Primary Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the Board, which (unless otherwise stated or explained) are compliant with the Higher Education Code of Governance issued by the Committee of University Chairs (the CUC Governance Code), are:

To approve the mission, strategic vision, ethos and identity of NMITE, its long-term academic and business plans and key performance indicators, and to ensure that these meet the interests of stakeholders.
To delegate authority to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the academic, corporate, financial, property, infrastructure and personnel management of NMITE, and to establish and keep under regular review the policies, procedures and limits within which those management functions shall be undertaken by and under the authority of the CEO.
To secure the efficient, economical and effective management of all NMITE’s resources and expenditure, capital assets and equipment, and staff, so that the investment of public funds and private donations are not put at risk.
To ensure the establishment and monitoring of systems of control and accountability, including financial and operational controls and risk assessment, safeguards against fraud, and procedures for handling internal grievances and for managing conflicts of interest.
To ensure processes are in place to monitor and evaluate the performance and effectiveness of NMITE against the plans and approved key performance indicators, which should be, where possible and appropriate, benchmarked.
To establish processes to monitor and evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the Board itself and its committees.
To conduct its business in accordance with the CUC Governance Code, the CUC Higher Education Senior Staff Remuneration Code, the Nolan Principles and the guidance published by the Charity Commission.
To safeguard the reputation, ethos and values of NMITE.
To appoint the CEO and to put in place suitable arrangements for monitoring their performance.
To approve the proposed job description and terms of appointment for each member of the Senior Leadership Team and to participate in and approve their appointment.
To be responsible for establishing a human resources strategy.
To be the principal financial and business authority of NMITE, to ensure that proper books of account are kept, to approve the annual budget and financial statements, and to have overall responsibility for NMITE’s assets, property and infrastructure.
To be NMITE’s legal authority and, as such, to ensure that systems are in place for meeting all its legal obligations, including those arising from contracts and other legal commitments made in NMITE’s name.
To make such provision as it thinks fit for the general welfare of learners, in consultation with the Academic Council.
To act as trustee for any property, legacy, endowment, bequest or gift in support of the work and welfare of NMITE or its learners.
To ensure that procedures are in place which are designed to ensure that NMITE’s governance arrangements set out in the Governance Handbook are always followed (or to approve any waiver or departure from them), and that appropriate advice is available to support this.

Other matters that are considered by the Board:

To approve expenditure in relation to any project, initiative or acquisition which falls outside those authorities delegated to the CEO.
To ensure the solvency of NMITE and the safeguarding of its assets.
To appoint a Company Secretary (to act also as the Clerk to the Board) and to ensure that, if the person appointed has managerial responsibilities in NMITE, there is an appropriate separation in the lines of accountability.
To approve an annual budget before the start of each financial year – 1 August to 31 July.
To determine fees and charges having regard to NMITE’s policy for diversity and inclusion and widening participation.
To ensure that NMITE has in place policies which support diversity and inclusion in its recruitment of learners and staff and widening participation in higher education and engineering and systems which provide them with equality and diversity of opportunity as members of NMITE.
To approve the creation or dissolution of any trading or other subsidiary of NMITE.
To ensure that NMITE has in place relevant policies which uphold its ethical values, particularly in terms of donations in cash or kind, research, business development and corporate social responsibility.
To approve the appointment of members of the Board and the filling of casual vacancies.
To approve the establishment, membership and terms of reference of each committee of the Board and each other Committee, Council, Forum or Panel which is the responsibility of the Board, including (but not be restricted to):
- the Academic Council
- an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group to contribute actively to the design and implementation of NMITE’s policies to support equality, diversity, inclusion and widening participation
- the Student Suspension Review Panel, the membership of which shall be identified by the Student Disciplinary Appeals Committee (or Chair) separately for any individual case.
- the Special Committee to be convened in the event of the dismissal of holders of senior posts including the CEO and the Company Secretary.
- the Members’ Advisory Council (and the Members’ Advisory Forum which is to operate in the period to the establishment of the Members’ Advisory Council)
To receive the annual report of the Audit & Risk Committee for submission to the OfS and the QAA, together with an annual report of each of the other Board committees.
To receive the OfS’s annual assessment of institutional risk.
>To approve amendments to the Academic Council Terms of Reference and note the Academic Regulations as approved by the Academic Council.
To approve the annual calendar of meetings for the Board and its committees.
To ensure that NMITE has a written statement of policies, and to monitor the implementation of those policies through the receipt of an annual report.