looking for somebody who is willing to bring energy, enthusiasm and commitment, and who will broaden the diversity of thinking on our Board. This role would be ideal for a candidate who has experience in the financial sector and has an interest in, or knowledge of, sentencing and/or criminal justice.
Terms of appointment and role
The Board meets three to four times a year in London. Face-to-face attendance is preferred, but occasional remote attendance is possible. Additional attendance of up to two days a year may also be required for such purposes as training and strategic planning and development. Ad hoc and occasional further engagement through participation in working groups and/or to provide support to the senior leadership team may also be requested.
Although unremunerated, reasonable travel expenses may be claimed for attendance at meetings and events. The appointment will be for a period of three years, renewable for two further terms, to a maximum of nine years.
Full details of the role can be found in the accompanying Role Description.
Financial trustee role description
How to apply
If you would like to join our Board at this important moment in our history, please send your cv together with a brief supporting statement (no longer than two sides of A4) explaining how you meet the criteria for the role and what you would bring to it to operations@sentencingacademy.org.uk. The closing date for applications is Friday 17 October 2025 at 17h BST.
If you have any reasonable adjustment requirements that you would like us to consider in the context of this recruitment process (either at the application and/or the interview stage), please advise us via the email address below.
If you have any queries about the role, or would like any further information, please email operations@sentencingacademy.org.uk.
Interviews (which are likely to be conducted remotely or face-to-face in London) are expected to be held with shortlisted applicants during the week beginning 3 November 2025.
