EEAST is a great place to work, great people, great career opportunities and a career that can take you anywhere. No two days are the same, if you are looking for a varied and supportive environment EEAST can offer you that and more!
Hear why our employees think it is such a great place to work:
-Great employee benefits:
-Our equality networks:
-Our vision & values:
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Job overview
The Trust Company Secretary role is to develop, maintain and continuously improve corporate governance arrangements and provide strategic advice and guidance to the Trust Board, Chair, Chief Executive, Executive and Non-Executive Directors on all matters relating to corporate governance.
The post holder will act lead of Governance and Risk and as the Board Secretary and will act as principal adviser to the Chair, Chief Executive and the Board on issues related to corporate governance and risk and will primarily be responsible for establishing and maintaining sound governance procedures that will ensure quality, efficiency, effectiveness, integrity and business focus for the organisation. They will ensure that meetings of the Board of Directors and associated committees are run efficiently and effectively, properly supported and comply with their legal, fiduciary and other duties.
Please note that a Stakeholder Event and Interviews are scheduled to take place on 27 April 2026.
Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities:
Corporate Governance
Board Management
Corporate Risk Management / Assurance
Compliance
Legal Services
Policy Review and Assurance
Responsibilities for Financial and Physical Resources
Management and Leadership Responsibilities
Responsibilities for information resources
Corporate Project Work
Working for our organisation
You'll have the opportunity to work in one of the most diverse regions in the country, with the vibrant capital city just a stone's throw away and the invigorating North Sea coast to the east.
The East of England offers a unique blend of innovation and opportunity, surrounded by picturesque countryside, historic towns, and quick access to both the bustling capital and serene coastlines.
At EEAST we bring together all our skills to provide 24 hour, 365 days a year urgent care to those in need of emergency and non-emergency medical treatment and transport in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
We are always looking to innovate our approaches and work together to offer the best possible patient care across our counties.
We aim to represent and value the diversity of our local communities through our workforce and service provision. We therefore positively encourage applications from under-represented groups, such as Black, Asian, or other ethnic groups, individuals with a Disability, or LGBTQ+ individuals who meet the specific criteria.
We at EEAST want to support our employees achieve a balance between work and other priorities, such as caring responsibilities, family commitments, further learning, and other interests. We therefore welcome flexible working requests.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the Trust Company Secretary job description and person specification attached in the documents section.
Person specification
Education
Essential criteria
1. Degree Level education.
Education
Essential criteria
2. Master’s Degree or equivalent relating to healthcare leadership or equivalent experience.
Qualifications
Essential criteria
3. Postgraduate qualification in Corporate Governance and/or Risk Management or equivalent experience.
Qualifications
Desirable criteria
4. Legal qualification.
Membership
Desirable criteria
5. Membership of relevant bodies such as ICSA.
Experience
Essential criteria
6. Substantial experience of working as a director of Corporate Governance, Company Secretary or similar role at board or sub-board level in a complex setting.
7. Substantial experience and specialist knowledge and expertise in governance and risk management within a healthcare enterprise/significant experience gained across the NHS or in another complex environment where the experience is demonstrably transferable.
8. Experience of working in complex environments under public or political scrutiny.
Experience
Essential criteria
9. Experience of leading a Legal Services function either delivered in house or via external legal advisors with demonstrable understanding of what is required to do so effectively.
Desirable criteria
10. Experience of working at senior level in a Foundation Trust or membership/mutual organisation.
11. Experience of leading the Freedom to Speak Up agenda and/or understanding requirements.
Experience
Desirable criteria
12. Experience of leading on Policy Management oversight.
13. Experience of working with service users.
Skills & Knowledge
Essential criteria
14. Demonstrates advanced specialist insight and knowledge of NHS legislation, regulation and codes of governance applicable to NHS Foundation Trusts.
15. Demonstrates expert knowledge of Board Assurance and risk management in a complex healthcare setting.
16. Highly developed skills to quickly assess accuracy and relevance of competing sources of information both written and verbal.
17. Demonstrates commitment and ability to understand diverse interest groups and power bases within organisations and the wider community and the dynamic between them.
18. Demonstrates ability to establish effective relationships at the highest level and negotiate solutions to complex problems where a number of conflicting views are held.
19. Capable of articulating strategic aims into practical and achievable plans and understanding the relationship between complex interdependent factors.
20. Demonstrates an ability to build/generate ideas and deliver against agreed objectives and work at pace.
21. Demonstrates an ability to adopt a range of ways to gain support and influence diverse parties.
22. Demonstrates a continuous inquisitive approach, a strong commitment to service user and service improvement and how corporate governance supports this.
23. Ensures the articulation of results is informed by stakeholder needs, ie language or comprehension difficulties.
24. Demonstrates a forensic attention to detail combined with the ability to extract key messages from complex analysis.
25. Budget management skills.
26. Sufficient resilience to cope with challenging interpersonal situations, competing demands and tight timescales.
27. Demonstrates competence in the use of MS Office software applications. IT literacy and understanding of databases.
28. Able to work flexibly where required, eg in the evening or at weekends to meet the demands of the post including Board, Governor and Membership Meetings and events.
Desirable criteria
29. Full understanding of Audit Committee Handbook.
Personal Qualities, Abilities & Attributes
Essential criteria
30. Able to adapt and respond quickly to urgent requests for information escalating issues.
31. Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex information and distilled data into key themes in order to assess issues, anticipate problems and provide workable solutions.
32. High degree of personal integrity and sound political awareness.
33. Demonstrates an ability to nurture capability and the long-term development of others.
34. Mobile and with the ability to travel between facilities across a geographically dispersed area when required.
35. Self-aware, self-confident and intrinsically motivated to do a good job and to motivate others.
Values & Behaviours
Essential criteria
36. Evidence that personal behaviour reflects Trust Values.
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Candidates who require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the United Kingdom can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for this position by assessing their circumstances against the criteria specified on the Check if you need a UK visa - website. We encourage all applicants to review these criteria carefully to understand their eligibility for sponsorship.
References and Employment History: All references from current and previous employers, will be sought via their Human Resources Department and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and email address of the Human Resources Department and indicate your current/previous line manager and their departmental details.
All appointments will be subject to currently having a clean disciplinary record.
Please be advised that a No Smoking Policy is in operation throughout the Trust.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme - Under the Trust's commitment 'Positive about Disabled People', if you consider yourself as having a disability and you meet the minimum selection criteria for any post, you will get an automatic interview. By minimum selection criteria we mean that you must provide us with evidence in your application form which demonstrates the essential requirements as set out in the person specification and advertisement for a post.
We aim to represent and value the diversity of our local communities through our workforce and service provision. We therefore positively encourage applications, regardless of age, race, religion & belief, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marriage & civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity or disability.