Board Trustee Appointments
Help Shape the Next Chapter
of V&A Dundee
V&A Dundee is seeking new Trustees to join its Board at an important point in the museum’s development. This is a high-profile opportunity to contribute to Scotland’s design museum, supporting its strategic direction, strengthening its impact, and helping ensure it continues to inspire audiences, communities and partners across Scotland and beyond.
Opportunity Snapshot
We are Scotland’s design museum, on a mission to inspire and empower through design.
We are a creative catalyst, a pivotal part of a city transforming, and a proud member of the V&A family of museums that celebrate design and creativity.
Our five strategic aims are to:
- Generate joy and spark curiosity in design for all our audiences
- Grow our civic role as a museum and deepen our social impact
- Become Scotland’s design champion
- Cultivate an organisation that values our people, audiences and planet
- Prosper as a sustainable organisation for the long term
Vision
Design shapes our world, it’s part of everyday life and it’s everywhere. We are a museum with energy and have a vision of the future where everyone is inspired through design and recognises its far-reaching impact in our lives.
Design brings joy and wonder, and it is a way to understand our ever-changing world. It can give us the agency, skills, and confidence to understand the past, to shape our own futures, and to explore how we can design better with and for people and planet.
We champion design and designers and want to share the infinite possibilities they bring as catalysts of creativity and change.
Our spectacular home is Dundee’s reimagined waterfront. We are a pivotal part of a city transforming. We reach out across Dundee, Scotland, the UK, and the world, sharing and gathering stories and ideas about design from Scotland and beyond.
We are a welcoming place for people of Dundee to explore design and to use as an everyday part of their city, as well as inviting visitors from around the world.
This is a nationally significant cultural organisation with local roots, international reach and a powerful role in showing how design can shape better futures. o the wider world, it welcomes audiences from Dundee, across the UK and internationally. This is a nationally significant cultural organisation with local roots, international reach and a powerful role in showing how design can shape better futures. organisation with local roots, international reach and a powerful role in showing how design can shape better futures.
Dear candidate,
Thank you for your interest in joining V&A Dundee’s Board.
V&A Dundee is Scotland’s design museum and the first V&A in the world outside of London. We opened in 2018 and in a few short years we have generated significant impact for Scotland of over £300 million and welcomed over 2.5 million visitors, an incredible achievement in a city of 150,000 residents.
V&A Dundee has a mission to inspire and empower through design. From its home on Dundee’s waterfront, it plays a vital role in the city’s transformation bringing design to life by sharing Scotland’s design stories to audiences at home and internationally, as well as bringing design from all over the world to Scotland.
The museum is a driver of economic growth in Dundee and the wider Tayside region, creating jobs, supporting new and established businesses, and attracting global attention and investment. V&A Dundee is a catalyst for the ongoing regeneration of this great city, including plans for the forthcoming Eden Project Scotland.
This is a unique and exciting organisation that draws great strength from its Founding Partnership of the V&A, Abertay University, Dundee City Council, Scottish Enterprise and the University of Dundee, as well as our core support from the Scottish Government.
Our Board works closely with the museum’s leadership team, led by its Director, Leonie Bell. Our new Board members will have the opportunity to contribute to the many successes of this Scottish icon and to oversee and inform the next stage of its development.
The Board is seeking new members who can bring experience, energy, networks and varied perspectives to the next exciting chapter of V&A Dundee. This is a chance to support a museum with a compelling vision, deep social purpose, ambition and long-term potential to deepen its impacts.
V&A Dundee requires a Board that draws from people with different professional and personal backgrounds to support and challenge the museum as it grows. We are looking for candidates who care about the role design plays in society and who will bring energy, exceptional professional experience, and a range of diverse perspectives to our Board.
As we look forward to the museum’s tenth year in 2028, we have started a bold programme to transform the visitor experience and the Scottish Design Galleries. With support from the UK Government, this will ensure V&A Dundee remains dynamic and ambitious, deepening its impact in the city, in Scotland and around the world.
We very much look forward to hearing from you.
Tim Allan CBE
An opportunity to help guide Scotland’s design museum as it enters its next chapter of growth, impact and ambition.
V&A Dundee is seeking to appoint between three and five new Trustees to its Board as volunteer trustees reach the end of their terms and the organisation prepares for a wider Board transition in 2028. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the leadership of Scotland’s design museum at a pivotal moment in its development, including a major capital programme to transform the visitor experience and expand the Scottish Design Galleries.
The Board is looking to appoint candidates who will bring fresh perspectives, strategic insight and broad expertise across a range of priority areas including finance and risk, communications and reputation, cultural leadership, architecture and design, digital innovation and commercial expertise.
V&A Dundee is particularly interested in candidates who can bring strong local and national networks, contribute positively to Board dynamics and governance, and help strengthen the museum’s role as a leading cultural organisation in Scotland and beyond.
Finance & Risk Committee Chair
The Board’s priority appointment is a Trustee who can Chair the Finance & Risk Committee and provide confident strategic oversight during a significant period of organisational growth and investment.
This Trustee will play a key role in supporting V&A Dundee’s long-term sustainability, governance and capital ambitions, helping oversee an organisation with annual revenues of approximately £8m alongside a major capital development programme.
Candidates will ideally bring elements of the following experience:
- a recognised financial qualification, ideally as a qualified accountant;
- senior financial leadership experience at Board or executive level;
- experience overseeing complex organisations, major capital projects or infrastructure investment;
- strong governance, audit and risk management expertise;
- the ability to remain calm, pragmatic and solutions-focused under financial pressure;
- an entrepreneurial, flexible and forward-thinking mindset;
- experience chairing finance and risk committees or equivalent governance structures;
- strong relationship-building skills and the ability to contribute positively to Board chemistry and culture; and
- an interest in culture, design, civic leadership or purpose-driven organisations.
Cultural Leadership / Communications & External Affairs
V&A Dundee is seeking Trustees who can help strengthen the organisation’s profile, influence and advocacy at local, national and international levels.
Candidates may come from the cultural, creative, media, policy, civic or commercial sectors and will bring strategic communications expertise, influential networks and an understanding of contemporary public engagement.
The Board is particularly interested in candidates with a strong Dundee or wider northern presence, alongside those who can bring national policy influence and external affairs expertise.
Candidates will ideally bring elements of the following experience:
- senior leadership experience within culture, design, media, policy, civic or creative sectors;
- expertise in strategic communications, reputation management, public affairs or newer media approaches;
- the ability to advocate for the value of design and creativity across public and private sectors;
- established regional or national networks that could support partnerships, profile and fundraising;
- experience navigating complex stakeholder environments and organisational transformation;
- an understanding of Scotland’s cultural, political and civic landscape;
- a commitment to environmental responsibility and alignment with values-led organisations; and
- a genuine commitment to the mission and ambitions of V&A Dundee.
Design / Creative Industries / Innovation
V&A Dundee is also interested in candidates from architecture, design, creative industries, digital innovation and related sectors who can contribute to the museum’s future thinking and strategic direction.
This Trustee would bring insight into contemporary creative practice, emerging ideas and the evolving role of museums and design within society.
Candidates will ideally bring elements of the following experience:
- recognised expertise in architecture, design or a related creative or innovation discipline;
- strong connections within the creative industries or wider design sector;
- an understanding of how design can shape social, environmental and economic change;
- experience working across interdisciplinary or collaborative environments;
- strategic insight into innovation, technology or future-facing creative practice;
- an interest in civic engagement, education and social impact;
- the ability to contribute constructively to Board discussion and dynamics; and
- enthusiasm for supporting V&A Dundee’s role as Scotland’s design champion.
Responsibilities of a Trustee include:
- contributing to the effective leadership and governance of V&A Dundee;
- helping to shape and review the organisation’s strategic direction and long-term ambitions;
- safeguarding the assets, reputation and sustainability of the organisation;
- ensuring the organisation operates within its charitable objectives and legal responsibilities;
- supporting and constructively challenging the Executive Team in a non-executive capacity;
- acting as an ambassador for V&A Dundee and advocating for its mission and impact;
- supporting the development of partnerships, networks and fundraising opportunities;
- contributing to Board Committees and strategic discussions where appropriate; and
- helping foster a positive, collaborative and effective Board culture.
Applicants should bring:
- a passion for design, creativity and the transformative role of culture in society;
- strong communication and interpersonal skills;
- the ability to contribute strategically at Board level;
- sound judgement, integrity and collaborative working style;
- a commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity;
- an understanding of governance and organisational accountability;
- strong networks or the ability to build productive relationships;
- the confidence to act as an advocate and ambassador for V&A Dundee; and
- enthusiasm for supporting the museum’s future ambitions and long-term impact.
Time Commitment
The initial term of appointment will be for [four years], with the potential for reappointment subject to governance requirements.
Trustees are expected to attend approximately [X] Board meetings per year, alongside preparation time and participation in committee meetings where relevant.
Additional time may occasionally be required for strategic workshops, events, stakeholder engagement and onboarding activities.
A full induction and ongoing development programme will be provided.
Location
Board meetings are typically held at V&A Dundee in Dundee, with occasional meetings or events elsewhere in Scotland and the UK.
[Hybrid attendance arrangements / remote participation policy.]
Remuneration
Trustee positions are unpaid voluntary appointments. Reasonable travel and subsistence expenses will be reimbursed.
Diversity & Inclusion
V&A Dundee is committed to building a diverse Board that reflects the communities it serves and welcomes applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences.
The organisation particularly welcomes applications from people currently underrepresented in cultural leadership and governance roles.
Due Diligence
Due diligence will be carried out as part of the recruitment process and may include referencing and public background searches.
How to Apply
[Application process]
[Closing date]
[Interview dates]
[Contact details]
[Accessibility statement / alternative formats information]
A Message to Candidates
Why This Appointment Matters
This is an opportunity to join V&A Dundee at a meaningful moment in its journey. Trustees will help guide the museum’s strategic direction, support its leadership team, and contribute to decisions that influence its cultural, educational and civic impact. We are looking for people who care about the role design can play in society and who can bring energy, judgement and perspective to the Board.
Tim Allen, V&A Chair
Candidate Profile
Who We Are
Looking For
V&A Dundee is looking for thoughtful, committed and values-led individuals who can contribute to Board discussion, support good decision-making and bring insight from a range of professional, civic, creative or community backgrounds
Strategic Thinkers
Candidates should be able to contribute to long-term thinking, ask constructive questions and support decisions that strengthen the museum’s future.
Governance Mindset
Trustees must understand the importance of accountability, good governance and collective responsibility within a public-facing cultural organisation.
Connected Advocates
The Board will benefit from individuals who can build relationships, open conversations and champion V&A Dundee’s role and impact.
Diverse Perspectives
V&A Dundee welcomes candidates who bring different experiences, backgrounds and ways of thinking to support a balanced and effective Board.
