We’re looking for a strategic, analytical, and leadership-oriented Director of Governance and Assurance to join our Head Office located in Islington.
Circa £85,000.00 per annum, working 35 hours per week.
Want to feel like you’re making a difference? You’ll feel at home here.
Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren’t token gestures - we’ve thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.
Our benefits include:
*Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
*Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
*Fully paid induction programme and further training
*ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
*Healthcare Cashplan through our partner Healthshield
*Cycle to work scheme
*Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
*Online wellbeing resources
*A generous pension – we will contribute up to 4% and life assurance cover up to £10,000 (T&Cs apply)
*Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff’s commitment and contribution
*Free DBS
As the Director of Governance and Assurance, you will provide sector-leading company secretariat, governance, and assurance, ensuring the governance structure efficiently manages regulated activities and commercial group entities. The post-holder will also advise and support the Chief Executive, Chair, and SLT on all aspects of regulation, corporate governance, and effective business conduct for the organisation, ensuring the highest standards of probity and according to statutory and legislative requirements.
The Director of Governance and Assurance will oversee risk management and assurance functions, ensuring effective systems for internal controls and regulatory compliance, including internal audit management. They will provide administrative support for Board and Committee meetings, including agenda planning, minute taking, and record keeping.
This role is a key contact with the Regulator of Social Housing and other external government or regulatory organisations including CQC and Ofsted.
All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.
What you’ll do:
Accountabilities:
*To ensure Look Ahead complies with relevant legal, constitutional, and regulatory requirements.
*To lead on the design, effective operation, and provision of governance controls to support the Board and SLT.
*Be responsible for data protection, including being the organisation’s information controller.
*To ensure that Look Ahead’s Board, committee, and internal governance meetings are properly constituted and organised with clear terms of reference, formulating agendas with the CEO and/or Chairs, collating and distributing papers as required and ensuring that draft minutes are produced and distributed promptly.
*Act as lead support for the Chair in the effective functioning of the Board and its sub-committees, including ensuring systems are in place for the active management of agreed items and actions, liaising with the Senior
*Leadership Team and other colleagues as appropriate.
*Work with the Chair and Chief Executive to ensure that Board development arrangements are in place, leading to continuous improvement of Board systems and effectiveness.
*In conjunction with the Chief Executive and Chair of the RemNom Committee, oversee recruitment and induction processes for Board members to enable them to fulfil their roles effectively.
*In conjunction with the Chair and Chief Executive, establish and oversee arrangements for the annual evaluation of the effectiveness of the Board and committees, including appraisals of Board members, skills audits, skills development, and succession planning.
*With the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer, ensure the statutory annual returns, including the annual accounts and annual report, are prepared, and published.
*Ensure that a robust system is in place to investigate and deal with complaints relating to alleged breaches/misconduct e.g. whistleblowing allegations.
Assurance:
*To maintain expert knowledge of the Code of governance and regulatory framework and the mechanisms by which Look Ahead maintains compliance.
*To lead on the development of systems, control processes and risk management arrangements that comply with internal and external governance and best practice requirements and contribute to continuous improvement of the quality of risk information, particularly in the areas of key controls.
*Ensure reporting arrangements enable the Management Board to focus on those goals and objectives in the business plan that are at risk of not being delivered.
*Work with the Senior Leadership Team to establish and monitor procedures to ensure that Look Ahead complies with all relevant legal, constitutional, and regulatory requirements and provide the Board with assurance to this effect.
*Design and deliver the internal audit programme and provide assurance to the Board and ARC that actions identified are agreed upon and delivered in a timely manner.
*Ensure that appropriate insurance arrangements are in place.
Look Ahead’s Company Secretary:
*Facilitate the smooth operation of Look Ahead’s formal decision-making and reporting machinery through the organisation of the Board meetings and agendas and the administrative support to these and the sub-committees.
*Produce and maintain an annual work programme for the Look Ahead Board and support the development of a similar programme for all subcommittees of Look Ahead’s Board.
*Minute all Look Ahead’s Board meetings and ensure that the minute books are maintained with certified copies of the minutes.
*Provide advice to the Chairperson and Board members on the conduct of Board meetings and liaise with Directors on the content and organisation of reports and presentations.
*Pursue and actively participate in relevant professional networks, ensuring feedback and learning is brought back to Look Ahead.
Corporate Governance & Seal:
*Maintain the register of interests of Board members and SLT and the Gifts and Hospitality register for all of Look Ahead’s employees.Maintain the Fraud register and risk map and report to the Board and Performance Review Committee and regulators a