What you'll be doing
You'll provide essential governance advice and support to the Board of Trustees and Executive Directors, ensuring they meet their responsibilities in line with best practice and legal requirements. You'll oversee compliance with key legislation, including the Companies Act and Charities Act, and maintain vital registers, such as Declarations of Interests. Additionally, you'll lead on statutory returns and manage risk oversight, guiding the IET through governance reviews that ensure we meet the highest standards, as outlined in the Charity Governance Code.
Your role will also involve managing logistics for meetings, taking minutes, and working closely with the Senior Staff Member and Committee Chairs to plan agendas and maintain forward schedules. You'll ensure that all relevant documentation, including meeting papers and resolutions, are accurately recorded and made accessible to the Board of Trustees and Committees. Additionally, you'll support the annual review of governance documents and implement changes that enhance our governance model.
By working collaboratively with colleagues across the IET, you'll help to create agile governance processes that enable efficient and effective decision-making. You'll play an important part in developing modern approaches to governance, ensuring our structures and processes are robust, adaptable, and supportive of our organisational goals.
What we hope you can bring to the role
We're looking for someone with strong experience in a governance role, ideally within a charity or membership organisation, who understands the importance of best practice and legal compliance. You'll have a solid grasp of governance models, be comfortable advising senior management, trustees, and volunteers, and have experience preparing agendas, drafting reports, and taking high-quality minutes. A professional governance qualification, such as CGI or ICSA, would be a big advantage.
Organisation is key to this role, and you'll need excellent attention to detail, ensuring that meetings, documentation, and statutory requirements are all managed efficiently. Strong communication skills are essential, as you'll be working closely with a range of stakeholders, providing clear and effective advice on governance matters. You should also be comfortable managing confidential information with care and professionalism.
We're hoping you'll bring a proactive approach to improving governance processes, along with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively. A commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion is important to us, and we'd love to see you apply these values in your work. If you thrive under pressure, enjoy managing complex tasks, and have a passion for delivering high standards of governance, this role could be a great fit for you.
A little more about the role
- Provide governance advice and guidance to the Board of Trustees, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and best practice.
- Oversee compliance with the Companies Act, Charities Act, and internal KPIs.
- Manage the logistics and smooth running of Board and Committee meetings, including agenda planning and minute-taking.
- Maintain key registers, such as Declarations of Interests, and oversee the publication of meeting papers and resolutions.
- Lead on statutory returns and ensure all required documentation is filed with appropriate bodies.
- Guide governance reviews aligned with the Charity Governance Code to maintain high standards.
- Support the review and updates of standing orders, terms of reference, and governance documents.
- Develop and implement governance processes that enable agile decision-making.
- Provide secretarial support and governance advice to the IET's other legal entities.
- Monitor and report on the IET's risk management practices and ensure compliance with best practice.
- Coordinate Annual General Meetings and Special General Meetings, ensuring smooth execution.
- Communicate Board decisions to relevant stakeholders and track progress on action points.
- Manage the IET's electronic meeting system for publishing papers and resources.
- Assist with the recruitment, induction, and training of trustees and committee members.
- Line-manage the Compliance and Risk Management Officer, providing leadership and support.
A little more about what we're looking for
- Strong experience in a governance role, ideally within a charity or membership organisation.
- A solid understanding of governance models, best practice, and current legal requirements.
- Experience in preparing agendas, writing minutes, and managing meeting logistics.
- Professional governance qualification (CGI/ICSA or similar) is highly desirable.
- Excellent organisational skills with a keen attention to detail and accuracy.
- Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with experience working closely with senior leadership and trustees.
- Proven ability to work under pressure, meet strict deadlines, and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
- Experience with statutory returns, compliance, and risk management processes.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team.
- High level of integrity and professionalism, especially when handling confidential information.
- A proactive approach to improving governance processes and systems.
- Good understanding of Charity Commission regulations and charity governance standards.
- Experience managing or supervising others is an advantage.
- Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.
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