The copy below helps outline the role and responsibilities for joining the ProductBC Board of Directors. This is an unpaid, volunteer position.

Various Roles

Within the board itself there are various different roles one can play. Below we will outline the high level description of each role a board member might play, and then later we will go into details of the responsibilities. Board members may hold multiple roles during their tenure, possibly even at the same time (e.g. being Chair of a Committee and the Treasurer).

Member of the Board

As a member of the board, you are expected to attend most of the monthly board meetings. We adjust the time and day of the week to accommodate board member’s various schedules. Board meetings are 90 minutes once per month, with possible prep work to provide written updates and possible take-aways.

Responsibilities

• Attend meetings

• Set the strategic direction for Product BC, both short and long term

• Ensure legal and ethical standards are followed within Product BC

• Ensure the organization is appropriately managing assets & resources

A note: while board members are not required to join a set number of committees, Product BC has historically been primarily managed through the board. Typically board members act as committee chairs in addition to their role on the board. With 9 current committees, and 11 board members, you can see how engaging in other activities outside of the board itself is essential to the ongoing success of Product BC.

Chair of a Committee

As the chair of a committee, you are responsible for ensuring that committee is executing on its goals, and is aligned to the board strategy. You will ensure the board is kept up to date on committee activities. You will ensure the volunteer team knows when you need additional resources to execute on your mission. You will oversee the volunteers (board member volunteers and non-board volunteers) and provide support to them when needed.

Responsibilities

• Schedule and run committee meetings with meaningful agendas

• Ensure the committee has actionable goals and they are being executed on

• Stay aware of other committee actions where there is overlapping work

• Act as support for volunteers on the committee

President of the Board

The President of the Board is essentially the “chair” of the committee that is the board.

Of note: to be considered qualified to be President of the board, our bylaws state you must have two (2) years of equivalent experience working as a product manager, product owner, or product marketer. 

Responsibilities

• Schedule and run board meetings with meaningful agendas

• Ensure the board is setting the strategic direction for Product BC

• Ensure the board is setting short and long term goals aligned to strategy

• During times of uncertainty/crisis, act as leader and align the team to a plan

Vice-President

You support the President of the board in all their responsibilities, and act as a stand-in when they are unavailable.

Of note: to be considered qualified to be Vice-President of the board, our bylaws state you must have two (2) years of equivalent experience working as a product manager, product owner, or product marketer. 

Responsibilities

• Schedule and run board meetings when the President is unavailable

• Ensure all President responsibilities are being executed if they are unavailable

Treasurer

As the treasurer, you are responsible for ensuring the money of Product BC is used meaningfully to execute on our mission. You are responsible for overseeing all things financial.

Responsibilities

The treasurer is responsible for doing, or making the necessary arrangements for, the following:

• (a) receiving and banking monies collected from the members or other sources;

• (b) keeping accounting records in respect of the Society’s financial transactions;

• (c) preparing the Society’s financial statements;

• (d) making the Society’s filings respecting taxes.

Secretary

As the secretary, you are responsible for ensuring the decisions of the board are available to both board members and members of the community as needed. You must ensure that decisions and relevant conversations are recorded in an accessible fashion and the paper trail exists! You must also file required documents with the government annually.

Responsibilities

The secretary is responsible for doing, or making the necessary arrangements for, the following:

• (a) issuing notices of general meetings and directors’ meetings;

• (b) taking minutes of general meetings and directors’ meetings;

• (c) keeping the records of the Society in accordance with the Act;

• (d) conducting the correspondence of the Board;

• (e) filing the annual report of the Society and making any other filings with the registrar under the Act.

Time Commitment

Although your time dedicated to Product BC has no upper limit, and each role you take on will likely have a new minimum amount of time required to execute it responsibly, overall a board member likely spends at least 2 hours per week working on Product BC items. 

Getting Elected

Each year, a certain number of seats go up for election. Any paid member of Product BC can run for a seat on the board, and below we have outlined some suggestions and recommendations for a successful run, as well as details about the process itself.

Requirements to run

Firstly, one must be a paid member of Product BC for three months prior to being nominated for a board position, and must maintain membership through the duration of their tenure on the board.

Individual candidates for the board itself do not require a specific amount of experience as a product manager, product owner, or product marketer, however the board overall must have at least 75% of directors who have 2 or more years experience in the roles above or equivalent roles. President and Vice-President roles also must have 2 or more years experience in equivalent roles.

Term Length

Current Directors on the Board may re-run for election, no matter their initial term, so long as they do not serve more than 5 consecutive years. After having served 5 full years, if a Director wishes to be re-elected, they must take one full year off of the board first.

Board positions shall be either 1 year or 2 year terms, and the term for each board nominee must be indicated prior to voting. If you’d like to run for the board, you must specify your term.

Best Practice

When running for the board, it is considered best practice to run on a lightweight platform that includes your vision for Product BC (or a statement of your alignment to the current vision), and what you would hope to accomplish, establish, or invest your time into while on the board.

Although it can be tempting to focus on your past accomplishments, and we do encourage you to outline what skills and talents you will bring to the Board, do remember that almost all board nomination candidates have experience with similar work! What you will bring to the board that is unique is primarily your passion for certain areas of our community oriented work (e.g. volunteer experience, marketing, or events).