Vacancies

There are six vacancies on Council from 1 October 2013:

Council is the governing body of the Institute. Its responsibilities can be summarised as:

• Ensuring that the Institute complies with its governing documents, charity law, and other relevant legislation or regulations;
• Ensuring that the Institute pursues its charitable objects;
• Giving firm strategic direction, setting overall policy, defining goals, setting targets and evaluating performance against agreed targets;
• Ensuring proper and effective use of the Institute’s resources, and maintaining and enhancing the reputation and profile of the Institute;
• Ensuring effective representation from, and interaction with, the membership;
• Overseeing the processes for election, progression and disciplining of members;
• Overseeing the activities of the Executive staff

Council is chaired by the President and meets four times a year, normally in January, May, July & November. Council is supported by a number of committees and Executive staff.

Council members are the trustees of the charity. The role and responsibilities of trustees are governed by charity law and further information may be obtained from the Charity Commission (www.charity-commission.gov.uk).

The current membership of Council and further information about the governance of the Institute can be found at www.iop.org/about/governance.

President-elect
The President-elect will serve two years from 1 October 2013 as President-elect and two years from 1 October 2015 to 30 September 2017 as President.

The President chairs Council, General Meetings and the Senior Officers’ Committee. The President-elect deputises for the President as necessary and chairs a number of committees.

The President also has specific responsibilities for external representation, to act as the public face of IOP and to lead on policy development and co-ordination.

The President represents IOP at the highest level with government, parliament, industry, universities, and other public and voluntary bodies.

Undertaking the position of President-elect requires a significant time commitment. In addition to membership of Council, the President-elect is a member or chair of the following committees:

Honorary secretary
The Honorary Secretary serves four years and is eligible for re-election for a second period of four years.

The current Honorary Secretary, Professor Stuart Palmer, is eligible to be elected for a second four-year term.

The Honorary Secretary is responsible to Council for the administration and the coordination of the general affairs of the Institute, except for those relating to finance. Along with the Honorary Treasurer and President, the Honorary Secretary provides guidance,

advice and direction to the Chief Executive on a continuing basis.

Undertaking the position of Honorary Secretary requires a significant time commitment. In addition to membership of Council, the President-elect is a member or chair of following committees.

The Honorary Secretary also has the following commercial appointments:

The Honorary Secretary has the following additional trusteeship:

The Honorary Secretary attends the Annual General Meeting in July each year and gives a short presentation on the Annual Report.

The Honorary Secretary may also be asked to attend other meetings and will represent the Institute at external events, including governmental level.

In addition to these formal meetings there will be regular consultation with Directors and staff. The Honorary Secretary will work closely with, and be supported by, the Chief Executive and the Managing Director of IOP Publishing Ltd.

Vice-president, membership
The Vice-President, Membership will serve four years from 1 October 2013 to 30 September 2017.

The Vice-President, Membership chairs the Membership Committee, which has delegated responsibilities from Council for all maters relating to membership recruitment, retention services and standards.

Undertaking the position of Vice-President, Membership requires a reasonable time commitment. In addition to membership of Council, the Vice-President, Membership is a member or chair of following committees:

The Vice-President, Membership may also be asked to attend other meetings and will represent the Institute at external events, including governmental level.

In addition to formal meetings there will be regular consultation with Directors and staff. The Vice-President will work closely with, and be supported by, the Director, Membership & Business and the Head of Membership Development.

The main responsibilities of the Vice-President, Membership can be summarised as follows:

• Responsible to Council for all matters relating to members and member-based activity – membership entry requirements, professional standards and registration, services and benefits, subscriptions and fees, Groups and Branches
• Chairing the Membership Committee, which has the following delegated powers:
  • Set, monitor and report to Council on the membership programme of activities
  • Develop, implement and monitor membership recruitment and retention strategy
  • Develop and monitor the portfolio of member services and benefits
  • Develop and implement standards and procedures for application and election to all grades of membership
  • Develop and maintain standards and procedures for registration as Chartered Physicist
  • Act on behalf of the Institute with external qualification and licensing bodies
  • Oversee all matters relating to the Institute’s Branches in England

The Vice-President, Membership is also a member of the Bylaw 6 Panel which meets electronically to consider nomination to Fellowship of the Institute.

Ordinary members (three vacancies)
Ordinary Members of Council will serve four years from 1 October 2013 to 30 September 2017.

Ordinary Members will normally be appointed to serve on a committee of Council.

Council believes that it is important that the governing body reflects the full breadth of the Institute’s activities and membership in terms of scientific areas of interest, geography, age and gender. In order to discharge its responsibilities effectively Council has also identified that there is a need to strengthen its expertise in three key areas.

1. Commitment to diversity and inclusion within the workplace and in particular in relation to physics.
2. Experience of financial matters including financial planning, budgeting and investment policy.
3. Support and representation of the Institute’s group and regional branch operation and activities.

Nominations would therefore be particularly welcome from people with the skills and experience to contribute to Council’s work in these areas.