BSR Honorary Secretary
Role and Position Specification
The British Society for Rheumatology is an independent not-for-profit organisation that works
with rheumatology health care providers and leaders to achieve safe and effective health care.
The Honorary Secretary is a senior elected officer of the BSR. He or she works with a number
of other elected officers such as the President, Treasurer, Chairs of Standing Committees and
a number of other appointed honorary officers. They meet as the Board of Trustees which is
the leadership and decision-making committee; the duties and responsibilities of the Executive
Committee must be read in conjunction with this post.
Position summary
It is the primary role of the Honorary Secretary to drive the implementation of the BSR’s
strategic development in relation to membership, Regional Chair clinical networks, peer review,
clinical liaison with other colleges and societies, lead programmes on behalf of the BSR
president, and coordinate BSR nominated representative feedback. The Honorary Secretary is
responsible for the coordination of collaborative ventures with other societies or colleges. The
Honorary Secretary is responsible for the clinical leadership of all aspects of such ventures and
will delegate activities as appropriate, liaise and collaborate with the other clinical organisations
to ensure a co-ordinated approach to revalidation, sharing good practice, professional
accreditation and quality.
The Honorary Secretary will be responsible for building the capability of Regional Chairs and
the development of regional clinical networks through identifying good practice roles and
activities, and raising the profile of Regional Chairs with BSR members and external bodies. In
developing the localization strategy the Honorary Secretary will work closely with the BSR
Commissioning Lead and Chief Executive.
Through communication, innovation and key initiatives the Honorary Secretary will increase
Allied Health Professional, International and GP membership, working closely with the
Rheumatology International Chair and Chief Executive.
Other specific duties

To Chair the BSR Higher Awards committee and lead, advise and co-ordinate this area of
work.

To regularly attend BSR Executive, BSR Finance and Risk Committee and the BSR and
BHPR Council meetings, ensuring that these committees consider issues affecting
regions and members.

To liaise and facilitate close working with other societies and colleges to ensure effective
working relationships, and to proactively identify opportunities/priorities for developments.

To agree with the President of BSR specific programme/s to provide clinical leadership on
behalf of the President.

To design and implement ways to increase two way communications between BSR
nominated representatives on external activities/committee so that they properly
represent BSR at these meetings and ensure the BSR Executive Committee and
President receive update and reports.

To facilitate the use of technology to improve communication with regions and members
through webex, web site and other innovations.

The ideal candidate for the position will achieve success by:
- Building partnership relationships. The Honorary Secretary will build and maintain
critical external relationships with faculty and professional societies, and organizations
as Strategic Partners.
- Being a proven leader. The Honorary Secretary will craft a vision to sustain and
continue the growth of BSR membership.
- Providing overall leadership and vision for the continued growth, development
and future collaborative platforms for rheumatology health care professionals by
means of a robust website and in-person events, the BSR facilitates the opportunity to
learn state-of-the-art approaches to improving care systems.
Eligibility and election criteria
The post is open to Full Consultant members of the society. The position is for a four-year term
of office, one year as Assistant followed by three years as Secretary. The post may be
extended for a further year at the discretion of the Trustees (Rule 34).
Time Commitments
At present the post involves a variable time commitment (up to 1.5 days per month) on a range
of duties including the following:
 Attending the Executive Committee which currently meets four times a year (one day a
year is a full day)
 Attending BSR Council which meets three times a year (1/2 day)
 Attending the FRC which meet four times a year
 Representing BSR consultants’ view on the BHPR council (4 times a year)
 Representing BSR on external committees including the BMA (meets at least two times
a year electronically), the Arthritis Care Committee (meets three times a year), ACCEA
(up to two times a year)
 Attending the Committee Appointments Panel meeting which may meet twice a year
(once in person and once via teleconference)
 Optional attendance at the meetings of the standing committees which meet three times
a year and the BSR Biologics Register (which meets four).
 General meeting preparation and membership discussions with the staff team of BSR
Necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities include:
 Expert knowledge of rheumatology innovation
 Experienced and skilled at designing and managing relationships across multiple
professions, systems and geographic settings
 Excellent writing skills as well as superb interpersonal and verbal communication skills;
a master at presenting information, ideas, and results is critical
 Ability to work in a fast moving and, at times, intense environment
Candidate qualifications include:
 Demonstrated expertise and leadership
 Experienced speaker
 Experience of working in a technology or virtual environment
 Consultant Rheumatologist
Position Essential Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
 Entrepreneurial, innovative and strategic thinker and leader
 Strong leadership skills; a team builder, collaborator, mentor, and coach
 Excellent writing skills, as well as strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills
 Innovative approach to technology, virtual communication and networks
 Ability to build will, engage stakeholders, and manage relationships throughout the
system
 Ability to work in a fast moving, and at times, intense environment
 Must have a willingness to embrace and actively support the unique culture and values
of the BSR.
Revised March 2013