At Finance Innovation Lab we believe in a financial system that serves people and planet. Our financial system has become disconnected from the real needs of people, the environment, the wider economy and society. It doesn’t have to be this way. Could you help us change it?

About the roles

We’re looking for up to three new trustees to join our board from January 2026. Fully remote participation is possible.

You'll use your expertise to help the Lab be more effective and impactful, while gaining insights into our work and experience of charity governance and leadership. 

During 2026, there may also be an opportunity to take on the role of Chair, co-Chair, or Vice Chair.

Charity trustees have various legal duties and responsibilities. If you have not been a trustee before you might find this two-page summary from the Charity Commission useful. Our trustees also receive training on this as part of their induction.

All roles are voluntary, with reasonable expenses reimbursed, including childcare or other caring costs if this is needed to attend meetings.

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking in particular for people with experience in:

• Financial sector policy: at the Lab, we work to change the policies and rules which shape and govern the financial system, so it can deliver more socially, economically and environmentally just outcomes. Do you have experience developing, influencing or driving government policy, legislation or regulation for the financial sector?  This could be either from within or outside the mechanisms of power. Could you help us to achieve our goals?

• Communications: effective communications are key to our work, and an area where we're looking to grow and improve. If you've got experience in media or digital comms, and would be willing to support and mentor the team as we develop our skills and capacity, we'd love to hear from you.

• Fundraising: the majority of our funding currently comes from trusts and foundation grants, plus we’re working on building our earned income streams. In future we’d also like to explore individual giving. Do you have relevant experience in these areas you’d enjoy sharing?

We’re also keen to hear from candidates with the relevant expertise to join our Finance and Operational Risk Committee, and/or our Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion working group. You can read more about these in the full Trustee Recruitment Pack available on our website here (opens pdf).

We recognise that people's backgrounds and the identities they hold have a significant effect on the ways that they experience and are impacted by the financial system. We know that our own work will be stronger if it is directly informed by a diversity of perspectives, including from those most negatively impacted by the current financial system. We therefore particularly welcome applications from people with backgrounds or identities that are currently under-represented on our board and team, including those from Global Majority backgrounds, neurodivergent people, disabled and/or chronically ill people, those with lived experience of financial exclusion, and women and non-binary genders. For info, you can find the results of our 2024 diversity survey results on our website here, (opens pdf).

You must feel confident in supporting the team and the board by providing advice and input on your areas of expertise, based on your experience. However, previous experience of serving on a board of trustees is not required, and we provide training and mentoring on fulfilling the obligations required of a trustee.

Our Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

We believe that justice, equity, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to what we are trying to achieve.

We are committed to providing equality and fairness for all and not to discriminate on any grounds, including gender, marital status, race, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, mental health, religion or age.

We encourage and celebrate the different qualities that our colleagues, and others we work with, bring to our work, and we believe that seeing things from a wide range of different perspectives helps us resolve problems, adapt our approaches and develop as an organisation.

You can read more about this, including the concrete steps we commit to during this process, in the full Trustee Recruitment Pack available on our website here (opens pdf).

How to apply

We’ve created a Trustee Recruitment Pack which includes more detail on what we are looking for, what will happen at each stage, and how we can support you through this process. The pack is available on our website here (opens pdf). We strongly recommend you take the time to read the full pack before applying.

The application process is as follows:

• Complete your application and submit a CV by the deadline of 15 October. Please note your CV will NOT be looked at unless you score highly on the application questions, which are reviewed anonymously, so please ensure you answer these as fully as you can. 

• Interview one (max. 45 mins, via Zoom): Tuesday 4 November

• Final stage (max 1 hr, via Zoom): 3.30pm, 25 November

• The first board meeting after appointment is on Tuesday 3 February 2026 from 2pm.

Good luck with your application!