Find your place in the field of good food

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Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

About TastEd

TastEd is a growing charity with a simple but powerful mission: to help children develop a confident and positive relationship with vegetables and fruit through sensory food education.

Founded in 2019 by award winning food writer Bee Wilson and headteacher Jason O’Rourke, TastEd works with early years settings, primary schools, and local authorities to train educators and provide free, practical resources that bring food to life in classrooms. Rather than telling children what they should eat, TastEd creates joyful, hands-on experiences that allow children to explore food using all their senses - touching, smelling, listening, seeing, and sometimes tasting - in a pressure-free environment.

Today, more than 1,800 schools and early years settings across the UK are signed up to TastEd. As awareness grows around children’s health, food insecurity, and food preferences, TastEd is increasingly recognised as a practical, inclusive, and evidence-led approach that supports both educators and children.

We are on an exciting journey of growth. Our vision is for TastEd to become a core part of every child’s school and early years' experience, delivered consistently by confident, empowered practitioners, and fully embedded within the UK education system.

This is the kind of change TastEd is here to make possible: “When I first appeared with tomatoes, lettuce and mange tout, at least half of the class told me that they didn't like most if not all of them. There were lots of turned-up noses. I reminded the children of 'the golden rules' [of TastEd] which seemed to calm nerves… by the end of the lesson they were all devouring mange tout, pulling them apart, intrigued by the little peas inside.” Teacher, York

Why this role matters

As Chair, you will play an important role in shaping TastEd’s future. You will lead a committed and thoughtful Board, support the Director and small staff team, and help ensure that TastEd grows and thrives in a sustainable way while staying true to its values.

Our 2024-2029 strategy has driven the charity’s growth and development, and we are now entering an exciting next phase: deepening our impact, strengthening partnerships, and extending our reach. Importantly, we are focused on meaningful growth, not growth for its own sake.

Many of our board members have been involved since TastEd’s early days, and we are fortunate to have two founders still serving as trustees. We are now looking for a fresh perspective, additional strategic insight, and governance experience to help lead us towards our bold vision.

You do not necessarily need to come from food or education sectors, although of course this experience would be relevant. What matters most is your ability to lead, listen, ask thoughtful questions, and believe in TastEd’s mission. We are committed to governance that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve and recognises the value of lived experience alongside professional expertise.

This is an opportunity to make a tangible difference in children’s lives while contributing to an organisation that is driven, curious, and committed to evidence-based approaches.

“This program has opened my eyes, and I cannot put into words how it made me feel when the children try new foods for the first time and the look at parents faces when you tell them or they try at home and the parent tells you.” – Early Years Educator, Essex

Role Summary

The Chair of Trustees will provide leadership to the Board and support TastEd through its next phase of development.

Working closely with the Director, the Chair helps the Board to work well and effectively. This includes supporting the charity’s mission and values, helping to shape and review our strategic direction, overseeing financial sustainability, and ensuring strong governance and accountability.

The Chair also acts as an ambassador for TastEd, helping to build and maintain positive relationships with funders, partners and stakeholders across education, public health and the wider food system. This may include representing TastEd at meetings or events across the UK, particularly where the Director is unavailable. Support will always be available, and we value authentic representation.

Key responsibilities

Governance and leadership

• Ensure they have a good working knowledge of the TastEd’s Constitution.
• Ensure the Board fulfils its statutory duties, e.g. with respect to compliance, risk management, safeguarding and financial oversight both for the Charity Commission and the Scottish Charity Regulator.
• Chair Trustee Board meetings, agreeing agendas in collaboration with the Secretary and Director, ensuring productive, well governed discussion and decision making.
• Allocate time to reflect on governance, identify risks and ensure the charity delivers clear public benefit.
• Maintain regular communication with Trustees to support teamwork, collaboration and effective board functioning.
• Support recruitment, induction and development of Trustees to ensure a balanced and skilled Board that reflects TastEd’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Through strategic and operational oversight, ensure that TastEd’s values are supported and encouraged, being child centred, food based, joyful and evidence led.

Strategic oversight

• Lead the Board in reviewing and setting TastEd’s strategic direction, supporting sustainable growth and long term impact.
• Act as a strategic sounding board to the Director, providing challenge, guidance, and support while keeping child centred outcomes and evidence led decisions at the forefront.
• Ensure monitoring of organisational performance, impact, and outcomes, with a focus on promoting joyful, practical, food based learning for children.
• Contribute to the annual report, helping communicate impact and achievements aligned with TastEd’s values and mission.

Relationship with the Director

The Director is the most senior employee in TastEd and is directly responsible for all operational aspects of the organisation.

• Build a strong, trusting and collaborative relationship with the Director.
• Meet regularly (currently fortnightly) with the Director, and through this, support the whole TastEd employee team (currently a part-time Fundraising Manager, a freelancer supporting with marketing and administration, and two freelancers delivering teacher training).
• Maintain clear boundaries between oversight as Chair and operational management.

Personal qualities

We are looking for a Chair who brings:

• Experience leading teams and chairing meetings, with a good understanding of the charity sector and the governance requirements of regulated organisations
• Previous experience as a charity trustee (this is important for the role)
• The ability to both encourage and support others, and to offer constructive challenge when needed

Our future Chair will also:

• Support TastEd’s continued growth through strong strategic leadership at Board level
• Help ensure everything TastEd does remains child-centred, evidence-led and food-based
• Have strong communication skills, including working collaboratively with people who are not based in the same location

In addition, we are looking for someone who:

• Has a genuine interest in children’s food, wellbeing and the wider social, educational or health issues connected to this work (you do not need to be a nutrition or policy expert)
• Brings networks or connections that could support TastEd’s development — these might be within philanthropy, local or central government, education, or the voluntary sector

Time commitment

TastEd currently holds four board meetings a year, three online and one in-person, the location for which changes periodically to reflect the widespread placement of Trustees and staff across the UK.

An approximate time commitment is three to four days a month, including Board meetings, subcommittee work, external representation, and time allocated for governance, strategy and donor engagement.

This time can be worked flexibly, we try and accommodate people's requirements.

The role is voluntary, with reasonable expenses reimbursed.

Application information

Please complete both of the two steps below:

1.Send a CV or alternative format: You are welcome to provide a traditional CV, or present your experience in a way that feels most accessible and authentic to you - this could be a portfolio, personal statement, presentation, or even a short video or audio summary. Please send this to: info@tasteeducation.com

2.Submit responses to three short questions: Your answers will be anonymised during scoring to ensure fairness and reduce bias. You can find the questions here. If you can't access the link please email info@tasteeducation.com.

The deadline for applications is 26th February 2026.

We value diverse ways of demonstrating skills and impact, and want you to feel confident that your application can reflect your experience in the format that suits you best. We warmly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and identities, and particularly welcome candidates who bring perspectives currently underrepresented in charity leadership.

Initial interviews will take place online in March. Shortlisted candidates will then be invited to meet in person, with the successful candidate invited to observe the June trustee meeting.

If you have any questions please email: fran@tasteeducation.com

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