We have 5 open positions which include the President and Secretary roles, plus
two full-term and one half-term general position.
Below is a brief description of each position,
as well as some general information on the workings of the committee and the
current direction and focus.
We also have a nomination form to help streamline the meeting.
Each committee member is expected to attend a monthly 1 hour online meeting
(scheduled around all members other commitments),
and to have regular access to Slack, 1password and Google docs.
These are minimal requirements for staying in contact with the rest of the
committee and accessing required files and login information.
The time outputs outlined below are loose,
with more time often needed at crucial points throughout the year and less at
other times.
Critical points are usually:
- Turnover of committee members (after each Rails Camp)
- Weeks before RubyConf and Rails Camps
- Turnover of the financial year
Open Positions
President
The President guides the overall direction of the organisation.
They make the final call on major decisions and delegate work to General Members.
They are in charge of making sure the committee is running smoothly and
committee members are meeting their obligations.
Occasionally they need to mediate interpersonal issues within the committee or
address Code of Conduct breaches within the member base.
The President is in charge of chairing the online meetings,
though this is often delegated to the Secretary.
They also cast the deciding vote in the instance of a draw.
Time output: 5+ hours a week
Secretary
The Secretary is responsible to ensure that formal legal and governance
requirements of running an association are maintained.
They also handle the nitty-gritty of day-to-day committee operation,
such as keeping members in the loop on meetings,
taking and distributing minutes and maintaining our online accounts.
We also expect that they will be in charge of maintaining a new member database
in the coming year.
The Secretary job is a big one, which can involve delegating work out to General
Members.
Time output: 4-5 hours a week
Our existing Secretary, Ryan Bigg, intends to run for reelection.
General Members
General Members are tasked with supporting the current needs of the organisation
in various ways.
They might be on the organising team of an upcoming camp or conference,
heading a subcommittee to work on a particular aspect of the organisation like
the website/sponsorship or handling the social media and other member
communication.
We try to utilise the strengths and interests of each member to their best
effect,
and to allow them a fair amount of autonomy in their area of focus.
Time output: 2-3 hours a week
Goals for 2017
The main goals of the organisation for 2017 are:
- Streamline onboarding of new committee members
- Refine the yearly sponsorship model
- Gain greater knowledge of our membership base and communicate better with
members - Continue to streamline the organising and running of major events though guides
and support from previous organisers - Refine our Code of Conduct to be clearer and instate internal protocol for
handling complaints and breaches
Particular skills we would love to add to the team are:
- Sponsorship: the ability to secure sponsorships and maintain contact with
sponsors to ensure good relationships are in place - Membership: a working knowledge of community membership bases, record keeping
and communication - Code of Conduct: experience with instating or amending Code of Conduct
documents and/or enforcing them, particularly within community groups. - Social media: skills in social media engagement, blog writing, mailouts, or
other forms of external communication.
We welcome anyone who is interested in joining the team to step forward,
but if you have skills or passion for any of the goals outline above then we will
be especially lucky to have you.
As it’s common for existing members to move into open positions,
we encourage nominees to consider which positions they would be interested
in accepting before the meeting.
If you want any more information about the
committee, please feel free to contact us.
Otherwise, get nominating!