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13 May 2026
3pm on 24 June 2026
6 July 2026
31 July 2026
Board of Trustees
Tate has fourteen Trustees. Thirteen are appointed by the Prime Minister and one is appointed by the National Gallery Board from among the members of that Board. At least three Trustees must be practising artists.
We are seeking to appoint up to 6 Trustees with strong generalist skills and 3 of these Trustees will have experience/expertise in one of the following areas:
Public Affairs/Media/Public Sector
Artist
Business/Finance
The Role of the Board
The role of the Board of Trustees is to:
Determine policy and establish the overall strategic direction of Tate within the policy and resource framework available;
Supervise the management of Tate by acting as guardians of the public interest;
Use the combined expertise of members to advise the Director;
Decide on major acquisitions and major resource commitments;
Represent Tate externally and assist in the fundraising of resources; and
Oversee the delivery of planned results by monitoring performance against objectives and targets.
Trustees must participate in the Board’s decision-making processes, including preparation for, and attendance at, meetings of the Board, as well the Board’s Sub-Committees that they may be appointed to.
The role includes attending six half-day Board meetings per annum plus the annual Trustee away day. Four of the six Board meetings are held in central London, one in Liverpool and one in St Ives. Trustees will typically serve on a number of Sub-Committees of the Board, the meetings of which amount to between five and eight a year. More information on the Sub-Committees can be found at: https://www.tate.org.uk/about-us/board-trustees
The role also involves attending and hosting Tate events and other engagements such as openings and dinners and the annual conference for Tate non-executives. Some additional time to study papers and provide ad hoc advice will be required as necessary.
The likely total time commitment is the equivalent of two days per month.
A Trustee must be prepared to declare and actively manage any pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests upon appointment and whenever a matter arises in which the Trustee has an interest which might be perceived to conflict with those of Tate. To this end, Trustees are required to complete and submit a declaration of interests on appointment and thereafter annually.
Knowledge: a clear understanding of Tate, a commitment to its values and a willingness both to represent and act as an advocate for Tate in the public arena.
Judgement: effective decision-making skills with the ability to contribute to Board-level discussion and wider policy and strategy development.
Communication: strong communication skills and the ability to listen, accept challenges and constructively challenge others in discussions with clarity and respect.
Inclusion: a demonstrable commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion; and improving opportunities for people throughout the UK.
As well as seeking generalist candidates who can demonstrate the essential criteria outlined above, we are also seeking candidates who are able to demonstrate at least one of the following criteria:
Artist:
A practising artist, maker or designer from across the cultural and creative industries including but not limited to art, architecture, performing arts, production, fashion, design or music, predominantly based in the United Kingdom;
A national or international standing supported by a successful track record and extensive experience of artistic processes;
An ability to contribute to the acquisitions process, based on knowledge and enthusiasm for Tate’s work in developing and sharing the Collection;
Public Affairs/Media/Public Sector:
Experience in high-level leadership roles, with credibility and networks gained through their expertise in: broadcast, print or digital media; Public Affairs; or Public Institutions and/or the Public Sector.
An ability to advise Tate on issues related to current affairs and public opinion or public policy and relationships with government.
Business/Finance:
Experience in financial leadership roles, including but not limited to professional accounting, corporate finance, or senior audit oversight within the private or public sectors;
Desirable: Senior leadership experience in multinational corporations or major international companies or institutions;
Desirable: International connections at senior levels and excellent networking skills in the business sector;
Desirable: Experience/expertise in fundraising, ideally for not-for-profit organisations.
Some public appointments are made by the Prime Minister, or the Crown on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Others are made by Secretaries of State or other ministers and are of interest to the Prime Minister.
Public appointments made by or of interest to the Prime Minister
In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.
Once you are logged into your account, click on 'apply for this role' and follow the on-screen instructions To apply, all candidates are required to provide:
We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.
You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the disability confident scheme before you submit your application.
As part of your application, you will be asked to provide equality information including special category data (which may identify your race/ ethnic background or health); you have the choice to opt out from sharing any equality data, by selecting ‘prefer not to say’. We use your personal information and special category data for a wide range of purposes, to enable us to carry out our functions as a government department.
Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.
The assessment process
Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.
An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.
At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.
Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.
The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.
Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.
Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.
Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.
In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.
There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.
The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards.
You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:
you are disqualified from acting as a company director (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);
have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;
your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.
When you apply, you should declare if:
you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this.
you are subject to a current police investigation.
You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points.
When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)