The Chair leads the Everybody Active partnership, enabling partners to work collectively in line with the Everybody Active strategy, which aims to encourage people across Kirklees to be more active.
Key accountabilities
- Chairing Everybody Active meetings and ensuring it operates effectively, transparently, upholds high standards of governance and probity, and maintains a collective focus on encouraging the Kirklees population to be more physically activity and benefit from the related outcomes.
- Providing strategic oversight and constructive challenge to ensure the Everybody Active partnership is focused on the agreed priorities and outcomes
- Ensuring decisions are made in the best interests of the Kirklees population and reflect system-wide perspectives
- Ensuring effective links and alignment with other programmes that encourage people and communities to be more active across Kirklees, West Yorkshire and beyond.
Key responsibilities
- Leadership and facilitation: Lead meetings effectively, set the tone for positive collaborative working, and ensure all partners can contribute
- Vision and direction: Support the development and implementation of a clear shared vision and strategy for the Everybody Active partnership and its intended impact
- System collaboration: Promote constructive relationships across organisations and sectors, encouraging joint ownership of challenges and solutions
- Delivery: Support the development and delivery of programmes of work to deliver the Everybody Active strategy
- Governance and transparency: Ensure Everybody Active operates within agreed partnership governance frameworks and includes appropriate representation
- Challenge: Provide constructive challenge to Everybody Active partners regarding delivery, performance, and risks
- Advocacy: Acting as an ambassador for Everybody Active where appropriate, representing its purpose and priorities within wider partnership forums
Scope and boundaries of the role
The Chair role is non-executive and facilitative in nature and does not include:
- Day-to-day management of programme delivery in support of the Everybody Active strategy
- Line management of any staff working on programme delivery
- Direct accountability for delivery of programme outputs and outcomes (which remains with accountable leads and individual programmes of work)
- Responsibility for internal governance or statutory duties of partner organisations.
Working context
The Chair will work within a complex partnership environment and may need to manage differing partner priorities and perspectives. The role requires impartiality, transparency, and the ability to balance challenge with support, always acting in the best interests of the Kirklees population and the partnership.
Administrative support for the Chair and Everybody Active will be provided by Yorkshire Sport Foundation.
Everybody Active meetings will take place a minimum of four times per year. Additional meetings may be scheduled in addition to these to support the work of the group.
The role requires an intermittent commitment, primarily focused on meeting cycles and occasional stakeholder engagement, tailored to the evolving needs of the partnership.
The Chair will normally serve an initial term of three years, subject to annual review and mutual agreement.
The Chair's role is voluntary and there is no direct payment made for their time.
However, all reasonable expenses incurred while performing the Chair's role will be reimbursed (excluding loss of wages for attending Everybody Active meetings, training events, etc.).
To apply for the role of Everybody Active Chair please submit your CV and a short covering letter by Tuesday 26th May 2026 to glenn.holdsworth@yorkshiresport.org
Person Specification
Experience and knowledge
- Experience of working collaboratively across organisational boundaries within complex partnership or system environments
- Experience of Chairing or leading multi-agency groups, boards, or programmes
Skills and abilities
- Strong Chairing and facilitation skills, with the ability to lead inclusive, productive discussions and manage differing perspectives
- Ability to provide constructive challenge while maintaining positive and respectful relationships
- Strategic thinking skills, with the ability to maintain a system-wide focus beyond organisational interests
- Strong communication and influencing skills, including the ability to build consensus and shared ownership
Personal attributes
- Credibility and authority to lead peers from across partner organisations
- Commitment to partnership working, transparency, and collective decision-making
- Ability to recognise and manage potential conflicts of interest openly and appropriately
- Strong commitment to improving physical activity and related outcomes for the Kirklees population.
