BIAA Honorary Secretary (Voluntary position)

Summary

The British Institute at Ankara (BIAA) seeks to appoint an Honorary Secretary to the Council of Management in order to strengthen its volunteer management team.

The BIAA was founded in 1947 and incorporated in the 1956 cultural agreement between the Republic of Türkiye and the United Kingdom. It is internationally renowned for conducting world-class research in Türkiye and the Black Sea region in the humanities and social sciences. One of the eight British International Research Institutes (BIRI), the BIAA operates offices in London and Ankara with the support of the British Academy and core funding, administered through the Academy, from the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The objectives of the Institute are as follows:

To enable UK scholars across the humanities and social sciences to undertake world-class original research and fieldwork focused on Türkiye and the Black Sea region;
To encourage and facilitate collaborative research with other UK institutions and with scholars and institutions in Türkiye and the Black Sea region;
To maintain a centre of research excellence in Ankara focused on the archaeology, history, contemporary studies and related subjects of Türkiye and the Black Sea region.

The Institute is a company limited by guarantee and a charity registered in England and Wales. The Council of Management, based in the UK, is responsible for the management of the Institute, comprising of up to fourteen elected Members, including up to six Honorary Officers (Chair of the Council, Deputy Chair, Honorary Secretary, Deputy Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer and Deputy Honorary Treasurer). Honorary Officers are elected for a period of three years.

Eligibility

The role of the Honorary Secretary

With the support of the Officers, London Manager and Director, the role of the Honorary Secretary is to ensure the Institute functions smoothly. Specific tasks include:

To ensure the effective and efficient administration of the organisation, including having appropriate policies and procedures in place

To oversee the management and review of the risk register
To ensure that trustees and staff have carried out actions agreed at previous Council meetings

To oversee the appointment of staff and contribute to the assessment and interviews of prospective staff and fellows
To assist the Officers with general finance and personnel matters that may arise
To join the Institute’s Finance & Personnel Committee and follow the activities of the Research, Publications and Development committees
To Assist with the submission of the Institute’s annual bid for funding to the British Academy
To Assist with the submission of the bi-annual reports to the British Academy
To act as a formal representative of the Institute from time to time as required
To setup any payments over £10,000 on the Institute’s banking system

Meetings

The Honorary Secretary is expected to attend the AGM, the BIRI Forum, all meetings of the Council of Management and the Finance & Personnel committee. The Honorary Secretary may be invited to attend the Development, Research and Publications committee from time to time. These meetings are mostly hybrid and generally held in London.

It is expected that the Honorary Secretary will undertake a visit to Ankara during the first year of their appointment.

Application process

If you are interested in the position, please apply with your CV of no more than two sides of A4 and Cover Letter outlining the reasons you are interested in the role. Please send these documents to the BIAA London office: biaa@thebritishacademy.ac.uk.

Please contact the London Manager, Laura Paterson at biaa@thebritishacademy.ac.uk if you would like to discuss the position further.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the closing date on 30^th November 2023.

Please note that this is an unremunerated position. The institute is able to cover reasonable expenses.

It is hoped that the Honorary Secretary could be appointed at the AGM (6th December) or co-opted as soon as possible after the AGM.