Governance Manager (3 months contract)
Are you an experienced governance professional who thrives at the centre of a busy organisation, comfortable holding things together behind the scenes while senior leaders focus on the bigger picture?
Do you have the board and committee experience to walk into a complex governance environment, quickly understand what needs to be done, and get on with it?
Are you confident engaging with high-profile stakeholders and senior volunteers, and able to push back and challenge when needed – with tact and diplomacy?
If so, this might be the perfect temporary (PAYE) assignment for you!
We are working with a well-established and respected professional institution seeking an experienced and proactive Governance Manager on a 3 months, temporary basis. The outgoing postholder has spent considerable time embedding best practice and conducting a thorough governance review, and this role is now at the implementation stage. That means the right candidate will be someone who can look at the landscape, understand immediately what needs to be done, and carry it forward with confidence.
This is a hands-on role at the heart of the organisation. You will act as Secretary to the Board, Council and Nominations Committee, take minutes, manage papers and agendas, and help organise events such as the annual away day. You will also support the Chief Executive office by filtering and directing what comes in, keeping on top of regulatory requirements, and dealing with governance matters as they arise, often involving senior members and high-profile stakeholders. On top of this, you will manage the Benevolent Fund and line manage a capable, proactive direct report who has been well prepared and is ready to hit the ground running alongside you.
Key facts:
Start date: ASAP
Assignment length: 3 months
Gross Pay rate (PAYE): £30 per hour (including holiday pay)
Location: Hybrid working – London EC1V - 2 days office, 3 days home
Hours: Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week, 0900 - 1700
The ideal candidate will meet the following requirements:
* Knowledge of charity/not-for-profit governance legislation (Charter status, Byelaws, Regulations).
* Proven experience supporting a Chief Executive or senior leader, managing governance documentation and ensuring effective implementation of processes.
* Recent experience acting as secretary to boards, councils and committees, including minute-taking, managing agendas and working with trustees, in a professional membership body.
* Strong understanding of regulatory compliance (GDPR and similar) and experience managing compliance processes including charity regulatory reporting (Charity Commission, OSCR, Companies House, FCA).
* Experience managing and leading a small team.
* Experience working with volunteers and coordinating election processes.
* IT proficiency: Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint to at least intermediate standard.
* Tact, diplomacy, high integrity and sound judgement; confident working with senior volunteer members and external stakeholders.
* Excellent written and oral communication skills, able to present complex information clearly to senior audiences, and confident enough to push back and challenge where necessary.
* Exceptional organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities under pressure.
Please note, we reserve the right to close this job advert early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your CV as early as possible. Our email address is
Our privacy policy is available on our website: https://www.fjwilson.com/notices/
FJWilson Talent Services is acting as Employment Business in relation to this PAYE temporary role.
We encourage applications from all sections of the community. Furthermore, qualifications and/or experience identified are indicative. We will consider applications from candidates who have comparable qualifications and/or experience for the assignment advertised.