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BIAZA CEC Regional Coordinator

Conservation Education Committee Regional Coordinator Role  - Middle and Eastern Region 

BIAZA’s Conservation Education Committee (CEC) is one of BIAZA’s six key standing Committees that works towards and achieves BIAZA’s education mission: “BIAZA collections aim to provide unique lifelong learning opportunities, to raise awareness, to increase respect and knowledge about wildlife and global issues, and thus to engage and connect people of all ages with the natural world” 

BIAZA’s CEC supports member collections in achieving these principles. 

Role Description - Regional Coordinator 

The role of Regional Coordinator specifically involves: 

• Organising two or three regional education meetings per year 
• Attending and actively participating in Conservation Education Committee meetings  
• Acting as a point of contact for collections to seek advice or pass concerns onto BIAZA 
• Disseminating information from BIAZA to the region 
• Carrying out some additional CEC tasks e.g. writing/updating resources for the website 
• Keeping a contact list up to date for the region and updating this regularly 
• Many regions appoint a vice regional coordinator, so some of this workload can be shared.  CEC and the BIAZA Executive Office can support you in doing this.    

BIAZA Committee Member Expectations 

Committee members are expected to act in the best interests of BIAZA and are not on the committee to represent their organisations or personal agendas. Committee members are expected to: 

• Attend and participate in all committee meetings (if unable to attend a meeting, notify the BIAZA Executive Office in reasonable time and provide any updates to the Executive Office and/or Chair) 
• Properly prepare for meetings, including reading all relevant papers and completing any relevant actions in advance 
• Carry out any relevant work required between meetings to achieve the strategic objectives of the committee 
• Raise any concerns about the committee, its members or its work through the relevant channels (see grievance policy) 
• Report their own Conflicts of Interest (including potential or perceived) at the start of every meeting 

 

Committee members MUST: 

• adhere to the Code of Conduct for committee members 
• ensure potentially sensitive topics or information remain confidential and related discussions are discrete (e.g. not discussed in locations where they could be overheard) 

 

Committee members MUST NOT: 

• speak to the public, press or wider membership (including on social media) on the committee or BIAZA’s behalf without prior approval 
• enter into agreements or partnerships with external organisations on the committee’s or BIAZA's behalf without prior approval 
• commit to any expenditure without the prior approval of the BIAZA Executive Office 
• use information or contact lists obtained via committee work for personal or professional work not directly related to the work of the committee 

 

Full committee roles are for a 3-year term, with the possibility of having a further 3-year term with the agreement of the wider committee membership.  Contributions to the committee will be assessed through a self-assessment process as part of re-election for this further term. 

If a committee member (including vice-chair and chair) persistently fails to attend or contribute to meetings or to complete actions between meetings, the chair (or BIAZA Executive Office if this applies to the chair) should discuss with the individual involved and try to resolve the matter to everyone’s satisfaction. If improvements are not seen within three months, the individual will be asked to step down from their role on the committee. 

Benefits of being on a BIAZA Committee 

Being a BIAZA Committee member is a voluntary role.  However, it does provide many benefits: 

• Opportunity to build your experience and knowledge of BIAZA and the sector 
• Develop a wide variety of skills 
• Opportunity to build networks and exchange expertise with other experts within the sector 
• Support the wider sector through addressing needs and creating valuable resources 
• Help BIAZA to achieve its charitable objectives and strategic aims 
• Directly influence the activities of BIAZA and the sector 
• Opportunity to influence wider policy across the UK, Ireland, EU and beyond 

 

Essential & Desirable Experience for Committee Members 

• Have relevant expertise or be employed in a relevant role 
• Work for a full member and have institutional support (full committee members, non-members may be co-opted if there is a clear need for their skills/knowledge) 
• Have the time to commit to Committee including attending meetings and completing actions 
• Be willing to speak up in meetings and engage fully in discussions and decisions 

Applicants from a variety of roles and experience are welcomed. 

 

Institutional Support 

Committee members must have institutional support from their employer to take on a BIAZA Committee role.  This means that the supporting organisation: 

• Is happy for the staff member to be on the Committee 
• Will give time for staff to carry out associated Committee activities (including attend meetings & complete actions in between meetings) 
• Will cover expenses for their staff’s Committee related activities and/or provide sufficient resources to enable them to undertake them 
• Expenses for Committee Activities 

In the first instance it is expected that your employer will cover your expenses for Committee activities as part of institutional support.  Expenses may be covered in exceptional circumstances – contact the BIAZA Executive Office for details.