About Lifebox

Founded in 2011, Lifebox is a non-profit organization working to make surgery and anesthesia safer around the world. Registered in the UK, US, and Ethiopia, with colleagues in over 100 countries, Lifebox develops and implements tools, training, and strategies for improving the safety of surgery and anesthesia in low and middle-income countries. Lifebox has just launched a new three-year strategic plan and is set for continued growth over the next period.

About the Role

The successful candidate will join the Lifebox Global Governance Council, which is collectively responsible for promoting the success of the organization by directing and supervising its affairs. The candidate will also join either the US, UK, or Ethiopian board as a director. The Council:

• sets Lifebox’s strategic aims, ensures that the necessary financial and human resources are in place for it to meet its objectives, and reviews management performance of the Global CEO who reports to the Council and provides overall executive leadership to the organization; 

• sets the values and standards for Lifebox, and ensures that its obligations to its donors and partners are understood and met;

• provides a framework of prudent and effective controls which enable organizational risk to be assessed and managed.


Members of the Boards of Directors of the UK and US nonprofit organizations serve together on Lifebox’s Global Governance Council (GGC). It is anticipated that following the appointment to the GGC, the appointee will also be asked to serve on one or more committees of the GGC. Current committees are Finance, Governance and Nominations, and Programs.

Lifebox is particularly interested in candidates with a philanthropic and/or business background to bring this expertise to the Council. A majority of their Council members are currently healthcare professionals and clinicians.

Duties and Responsibilities

In addition to the requirements noted above, this specific role has the following key elements:

• Strategy: Constructively challenge and contribute to the development of strategy, in particular in the area of fundraising and donor development;

• Performance: Scrutinize the performance of executive leadership in meeting agreed goals and objectives and monitor the reporting of performance, particularly in relation to fundraising and donor development; 

• Risk: Assure that financial information is accurate and that financial controls and systems of risk management are robust and defensible.


A time commitment of 10-12 days per year is anticipated. This will include attendance at quarterly virtual meetings of the Council and up to two in-person Council meetings per year once global conditions allow. The role requires regular attendance via telephone or face-to-face meetings of any GGC Committee on which the Board Member sits. 

In addition, it is expected that Council Members devote appropriate preparation time ahead of each meeting and provide ad hoc support to the Global CEO, Global COO, and development, finance, program, and clinical staff as needed on specific portfolios.

Skills and Experience

The ideal candidate will bring:

• Expertise in philanthropy, with a broad network including links to new potential donors

• Growth mindset, with motivation to build the reach and impact of Lifebox 

• Business acumen

• Senior leadership experience 

• A strategic and global vision with a passion for global health and the mission of Lifebox

• Experience in nonprofit governance and increasing Board effectiveness