Community Advisory Board Member (Volunteer)

More Than An Adviser

Help shape what comes next at FIRST UK

Every season, young people, teachers, mentors, volunteers and partners make FIRST UK what it is. You see what works, what doesn't and what's missing – often before we do.

That’s why we're establishing a Community Advisory Board, so that your insight helps inform and shape the decisions that matter. If you've been part of our community and want a say in where we go next, we'd like to hear from you.

This is a voluntary role, not a paid position and open to people aged 18 and over. In return for around four hours of your time each quarter, you'll have a direct opportunity to influence how we develop, share your perspective with the people making decisions and help build More Than Robots.

Sound like you? We'd love to hear from you.

About FIRST UK

We're a robotics-based, industry-linked education and careers accelerator, equipping young people with the essential skills to engineer better futures. Through FIRST Tech Challenge, we bring robotics, real-world problem-solving and industry role models into young people's lives. We help them develop the skills, confidence and connections to take their next steps into education, employment and STEM careers.

Our community makes this possible. With more than 600 volunteers supporting our work, we're growing across all four UK nations. As we grow, we want to make sure the voices of the people closest to our programmes help shape what comes next.

That's where you come in.

The Opportunity

The Community Advisory Board will give our community a clear, regular voice in how FIRST UK works and develops. As a member, you'll bring your experience, ideas and honest feedback into conversations about our programmes, events, volunteering, communications, partnerships and inclusion. You'll help us understand what's happening on the ground, spot opportunities we might otherwise miss and challenge us to think differently. You'll help us answer questions such as:

• What stops schools and young people from joining FIRST UK – or coming back?
• How can we make our events work better for teams and volunteers?
• What would make volunteering and mentoring easier to say yes to?
• How can we make our programmes more accessible and increase their impact?
• How do we tell our story in a way our community recognises?

Your contribution won't sit in a drawer. We'll report back on what we've done with your advice, what's still in progress, and why we haven't taken a recommendation forward.

This is an opportunity to influence, not to govern. The Board is advisory, with no executive or decision-making authority. Final responsibility for strategy, policy, budgets and delivery stays with FIRST UK and our Board of Trustees.

What you'll do

As a Community Advisory Board member, you'll:

• Bring your own experience and perspective to discussions about FIRST UK's work and future.
• Share insight into what's working well, what's not and what could be better.
• Help identify emerging needs, barriers and opportunities across our community.
• Give constructive, honest feedback on ideas and plans before we commit to them.
• Listen to different perspectives and help us see beyond our own experiences.
• Contribute to an inclusive, positive and respectful environment.
• Handle confidential information carefully and declare any conflicts of interest.
• Help strengthen the two-way conversation between FIRST UK and our community.

You won't be expected to speak on behalf of your team, school, region or organisation. We want your own perspective and experience, not a formal representative.

Requirements

We want to bring together a balanced mix of experiences, backgrounds and perspectives from across our community. We're looking for up to 10 people aged 18 or over with a strong connection to, and direct experience of, FIRST UK. You might be a:

• Teacher (team lead)
• Volunteer (mentor or gamechanger)
• Champion Organisation Ambassador
• FIRST UK alumni (in higher education or the workplace)
• Employer partner

Each year one Board seat is reserved for a Youth Representative, selected from the previous season's FIRST Leadership Award finalists. This gives a current young participant a dedicated voice in conversations about FIRST UK's future.

You don't need previous board or advisory experience. What matters most is that you know our community, care about its future and are willing to share what you think.

You'll be someone who is:

• Connected: You understand FIRST UK and have experience of our programmes or community.
• Honest: You're willing to speak up, challenge ideas constructively and share what you really think.
• Big-picture: You can look beyond your own team, role or region and consider the wider community.
• Open: You listen to others and respect views that differ from yours.
• Ambitious: You want to help us grow our reach, impact and voice across the UK.
• Discreet: You understand the importance of confidentiality and trust.
• Committed: You can make time to contribute throughout the year.

We don't expect you to have all the answers. We want people who are curious, thoughtful and ready to help us learn, adapt and improve.

Time commitment

The Board will meet at least four times a year, mostly online.

You'll need to allow around four hours per quarter, including meeting time, preparation and occasional input between meetings. From time to time, we may invite you to meet in person, usually alongside a major event such as the Championship.

Members serve a two-year term, renewable once.

Once the Board is formed, members aged 18 or over can also stand for Chair. The Chair helps meetings run smoothly, ensures different perspectives are heard, and acts as the key link between the Board and FIRST UK. You don't need previous chairing experience, but the role requires an additional commitment of around one to two days per quarter.

Benefits

Voluntary role, expenses and recognition

This is an unpaid voluntary role. There is no salary, stipend or other payment for your time.

Your time and experience are valuable. We'll cover reasonable travel and accommodation costs when we ask you to attend an in-person meeting or activity, in line with our expenses policy.

You'll receive support to get started, including a welcome call, guidance on the Board's responsibilities and access to relevant policies and safeguarding training where needed.

Your contribution will be recognised across the FIRST UK community. You'll also have the opportunity to connect with others who share your commitment to helping young people develop their skills, confidence and future opportunities.

Safeguarding and conduct

Depending on your role, you may require an up-to-date DBS, AccessNI, or PVG check. All members must follow FIRST UK's Safeguarding Policy, Volunteer Code of Conduct and other relevant policies.

How to apply

Interested in helping shape what comes next?

1. Read our Recruitment Pack
2. Complete our short application form by 23:59 on Friday 30 Nov
3. If you're shortlisted, we'll invite you to a 20-minute conversation with Vicky Harrold, Head of Delivery.
4. We'll select members to create a balanced Board, bringing together a range of experiences and perspectives.
5. We'll let applicants know the outcome and share details of the first Board meeting.

Thank you for considering becoming More Than An Adviser.

Together, let's build More Than Robots.