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Location: London
Other locations: Primary Location Only
Date: 15 Jul 2025
Requisition ID: 1626411
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Location: London, Birmingham, Manchester or Glasgow
Introduction to EY Foundation
The EY Foundation is a charity established in 2014 to help young people from a low-income background to develop the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. We were founded by EY, the professional services firm, who continue to be our primary funder.
Our ambition is that all young people eligible for Free School Meals have an employment and earnings potential equitable to other young people in the UK. We do this through a deep understanding of both sides of the labour market, bringing together employers and young people.We work in collaboration with a wide range of organisations to deliver employability skills programmes, scalable digital interventions, and by leveraging our convening power to influence systemic change.
We work in regions across the country, with team members based in four hubs in London, Manchester, Glasgow, and Birmingham. We operate a hybrid working model, where staff work in the office at least one day per week, however, depending on the nature of your role or specific business needs, you may be required to attend the office or events more than once a week.
As an independent charity we raise income through corporate partners, traditional fundraising, and grants.
EY Foundation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will need to undertake an Enhanced DBS check via the Disclosure and Barring service, where appropriate.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion
At the EY Foundation, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are at the heart of everything we do. We believe in the transformative power of embracing differences and creating a culture where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to be their authentic selves.
We are committed to fostering an environment that celebrates diversity in all its forms, ensuring that everyone – regardless of background, identity, or experience – feels safe, accepted and that they truly belong. Our dedication to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging means continuously learning, improving, and challenging ourselves to build a workplace where every individual can thrive.
We are an Equal Opportunities Employer and are proud to be a diverse and inclusive organisation. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, identities and experiences. If you share our commitment to creating a culture of belonging and inclusion, we encourage you to join us and help to make a difference.
AsGovernance and Compliance Officer, you will lead our governance function, ensuring legal and regulatory compliance while enabling effective decision-making. With strong governance experience, sound judgement and the ability to build trust at all levels, you will support effective leadership and accountability across the EY Foundation. Reporting to the CFO, you will work closely with the Board, Sub Committees and Leadership Team to ensure the effective and efficient planning, reporting and review of governance processes, leading on agenda-setting, Board development and the recruitment of Trustees and their induction. You will lead the Foundation’s approach to risk management and compliance, maintaining effective systems and processes to support a function that underpins trust, transparency, and ethical leadership across a high-impact organisation.
The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to social mobility, diversity, and inclusion.
Within the Foundation we adopt flexible roles that reflect the dynamic nature of our charity and enable our people to learn, develop and grow their skills and open up career opportunities. This is part of our investment in you. This role profile provides an outline of what will be involved in your role rather than an exhaustive list of duties. Both you and this role will naturally evolve.
The role will include several key responsibilities but are not limited to:
Governance:
* To work with the CFO to ensure the smooth running of the Foundation’s governance schedule, leading on continuous development and improvement, ensuring it continues to meet the needs of the organisation.
* To act as first point of contact and provide advice and support to the Board of Trustees to fulfil their roles, including overseeing the servicing of Board meetings and establishing appropriate induction, training and development opportunities.
* To lead governance and Board secretarial functions, ensuring that work is conducted in accordance with agreed processes and legal timescales.
* Provide clear structured agendas, timely papers and accurate minutes to support effective governance meetings.
* Manage statutory compliance and reporting, including submissions to Companies House and the Charity Commission.
* To develop and manage the processes of recruitment and induction of Trustees and successful succession planning, paying particular attention to EYF’s mission, values, Equity Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) aims and constitutional requirements.
* To monitor, develop and review policies and resources which support good governance, ensuring appropriate compliance with relevant external and internal processes.
* To advise on best practice, keeping abreast of charity sector development, legislative and other developments and liaising with Trustees and Leadership Team to provide regular updates.
* To support the Leadership team with its relationship with EY as set out in the MSA and Funding Agreements and the responsibilities of the EY Foundation as a Member of EY.
* Liaise with EY regarding matters of independence and further enhance governance systems to improve efficiency and effectiveness for EY Foundation.
* Assist with preparations for external audits ensuring compliance and readiness.
* To support EY Foundation in its understanding of the implications of procurement and its contractual responsibilities - liaising with EY.
Risk:
* To lead on the development and management of the organisation’s approach to risk management and assurance, monitoring and reporting on organisational risks through the Board Assurance Framework (BAF) and Risk and Control Matrix (RACM).
* To lead on the mapping and support the management of the mitigation of anticipated or emerging risk.
* To communicate effectively and champion risk management across the organisation and support colleagues to embed the agreed approach in their ways of working.
* Work closely with the Youth Voice Forum group and the Foundation’s Youth Engagement lead to ensure the views and voice of young people are at the heart of Board meetings and any decision making processes.
* Support the Programmes team as appropriate with their delivery to gain an in-depth understanding of our work and the young people we support, establishing yourself as an advocate and ambassador for our work.
* Undertake any and all other reasonable and related tasks associated with this role, including supporting the Leadership Team in other ad hoc tasks.
Your skills, knowledge, experience and qualification
What you will bring to the Foundation is your demonstrable skills, experience and knowledge in the following areas:
Required:
Skills
* Ability to build effective relationships across all levels of the organisation and with external stakeholders
* Excellent organisational skills, able to handle multi-tasking and prioritise effectively
* Proactive in problem-solving with the ability to work independently and as part of a team
* Strong written and verbal communication skills, high numerical ability, and keen attention to detail
* Delivering excellent customer service, to internal or external customers or service users
* Ability to effectively communicate, convey information and collaborate with colleagues, stakeholders and client
* Ability to foster positive relationships with a range of people
* Collaboration and flexibility in your team working, whilst also being able to work with minimum supervision
* High attention to detail and accuracy in documentation and reporting.
Knowledge
* Strong understanding of UK charity charity governance, including Trustee responsibilities and regulatory requirements and company law, compliance, and risk
* Familiarity with statutory compliance obligations (e.g. Charity Commission, Companies House).
* Skilled in developing governance policies, frameworks and risk management processes
* Experience in managing Board portal software and tools (e.g. Board Assurance Framework, Risk and Control Matrix) and coordinating large public/member events
* Professional or technical knowledge and experience in your specialist area
* Awareness of legal and regulatory frameworks relevant to charities, including data protection and procurement.
* Understanding of inclusive governance practices and the role of youth voice in decision-making.
Experience
* Extensive experience in a governance and or compliance role, ideally within a charity, corporate, or similar organisation
* Experience supporting or servicing Boards and Committees, including agenda-setting, minute-taking, and follow-up actions.
* Experience managing statutory filings and compliance registers.
* Experience leading or supporting risk management processes and reporting.
* A track record of creating positive impacts on organisational effectiveness through governance changes
* Working in a delivery-focused organisation
* Developing professional or technical qualitative improvement
* Delivering against a portfolio of projects/tasks effectively
Experience
* Experience of good practice in contracting/ procurement
* Experience working with or alongside young people or youth-led initiatives (desirable).
Qualification:
* Qualification or equivalent experience in Chartered Governance Institute (CGI) would be beneficial
Recruitment process
Our recruitment process is designed to identify the best candidates through a comprehensive evaluation of their skills, motivation, and potential. The process includes:
The first stage interview will be based on:
* Competency-Based Interview Questions:We will assess your technical and professional competencies relevant to the role.
* Motivational Interview Questions:We aim to understand your drive, passion, and alignment with our organisation's values and mission.
* Scenario-Based Questions:You will be asked to respond to hypothetical situations to demonstrate your problem-solving abilities and decision-making skills.
The second stage interview will be based on:
* Presentation Development:Candidates will be required to develop and present a topic related to the role, showcasing their communication and presentation skills.
* Understanding of Our Organisation:We value candidates who have a strong understanding of our organisation, including our mission, values, and the sector we operate in.
Our organisation is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience for all candidates. If you require any adjustments or support during the recruitment, selection, or onboarding process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Key dates
* First round interviews: We aim to complete the first round of interviews the 21st and 22nd of August 2025
* Second round interviews: We aim to complete the second stage of interview the 28th of August.
If you are invited to interview and are unavailable on one or both dates, please let the recruiter know, we will do our best to offer an alternative.
If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you during the interview process, please don’t hesitate to let the recruiter know when contacted.
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