Head of Governance & Company Secretary (Hybrid)

James Stevens Associates are delighted to be working with a unique Housing provider that are extremely well recognised UK charity. The organisation are HQ'd in London and are now looking for a Head of Governance & Company Secretary to lead their Assurance across the organisation.Role: Head of Governance Salary: £55,000 - £70,000 Hybrid: Remote with a view to work from office a couple of times a month dependent on committee / board meetings where requiredOffices: West London, Surrey & Ad Hoc London LocationsEMPLOYEE BENEFITS PACKAGE Flexible / Hybrid working cultureAnnual Leave Charity Facilities
Pension
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) Learning and Development
Company Events
Season Ticket Loan
Staff discounts Job purposeProvide company secretarial, governance and assurance services, ensuring our governance structure is efficiently and effectively managed. The role holder will be a senior manager and support all board meetings, including providing advice on governance, legal and risk matters to Board, Committees and the Executive Team.Organisational contextThe organisation is a leading provider of supported housing in London and beyond, providing a safe place to stay for about 1,150 young and vulnerable people each night.They provide housing and support to those in need of a place to call home and support them with services that empower them to build a positive future.They support children, young people, and families to be safe, healthy, connected, and confident.They bring people together by encouraging them to be healthy, physically and mentally.They help nurture an environment where people of all faiths and none have the opportunity to understand and express the love of God.They empower our residents, staff and users by providing them with excellent service and welcoming properties where they can thrive.They enable the Charity to respond to the future with an equipped and empowered workforce that is flexible and agile.The vision of the group is to empower young people by providing the resources and support so they can thrive. We wish to create inclusive, active and healthy communities where everyone can flourish.Their approach is informed by our Christian faith, and we work with fellow community collaborators to see this vision realised. Our core values underpin the way that we deliver our work and our aim is to create an inclusive culture where our staff, residents and customers feel a sense of belonging and can be their authentic selves.We welcome everyone, strive for excellence in all we do, inspire hope in others for what they might achieve and strive to grow and develop both people and places.Duties and Responsibilities As Head of Governance & Assurance you are responsible for: Governance and ComplianceTo promote high standards of corporate governance ensuring the organisation meets its legal, governance and regulatory obligations:Updating company rules, standing orders, terms of reference, schemes of delegations and codes of governance for Board consideration and approval.Keeping up to date with regulatory changes and providing reports on changes that affect the Charity to the Executive Team and Board. Offer expert advice on policies and procedures for effective compliance.Ensuring Board specific policies, procedures and service agreements are regularly reviewed in line with best practice.Supporting the Board in succession planning, recruitment, induction, training, and performance appraisal.Being a key point of contact for the Regulator of Social Housing on regulatory issues and maintaining a strong relationship with the regulators.Co-ordinating to ensure that all necessary returns are made on time (including Regulator of Social Housing, Charity Commission, Ofsted and any other of the Charity’s regulators).Ensuring compliance with relevant legislation including Data Protection, Money Laundering, Whistleblowing, Bribery, Anti-Fraud, and Document Retention. Relevant legislation and charity law.Being the designated person in respect of regulatory and compliance obligations such as GDPR data controller.Ensuring Statutory Accounts and Annual Reports contain the appropriate and accurate information in relation to Board and Governance requirements.Oversee adherence to the the org's membership agreement and achieving core and aspirational standards.Leading on the procurement of legal services, maintaining a panel of legal advisors that can provide a comprehensive range of legal services. Managing the Charity’s Assets & Liabilities and Contracts registersCompany SecretaryTo facilitate effective functioning of the board by:Organising schedule of boards and committees to meet the needs of the organisation, board members and legislative/ regulatory/ governance requirementsEnsuring the provision of papers in a timely wayActing as custodian of the clarity and integrity of records of deliberations of the boards and committeesEnsuring all areas of the group's website in relation to Board and Governance issues are complete, accurate and up-to-dateAnticipating the needs of non-executive directorsEnsuring an effective induction process for new board members and effective on-going development of board members.To maintain the confidence of and to act as a confidential sounding board for the Chairman and other board members:Advising on the setting of the forward agenda for the BoardProviding a discreet but challenging voice in board deliberationsAdvising on the recruitment, induction, appraisal, reward and development of board membersAdvising on developing the performance of the board as a whole.To undertake the statutory administration of the organisation and its subsidiaries including:• Maintaining statutory records (including directors register, shareholders register, etc.)• Ensuring timely and appropriate filings with Companies House, Charity Commission etc.• Updating the internal database with changes to directors and directors’ interests etc.• Providing general non-specialist legal guidance to colleagues, as required.Risk Management and assuranceManaging and co-ordinating the Charity’s risk and assurance framework and facilitating the identification of strategic and operational risks, working with the Executive Team and senior managers to identify and effectively manage risk.In conjunction with the Group Director of Finance, ensuring that:There are robust financial procedures that comply with statutory and regulatory requirements for probity, operations and reporting.A high standard is achieved in managing the Charity’s risk management activityProcuring and ensuring insurance arrangements appropriately balance the level of cover against the risk accepted by the Charity.Co-ordination and management of the preparation and review of the Charity’s internal risk management processes.Managing the internal audit contract and ensuring that a programme of internal audits meeting Charity’s needs, is completed on time and that audit recommendations are implemented to an agreed timetable and that the Audit & Risk Committee is well informed on all areas of responsibility contained in its Terms of Reference.Oversee business continuity planning and implementation