Chief governance administrative officer jobs

Do you want to make a real difference in the lives of older and vulnerable people in our community? Are you a strategic, values-driven leader looking to make an impact?

At WECHI, our purpose is to support older people to remain living comfortably and independently in their own homes for as long as they choose. If you are passionate about applying your skills to a meaningful cause, the Head of Central Services role offers a unique opportunity to lead and make a difference, guided by our values of care, respect, integrity, and collaboration.

In this senior leadership role, you’ll work closely with the CEO, Management Board and management team to shape our financial strategy, strengthen governance, and ensure effective management of our people, data, IT and facilities functions. This is a fantastic opportunity to bring your expertise to an organisation with a big heart, a strong social purpose and a team that genuinely cares.  

What you’ll lead on

Strategic Finance & Planning

• Lead the development of financial and commercial strategies that support WECHI’s long-term vision.
• Oversee annual budgets, forecasts and business planning.
• Provide clear, insightful financial information to support Board and Executive decision-making.

Financial Management & Reporting

• Lead all financial reporting, including monthly reviews, cashflow management, quarterly management accounts, BVAs and year-end accounts (including subsidiaries).
• Manage the annual audit and maintain strong relationships with bankers, insurers and auditors.
• Ensure robust financial controls, policies and procedures across the organisation.

Operational Performance & Growth

• Partner with operational teams to improve performance, efficiency and financial sustainability.
• Provide financial modelling and support for bids, business cases and new service development.
• Contribute to revenue growth, including development of commercial opportunities and private income streams.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Act as Company Secretary, ensuring statutory and regulatory compliance.
• Strengthen organisational governance and risk management, including maintenance of risk registers.
• Ensure compliance with data protection, information governance and financial regulations.

Corporate Services Leadership

• Manage the People Support Lead, providing line management and oversight, while working collaboratively to ensure HR compliance, develop people strategy, and coordinate on key operational matters including payroll and budgets.
• Lead IT oversight and the outsourced IT function, ensuring systems are maintained and improved.
• Oversee facilities management and represent WECHI as a Director for Hide Market Management.

For a full description of duties, person specification, and benefits, please see the attached JD.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Head of Central Services to shape the future of WECHI, make a lasting impact, and champion our values of care, respect, integrity, and collaboration. If you think that's you,we’d love to hear from you!

We are seeking a proactive and detail-oriented Grants and Fundraiser Officer to help secure vital funding for Chelmsford Cathedral’s mission and outreach.

This role focuses on raising income from UK trusts, foundations, and statutory funders, ensuring sustainable support for our work.

As part of our team, you will:

• Research and identify potential funders and grant opportunities.
• Develop compelling proposals and applications that clearly communicate our needs.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with donors and stakeholders.
• Work closely with senior leadership and colleagues across departments to gather information and align funding strategies with our mission.

If you have excellent research, writing, and interpersonal skills, a creative approach to fundraising we’d love to hear from you.

If you’re a purpose‑driven CEO with a deep passion for animal welfare, this is your opportunity to steer a trusted charity as it transforms for a sustainable future.

Margaret Green Animal Rescue is embarking on an exciting phase of strategic revitalisation. As a leading animal welfare charity with a proud history since 1965, we are seeking a visionary and dynamic Chief Executive Officer to lead us into our next chapter. This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our charity and ensuring the animals in our care receive the very best support.

As Chief Executive of Margaret Green Animal Rescue, you’ll lead a proud organisation delivering rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming, and providing lifetime care for animals with complex needs across Dorset and Devon since 1965. You’ll harness the charity’s tangible local footprint across three rescue centres and a network of retail shops to elevate outcomes, scale supporter engagement, and embed operational excellence.

You’ll be the catalyst for significant strategic change—partnering closely with the Board of Trustees to set bold transformational objectives and KPIs. You’ll transform our operating model to meet current and future needs, oversee a data and IT modernisation programme to strengthen insight, efficiency and compliance (from donor management and welfare tracking to retail operations), steward budgets and risk with rigour, and act as the charity’s primary spokesperson to media, partners and the wider community.

The role is full‑time, based at Head Office in Church Knowle, Dorset, with regular travel across centres and shops, and offers a competitive package including 30 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays. We welcome experienced CEOs and senior leaders who bring strategic planning, change delivery and inclusive leadership.

The Role

As CEO, you will provide inspirational leadership and strategic direction, working closely with the Board of Trustees to deliver our mission and vision. You will be responsible for:

• Leading the development and implementation of a revitalised strategic plan, ensuring alignment with our values and ambitions
• Driving operational excellence across all areas, including animal welfare, fundraising, retail, and administration
• Championing a ‘One Charity’ culture, embedding consistent ethics and best practices across all teams and locations
• Acting as the primary spokesperson, enhancing our profile and engagement with supporters, partners, and the wider community
• Overseeing financial stewardship, risk management, and the effective use of data and technology to support organisational goals
• Ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation and charity governance requirements

About You

We are looking for an exceptional leader who is passionate about animal welfare and ethical leadership. The ideal candidate will have:

• Proven senior leadership experience, ideally within the charity, animal welfare, or related sectors
• Demonstrable experience in strategic planning, organisational development, and change management
• Strong financial acumen and experience in budget management and income generation
• Experience in data and IT management, including digital transformation
• Excellent communication, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement skills
• A commitment to the highest standards of animal welfare

Experience in retail operations, fundraising, and working with Boards of Trustees is desirable.

What We Offer

• Full-time role (37.5 hours per week) with flexibility for additional hours as required
• Competitive salary (£65-80k depending on experience) and benefits, including 30 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), business expenses, and mobile phone provision
• The chance to make a lasting impact on the lives of animals and the communities we serve

Join us at this pivotal moment and help shape the future of Margaret Green Animal Rescue. If you are ready to lead with vision, compassion, and drive, we would love to hear from you.

Chief Executive Officer

Salary:     c.£75 - 80,000 per annum

Hours:      Full time 35 hours per week

Contract:  Permanent

Location:  The role is, of necessity, office based, although flexibility for home working is expected where appropriate. Evening and weekend work will be required to attend networking and other events.

At Sussex community Foundation we are approaching our 20th anniversary. As we celebrate this milestone, we are looking for an ambitious and dynamic chief executive to lead us into the next 20 years, enabling us to make Sussex a fairer and more equal place.

At Sussex Community Foundation we bring inspirational people together to create the change Sussex needs. In our first 20 years we have built a reputation across the county as an authoritative voice in local philanthropy, attracting and retaining new Fundholders to the Foundation.

As a leading grant maker in the county, our reputation within the voluntary sector is incredibly important to us. We want to ensure that our future Chief Executive builds on these trusted relationships.

We have an experienced and influential Board who will support you in your role, backed up by an enthusiastic and committed team of experts in both fundraising and grant making.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Mark Spofforth OBE FCA - Chair of Trustees

Closing date: Monday 5 January 2026 - noon
We are using the Charity Job anonymous recruitment process - please ensure that you apply through the portal.

Please log into your CharityJob candidate account to access and download the Persons Specification and to submit your application.

**No Agencies please**

#Chief Executive Officer #CEO #Executive #Leadership 

The Family Treatment Service (TFTS) is a respected, CQC-registered, not-for-profit mental health clinic based in Wimbledon Village. We provide compassionate, evidence-based care for individuals, couples, and families, with specialist services, and a growing multidisciplinary team.

As we enter an exciting new phase of growth, we are seeking a Managing Director to take over day-to-day leadership from our founding team. This is a rare opportunity to guide a well-established and values-driven service through transition—maintaining our clinical integrity while strengthening operational systems and ensuring long-term sustainability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the organisation through a structured transition period, working closely with the founders to preserve TFTS’s ethos and high standards of care.
• Oversee all business and operational functions, including HR, finance, governance, and compliance.
• Ensure full CQC and regulatory compliance, with strong governance and risk management.
• Develop and deliver a strategic plan for sustainable growth, innovation, and service development.
• Foster a positive, inclusive culture—supporting staff wellbeing, communication, and professional development.

About You

• Proven senior leadership experience in a CQC-registered healthcare, charity, or not-for-profit setting.
• Strong commercial and operational management skills with financial oversight experience.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills—able to lead with empathy during change.
• Strategic thinker with a track record of implementing operational improvements.
• (Desirable) Experience in mental health or family-centred services and leading organisational transformation.

We’re looking for a dynamic Head of Governance & Business Administration to play a pivotal role in ensuring our organisation runs with integrity, transparency, and impact. This is an exciting opportunity to influence how one of the UK’s most ambitious cultural organisations operates as we grow and evolve.

In this role, you’ll lead on governance, risk management, and compliance, acting as Company Secretary and Data Protection Officer. You’ll oversee business planning and reporting, legal and insurance matters, procurement, and organisational policies – ensuring everything we do meets the highest standards.

You’ll work closely with our Executive Director, Board of Trustees, and senior leadership team, building strong relationships and driving change that supports our vision for equality, inclusion, and sustainability.

JOB SUMMARY

To ensure that efficient governance, operational systems and controls are in place to manage Factory International’s Governance and Business Administration function.

This includes governance and acting as Company secretariat, data protection and acting as Data Protection Officer, accountable for Business Plan Reporting, internal communication, oversight of Legal & Compliance, Risk Management, Insurance, Policies & Procedures and Procurement

The key responsibilities for the Head of Governance & Business Administration include;

Governance & Risk

• Ensure robust governance frameworks and compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements
• Coordinate Board and Committee meetings, including scheduling, agenda preparation, and distribution of papers
• Maintain statutory registers and ensure timely filing of returns and documents with regulatory bodies
• Support FI Executive and Board in proactively managing risk, and accurately reflecting via the Company Risk register, working closely with Directors to ensure quarterly updates are shared with the Executive Leadership and Board of Trustees (including relevant sub-committees)
• Maintain consistency and compliance for all internal communication channels

Business Planning & Reporting

• Act as the organisational lead for Business Plan Reporting, ensuring alignment across all key grant funding agreements and business plan KPIs
• Oversee the annual cycle of statutory reporting to both public sector funders and trustees including all ad-hoc reporting requests across the business
• Attend key external stakeholder meetings with the Executive Director (e.g. MCC, ACE, GMCA) relating to reporting against grant agreements etc
• Work closely with key Directors, Commercial Leads (including the Trusts & Foundations Manager) on funding bids ensuring that commitments are consistent with our agreed internal Business Plan targets and objectives

Legal, Insurance, Data Protection & Compliance

• Ensure legislative and regulatory compliance in all systems and procedures around business administration
• Acting as lead organisational contact and budget holder for external legal support ensuring consistent processes are followed and value for money is achieved to meet the strategic needs of the business
• Ensure adequate data protection in place, devise and implement any additional process and/or training, and act as DPO, accessing external advice as appropriate
• Where required, support the achievement of essential consents such as Planning, Licence variations, Building Control, etc
• Manage the relationship with FI’s insurance broker, working with the Executive Director and Finance Director to ensure appropriate cover and regularly review policies. Overseeing the appropriate claiming of all losses

Procurement

• Acting as lead organisational contact for all Procurement Activity – working closely with the Executive Director to ensure consistent processes are followed and value for money is achieved to meet the strategic needs of the business
• Maintain oversight of the register of planned Procurement as well as responding to un-planned procurement requirements – working closely with relevant Directors and Executives

Policies & Procedures

• Overall responsibility for control and oversight of the organisation’s suite of policies and procedures, including requests for new procedures
• Ensure that key policies are updated by business owners and renewed as per the agreed schedule – ensuring a consistency of tone, content and that relevant checks/approvals have been managed at the appropriate level (Exec, Trustees etc)

GADN is recruiting for a new Director (Job share – Funding, Finance and Governance)   

GADN brings together NGOs and individual experts committed to achieving gender equality and the rights of women and girls in all their diversity across the world.  Our Secretariat is a small but highly respected team coordinating advocacy towards the UK Government and supporting our members to promote best practice. 

This new position will work alongside the existing Director to provide strategic direction and vision to the network and oversee the organisation’s operational work. In addition, the primary purpose of this role will be to bring in new sustainable sources of funding for the network in an increasingly difficult funding climate, and to ensure the smooth running of financial and administrative systems and Board governance.

We are looking for someone with leadership skills and vision who is passionate about our work and able to enthuse others. The ideal candidate will have a track-record in securing new funds and experience of external representation at senior levels with donors. You will bring experience in management, ideally at a senior level, and an understanding of budgets and financial planning.

This is an 18-month fixed-term position, for 14 hours a week.

If you are interested in applying, please review the job description and complete the application form by 9pm GMT on Wednesday 7 January 2026.

GADN values diversity and inclusion and encourages applicants from all backgrounds and life experiences to join our team. As we continue working to decolonise our practice and build an anti-racist organisation, we actively welcome applications from Black women and Women of Colour who we recognise are under-represented in the UK international development sector. Selection will be based on skill, experience and suitability for the role. If you share our core commitments, we would love to hear from you!

Senior Executive Assistant - Start date 5 Jan 2026
FTC 6–9 months | c.£45k | Full-time, Hybrid - 1 day per week remote - Central London (with some travel)

I am delighted to be supporting a leading national arts organisation in the search for a superb Senior Executive Assistant to work closely with the Chief Executive. This is a high-profile role requiring exceptional organisation, judgment and discretion.

The role
• Complex diary and inbox management
• Preparing briefings, agendas and meeting packs
• Coordinating UK and international travel
• Supporting Board meetings and governance administration
• Event and hospitality coordination
• Managing enquiries and maintaining accurate records

You will have
• Significant experience supporting senior leaders
• Excellent communication, relationship-building and attention to detail
• Confidence handling confidential information and competing priorities
• Experience within the arts or creative sector

Desirable
• Charity governance and GDPR knowledge
• International travel coordination experience
• Strong Microsoft 365 skills

A fantastic opportunity for a polished, proactive EA who thrives in fast-paced creative environments.

Interested? If you have the above skills and experience and are immediately available, please apply online today, I would love to have a conversation with you!

Full-time | Permanent | Office-based with flexible options
Salary: Circa £30,000 depending on experience.

Join us at Kent Community Foundation and help make a real difference in your community.

We’re looking for a proactive, highly organised Executive & Operational Assistant to support our governance and keep our operations running smoothly. This is a varied and rewarding position where no two days are the same.

What you’ll do:

• Support governance by coordinating board and committee meetings, preparing papers, and taking accurate minutes.
• Provide high-trust executive support to our Chief Executive and Head of Finance & Governance.
• Manage finance administration: process donations, grant payments, and maintain bank accounts.
• Be the backbone of our office—managing supplies, welcoming visitors, and handling enquiries.
• Assist with HR tasks including recruitment and updating our HR system.

What we’re looking for:

• A proven and experienced administrator with strong organisational skills, integrity and attention to detail.
• Someone confident in working with numbers and familiar with finance systems.
• Someone who thrives in a busy environment and wants their work to have a positive impact.

Why join us?

• Be part of a team that supports local communities across Kent.
• Enjoy flexible working options and a collaborative, supportive environment.

Location: Our offices in Smeeth near Ashford (flexible arrangements available).
Closing date: 4th January 2026 | Interviews 14 January 2026

To apply, please submit your CV and a covering letter explaining how you meet the person specification 

If you need accessibility support or adjustments during the application process, please contact us at the same email address.

The Vacancy

The Bar Council represents the nearly 16,000 barristers in England and Wales. It promotes the Bar’s high quality specialist advocacy and advisory services; fair access to justice for all; the highest standards of ethics, equality and diversity across the profession; and the development of business opportunities for barristers at home and abroad.

The Bar Council is the governing body and the Approved Regulator for the Bar of England and Wales. It discharges its regulatory functions through the independent Bar Standards Board.

We are seeking a proactive, highly organised and personable executive assistant to support our new Chief Executive in their first year at the Bar Council. Working with our executive office and governance team, the successful candidate will be responsible for planning and delivering a comprehensive induction programme for the new CEO, to include arranging and facilitating meetings and briefings with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, as well as providing ongoing high-level administrative and organisational support to the CEO.

This is an exciting opportunity to provide support at the highest level of the organisation and encompasses diary management, stakeholder liaison, producing briefing documents and papers, minute-taking at meetings, arranging complex travel and itineraries and expense monitoring. From time to time, the postholder may be required to assist other members of the Senior Management Team and the wider executive office.

Ideally, we are looking for a EA with experience providing comprehensive support to a high-level executive, who can “hit the ground running”, manage a busy diary and prioritise complex and conflicting demands whilst planning ahead with a strategic mindset. The successful executive assistant will need to evidence a collaborative and solutions-focussed approach to work. A willingness or desire to learn about the legal sector would be beneficial.

In return the Bar Council offers excellent terms and conditions of employment, including: 

• 27 days annual leave
• Up to 12% employer’s pension contribution 
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay 
• Life cover, and more 

For full details of the role, please refer to the job description.

The Bar Council is part of the ‘Disability Confident’ scheme. Candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role will be guaranteed an interview under this scheme. 

Closing Date: Monday 5 January, 2026 at 23:59

Proposed Interview Date: Week commencing 12 January 2026

Why this role exists

We deliver practical legal support that changes lives. To grow responsibly, we need a COO to build operational excellence and keep systems ready to scale.

What you will lead

• Financial leadership — Build, manage and monitor the annual budget; lead forecasting and cashflow; produce reports; oversee accounting, payments, payroll and invoicing; maintain strong controls and compliance; track restricted funds; support grant bids and donor reporting.

• Day-to-day operations — Maintain efficient systems across casework, admin and volunteers; design policies, SOPs and QA; oversee IT, digital tools and case management; ensure GDPR-compliant data handling; lead operational responses to risk and regulation.

• Strategy and organisational development — Work with the Executive Director on strategy; lead service development, scaling projects and national expansion; improve volunteer pathways, client experience and internal processes; provide data-driven insight for the Board.

• People, volunteers and HR — Support recruitment, onboarding and retention; develop clear HR processes and documentation; ensure supervision, wellbeing and safeguarding frameworks.

• Governance, risk and compliance — Manage risk registers and mitigation plans; lead internal audits and quality reviews; prepare Board papers; ensure compliance with legal, regulatory and charity requirements.

You’ll thrive here if you show

• Ownership and follow-through: you take responsibility and land the work.

• Planning under pressure: you bring order, rhythm and clarity.

• Bold, informed judgement: you improve systems based on evidence, not habit.

• Entrepreneurial drive: you simplify, standardise and scale what works.

• Inclusive practice: you design operations that are easier to use and safer to deliver.

• Clear communication: you turn complexity into simple actions and updates.

• Team-building and collaboration: you help staff and volunteers succeed together.

• Constant learning: you refine processes and leave usable documentation.

What you will bring

• Significant operational leadership in a non-profit, legal, community or mission-driven setting.

• Strong financial management across budgeting, forecasting, reporting and controls.

• Ability to build robust systems in a small but scaling organisation.

• Strategic, organised and analytical working style.

• Confident people leadership and clear communication.

• Understanding of governance, safeguarding, risk and regulatory compliance.

• Commitment to trans equality, dignity and client-centred practice.

Helpful extras

• Experience in legal services or legal operations.

• Managing grants or donor-funded programmes.

• Experience scaling an organisation or building new infrastructure.

• Knowledge of trans community needs and support services.

Practicalities

• Hours: part time, with occasional evenings or weekends around live moments.

• Location: Central London base with sensible hybrid flexibility.

• Reporting line: Executive Director.

• Salary: based on experience and time commitment.

The Co-Founders Mindset

We are building a trans rights revolution at the Trans Legal Clinic. We deliver work that changes outcomes for people, case by case and system by system. That calls for a particular mindset. We call it the co-founder mindset. Co-founders take the mission personally, set the pace, turn ideas into working services and campaigns, bring others with them, and make change you can point to. Co-founders are entrepreneurial: they spot openings others miss, move decisively, and create momentum. Co-founders build teams, drawing in volunteers who believe in our mission, care deeply about our clients, enjoy working with us, and keep one another going. Co-founders are bold: they are willing to innovate, to be first, and to change the status quo; they check the source, avoid assumptions, solve problems, make firm, collaborative, evidence-based decisions, and take responsibility for results. Co-founders are pioneers. If you want responsibility, pace, and the chance to pioneer new routes to justice and public impact, this is the place to build your career.

Our Recruitment Criteria

Ownership and follow-through

You are a self-starter who owns tasks and takes responsibility without waiting to be asked. You carry your work through to a tangible result. You define the problem, set a course, keep the right people informed, and deliver what you said you would.

Bold, informed judgement

You are willing to change accepted practice when the evidence supports it. You check primary sources rather than rely on assumptions, weigh real options and risks, make a clear, evidence-based, collaborative decision, and stand behind it.

Entrepreneurial drive

You spot openings other people miss and turn ideas into useful services, processes or campaigns. You move decisively and get others working on the plan alongside you with clear roles and timelines.

Planning under pressure

You keep priorities straight when time is tight. You organise people and tasks, set simple checkpoints, communicate early when plans shift and always deliver.

Inclusive practice

You design work that is easier for others to take part in with people who face barriers in mind. You identify what is getting in the way, make practical changes that remove those barriers, and check the effect with the people involved.

Clear communication

You write and speak in plain English and adjust tone and detail to suit clients, volunteers, partners and the public. You choose the right format for the moment and make it easy for people to act on what you say. You like feedback, don’t get offended and see it as a chance to improve.

Team-building and collaboration

You bring people with you and help groups perform well together. You draw in volunteers who believe in the mission and care about our clients, set shared expectations, handle disagreements well, and leave relationships stronger.

Constant learning

You improve your own practice and the system around you. You reflect honestly on what worked and what did not, learn quickly, and turn that learning into simple tools or habits that make future work better.

• Team-building and collaboration: you lead creatives and volunteers well.

• Constant learning: you test, measure and iterate.

What you will bring

• A strong portfolio showing strategy-led creative across static, motion and copy.

• Three or more years in creative communications or campaigns (agency, newsroom, charity or in-house).

• Confident in Adobe Creative Cloud and either Figma or similar; comfortable with short-form video editing and basic motion.

• Platform literacy across Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube, and working knowledge of analytics and paid promotion.

• Clear writing and an ear for tone; calm leadership and useable feedback.

• Sound judgement on reputation, privacy, GDPR and consent.

• Commitment to trans-led practice and the communities we serve.

Helpful extras

• Clinic or not-for-profit experience.

• Familiarity with gender recognition, healthcare advocacy, discrimination, housing and employment.

• Basic SEO and email automation.

Practicalities

• Hours: full time, with occasional evenings or weekends around live moments.

• Location: Central London base with sensible hybrid flexibility.

• Salary: £25,000.

• Reporting line: Executive Director.

The Co-Founders Mindset

We are building a trans rights revolution at the Trans Legal Clinic. We deliver work that changes outcomes for people, case by case and system by system. That calls for a particular mindset. We call it the co-founder mindset. Co-founders take the mission personally, set the pace, turn ideas into working services and campaigns, bring others with them, and make change you can point to. Co-founders are entrepreneurial: they spot openings others miss, move decisively, and create momentum. Co-founders build teams, drawing in volunteers who believe in our mission, care deeply about our clients, enjoy working with us, and keep one another going. Co-founders are bold: they are willing to innovate, to be first, and to change the status quo; they check the source, avoid assumptions, solve problems, make firm, collaborative, evidence-based decisions, and take responsibility for results. Co-founders are pioneers. If you want responsibility, pace, and the chance to pioneer new routes to justice and public impact, this is the place to build your career.

Our Recruitment Criteria

Ownership and follow-through

You are a self-starter who owns tasks and takes responsibility without waiting to be asked. You carry your work through to a tangible result. You define the problem, set a course, keep the right people informed, and deliver what you said you would.

Bold, informed judgement

You are willing to change accepted practice when the evidence supports it. You check primary sources rather than rely on assumptions, weigh real options and risks, make a clear, evidence-based, collaborative decision, and stand behind it.

Entrepreneurial drive

You spot openings other people miss and turn ideas into useful services, processes or campaigns. You move decisively and get others working on the plan alongside you with clear roles and timelines.

Planning under pressure

You keep priorities straight when time is tight. You organise people and tasks, set simple checkpoints, communicate early when plans shift and always deliver.

Inclusive practice

You design work that is easier for others to take part in with people who face barriers in mind. You identify what is getting in the way, make practical changes that remove those barriers, and check the effect with the people involved.

Clear communication

You write and speak in plain English and adjust tone and detail to suit clients, volunteers, partners and the public. You choose the right format for the moment and make it easy for people to act on what you say. You like feedback, don’t get offended and see it as a chance to improve.

Team-building and collaboration

You bring people with you and help groups perform well together. You draw in volunteers who believe in the mission and care about our clients, set shared expectations, handle disagreements well, and leave relationships stronger.

Constant learning

You improve your own practice and the system around you. You reflect honestly on what worked and what did not, learn quickly, and turn that learning into simple tools or habits that make future work better.

We’re looking for a highly organised, detail-driven Business Support Officer to support our team, board, and daily operations. If you thrive in a friendly, flexible, and purpose-led environment, this could be the role for you.

The Business Support Officer will be a key part of Together Active, helping to ensure everything runs smoothly.

You’ll provide essential business, operational, and governance support that allows the team to do their best work. You will also be the go-to person for supporting Board and committee processes, making sure all governance standards are met.

It's all about helping the team thrive in a collaborative,inclusive and creative environment.

Role Outcomes
1.Our Team Feels Supported: The Together Active team can rely on you for administrative support, so they can focus on their core responsibilities while you handle the business support tasks with ease.
2.Organised Board & Committee Meetings: Meetings run smoothly, with all governance needs taken care of, so everything is in place for informed decisionmaking.
3.Effective Processes: Admin and operational tasks are simple, efficient, and help the team work more productively.
4.Compliance assured: Pre-employment checks and HR records for staff and volunteers are completed and updated correctly, ensuring compliance with legal and organisational standards.
5.Event Support and Coordination: Events are planned and executed seamlessly, with all logistics and on-site needs addressed effectively.

What does this mean day to day?
Your duties will tie directly to the outcomes above, and you’ll have plenty of freedom to manage these tasks in a way that works best for you. With guidance from your line manager, you’ll be empowered to find creative solutions.

General Business, Operational, and Administrative Support
·Help with event coordination, from setting up events to liaising with external organisations, and providing on-site support when needed.
·Take care of the daily admin, including scheduling meetings, keeping office supplies stocked, and making sure the office environment runs smoothly.
·Manage Together Active’s inboxes and SharePoint: responding to enquiries and passing messages on to the right team members, and making sure our information is organised and easy to find.
·Work with external partners to make sure we get all the documents we need for projects in a timely manner.
·Assist with team logistics, including travel arrangements, organising team meetings.
·Handle office management tasks, like managing supplier relationships and ordering office equipment.
·Ensure pre-employment checks for new staff and volunteers are completed efficiently.

Board, Committee, and Governance Support
·Provide support for Board and committee meetings, including scheduling, preparing agendas, sending out papers, and taking minutes.
·Keep all governance-related documents, like Board packs and meeting minutes, organised and up to date.
·Coordinate the logistics of Board and committee meetings, making sure everyone’s well-prepared and informed.
·Help prepare reports and documents for the Board to review and make decisions.

We’re committed to building a team that better reflects the communities we work with. That means making equity part of everything we do, including how we recruit,support, and develop our people.
We know we have more to do. Our current team doesn’t yet reflect the diversity we want to see, and we’re actively working to change that. If you identify as disabled, neurodivergent, LGBTQIA+, from a global majority background, or have experienced exclusion in other ways, we especially encourage you to apply.
Every application is assessed on merit. Where candidates are equally qualified, we may use positive action in line with the Equality Act to support candidates from underrepresented backgrounds, particularly in relation to race and disability.

We care about the work, but we care about the people doing it too. We know how demanding system work can be. It requires patience, creativity, and emotional labour. That’s why we’re serious about building a culture that’s rooted in our values of compassion, creativity, inclusivity, and collaboration.
Our team work flexibly, with a mix of home, office, and in-person time across Staffordshire. We focus on outcomes, not hours at a desk. We’ll agree what works best for you and the role together. We’re based in Stafford, but our work takes us all over the county, and candidates will need to be able to work flexibly to support that.

This is a unique opportunity for an astute, super-efficient, fast learner to join the first international climate campaign organisation focused on the steel sector, one of the largest and least-challenged drivers of climate change. In this role, you will provide critical executive administrative support to our Executive Director and leadership team in a fast-moving and developing organisation, bringing invaluable organisational expertise that we need to thrive. There will be plenty of opportunity to develop your own skills and responsibilities as SteelWatch evolves. You will join an international team across countries that are nimble, collaborative, and hugely ambitious in the task of influencing the steel sector, which drives 7% of annual greenhouse gas emissions.

ABOUT THE ORGANISATION

SteelWatch is an international non-profit civil society organisation established in June 2023, driving corporate accountability in the steel sector and urgent climate action. Our vision is a steel sector that underpins a thriving zero-emissions economy. We are still in 'start-up' mode, actively campaigning while developing our team and systems. We are small but growing, seeking to hold the huge steel industry to account for its impacts and drive urgency into a sector that is, so far, slow to change. The team is spread across countries and timezones, working closely collaboratively and remotely.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Executive Assistant is responsible for providing critical, executive administrative support to enable the Executive Director and SteelWatch Leadership team to operate effectively. The Executive Assistant will be a vital team member, ensuring smooth operations across executive functions and key organisational processes. We are looking for a candidate with curiosity and the capacity to adapt as SteelWatch continues to evolve. The Executive Assistant reports to the Operations Director and works closely with the Executive Director on day-to-day priorities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

The role is focused on supporting the Executive Director and SteelWatch Leadership team on a number of tasks, not limited to:

Executive Support

• Stay up to date on ED priorities and tasks. Manage diaries, schedule appointments, set up meetings accordingly, adapting to priorities.
• Organise and book travel arrangements according to diary needs, ED needs, and internal policies.
• Arrange and prepare for meetings with external partners, allies, industry experts, donors and industry meetings, handling logistics (timing, location, travel, virtual arrangements) and ensuring advanced preparation where needed.
• Draft supporting materials (e.g., presentations) and assist with minute-taking, ensuring team input.
• Track and manage written communication with key external contacts, including funder updates.
• While managing immediate diary priorities, stay one step ahead on the medium and long-term diary, to flag to ED, others in LT or in the staff team where advanced action or decisions are needed.

Governance and Operational Activities

• Manage ongoing engagement with the Supervisory Board by ensuring clear agendas, logistical support in organising these meetings, plus minute taking, sign-off and circulation.
• Manage the logistics for the annual staff retreat and other face to face meetings
• Coordinate weekly team meetings as directed by the Executive Director.
• Assist with key organisational processes and tasks, collaborating closely with the Operations Lead and team members on document management, process improvements, new staff recruitment, and onboarding processes.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The ideal candidate will bring proven experience of executive support and a proactive, creative and tactful approach to making logistics and relationships run smoothly in a busy, evolving, international organisation, and must be happy working in a fully remote environment.

They will be detail-oriented and fussy about accuracy while comfortable operating in a context where systems are improving.

They will be able to navigate ambiguity, drive action forward in a fluid context, and enjoy doing so. Additionally, they will have enthusiasm for a start-up culture, demonstrating a willingness to lean into each other's roles and support team members as needed. They will have the highest professional standards and strong interpersonal communication skills.

Essential skills and experiences

• At least 3-5 years' experience (and possibly much more) and a proven track record as a proactive and problem solving assistant, supporting an Executive Director with calendar management and other administrative challenges.
• Strong belief in the organisation's mission.
• Tech savvy and able to work highly effectively using collaboration tech tools, including Google products (Google Docs, Google Drive, Google sheets, etc.) and other tools (Slack, Zoom, etc).
• Strong organisational and logistical skills with enthusiasm for supporting smooth operations across the leadership team and wider organisation.
• Proven track record as a team player, able to work well with colleagues across cultures and geographies, creating respectful collaborative relationships and efficient teamwork.
• Comfortable in a fully-remote working environment, and able to adapt to the team working practices and team building of an online environment.
• Comfortable working with fluidity and the flexibility of a start-up organisation, able to work independently and adapt to team priorities, committed to investing in strengthening the organisation.
• Willingness to lean into building system improvements and adapting to the pace and urgency of changing priorities. 
• Strong oral and written communication.
• Willingness and ability to work across time zones, collaborate with diverse teams, and accommodate some early start times to work with colleagues in Asia.
• Ability to travel once per year internationally, potentially twice a year in Europe, and to meet irregularly with the UK-based ED and/or Netherlands and Belgium-based Operations team in person.

Desirable

• Prior experience in a non-governmental organisation (NGO) setting is preferred.
• Experience in a fast-paced, start-up environment.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with a wide variety of audiences from analysts to communication experts and campaigners.
• Proven strong organisational skills to coordinate multiple inputs and manage different deadlines, working on immediate tasks as well as longer pieces of work.
• Demonstrated ability to think both strategically and creatively.
• Desire and ability to take initiative and to learn as you go.
• Enthusiasm to work with colleagues who bring different skills and expertise, and many of whom are on a learning curve about steel.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Location/remote working

• The position is fully remote with some occasional face-to-face time with colleagues, particularly the Executive Director and Operations Director.
• The UK is the preferred location due to ease of travel and contracting, but we will also consider exceptional applicants located in Belgium and the Netherlands.
• The successful applicant must be based in a time zone within one hour of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
• Being within a four-hour train journey of London is strongly preferred to facilitate travel and in-person collaboration, though we will consider exceptional candidates outside this range.
• While we offer some flexibility for you to work away from home base, this will need to be coordinated with travel of other colleagues, may depend on timezone changes and/or be limited by legal contracting constraints.
• You must have the right to work in your location. You will be employed in that country. SteelWatch is unable to support any visa application process. Work environment/Travel
• Working hours are flexible, but to facilitate collaboration, the core coordination window is 08:00-17:00 GMT/BST, Monday-Friday and you should be reasonably accessible during this window for meetings and coordination purposes. Work may occasionally be required outside of this standard time frame to meet deliverables.
• You will have the flexibility to adjust your weekly schedule to balance out those hours and fit into other commitments.
• Occasional travel will be required to collaborate with the team, including:
  • Annual full team retreat (once per year, may be in Asia, Europe or elsewhere) - essential.
  • Additional travel for events and face-to-face time with the team as needed.
• Face-to-face time with other colleagues may not be frequent, but it is essential. If you are constrained in your ability or permissions to travel, please discuss this before investing in an application.
• We pride ourselves on building a collaborative team of different cultures and working styles. Team members embrace the flexibility and learning curve of a start-up, and adapt to supporting each other as priorities arise.

Terms

This role is full time, 5 days/week. The initial contract period will be up to 12 months with a possibility to renew, depending on country regulations. The type of contract will depend on the location.

The gross salary for this position, if based in the UK, is in the range of £33,423-£44,576, based on experience and qualifications. Salaries are adjusted by location.

Our leave policy, unless varied by national regulation, provides 34 days in total combining public holidays and paid leave in all countries, plus birthday leave and inspiration time.

Ethics

We are a values-based organisation. Every staff member and consultant is asked to sign our Ethics statement and help us as an organisation live up to our values.

Equal opportunities

We strive to be an equal opportunities employer. We actively welcome applications from candidates from historically underrepresented groups in the climate change movement. If you require any adaptation or assistance during the application process, please be sure to let us know so that we can adjust.

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Closing date for applications: Midday Tuesday 6 January 2026

Interview Date: Thursday 15 January 2026 (possible second interview 23 January 2026).