Governance Officer

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for an organisation with the feminist agenda at the core of its ethos? Then Advance Charity could be the career choice for you!

 

We are looking for a Governance Officer
 

Salary:              £30,000 - £35,000 pro rata, depending on experience

Location:          Hammersmith Head Office – (some remote work may be possible)

Contract:         Permanent

Hours p/w        Part time 2 x half days (4 hours) per week: 14:00 – 18:00 one of which Tuesdays. Additionally, attendance                             at one-off board meetings/events may be required.

 

This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.  

Please note: Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK, and satisfactory enhanced DBS check. This role is also subject to Police Vetting.

 

About us

 

Advance is an award-winning and innovative women-only organisation, established in 1998, providing emotional and practical support to women and girls survivors of domestic abuse and supporting women with short-term sentences to reduce offending.  We believe in empowering women and girls to lead safe, non-violent, equal lives so that they can flourish and contribute to the community. 

 

We are a community-based organisation who lead in best practice approaches to supporting women in their local community. We achieve this by being available to meet and support women in local settings and at our women’s centres, and by working in close partnership with other agencies.

Our values are to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability. 

 

About the role:

Reporting to the Director of Finance and Business Services (with dotted line to the CEO) and accountable to the Chair of Trustees, the Board Secretary will support the Chair and Board of Trustees in the achievement of strategic objectives of Advance Charity.

 

The Board meets 16 times a year in Hammersmith/online via Zoom between 5:00pm and 7:00pm and currently has two subcommittees which also meet quarterly in the evenings. This number of meetings includes an annual strategy away day and AGM. 

 

This role is part time, and we estimate you will be required to work for 50 days per year, i.e. four days per month commitment during evening and weekends, which will be managed flexibly. You will be expected to attend any face-to-face meetings in person, with administrative duties being carried out remotely/home based.

 

About You:

To be successful as the Governance Officer you will need the below experience and skills:

You will have previous experience working in governance acting as board secretary within a Charity, Third Sector or comparable organisation. You can demonstrate a strong understanding of the voluntary sector and charity governance. With a high level of proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office systems, including SharePoint, MS Word, MS Outlook, MS PowerPoint and MS Excel. With strong minute taking, writing skills and committee administration, you will be extremely well-organised and able to produce forward plans and consistently meet timetables. You will be able to plan work for self and others to ensure that deadlines are met, and accuracy is ensured and will have excellent time management skills

 

How to apply:

 

Please submit your up-to-date CV with a supporting statement ensuring to answer the questions within the application.

 

Please note that only applications made via the job advert on the Advance careers page, and those that include a cover letter will be considered. 

 

• Closing Date for Applications: Sunday 26 November 2023 @ 23:59
• Interviews are taking place  -   On a rolling basis

*Advance reserves the right to close the advert early, or on the appointment of a candidate

 

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits: 

 

• A 35-hour working week
• An exceptional 30 days of paid holiday per year (pro rata for part time), PLUS public holidays on top (that's nearly 40 days paid holiday per year!) 

• Additional days off to celebrate International Women’s Day, and for religious observance and moving home
• Perkbox - an employee discount platform where you can receive free rewards as well as take advantage of savings on clothes, groceries, travel, leisure and more
• Pension scheme
• Enhanced maternity/adoption provision
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee eye-care scheme
• Clinical supervision for front line staff and first line management roles
• Refer a Friend Scheme - £250 for each referral who passes probation
• Organisation wide away days
• Thorough induction and training
• Career development pathways 

 

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Under the Equality Act 2010, we are required to make any reasonable adjustments. If you have a disability as defined under this act and/or have special needs, please email us via the Advance website and the Talent Acquisition Team will aim to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate your needs.

 

Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and actively seek to recruit people from groups underrepresented in our current team. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay and benefits.

 

Safeguarding

Advance is committed to safeguarding and creating a culture of zero-tolerance of harm and expects all staff, including volunteers to share this commitment. We believe all individuals have the right to live their life free from violence and abuse and the right to feel and be safe.  We have a suite of safeguarding policies, procedures and practice guidance, accessible to all staff, which promotes safeguarding and safer working practices across all our services and activities. When we recruit staff, we follow rigorous safer recruitment practices, this involves carrying out pre-employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, and identity checks.  We ensure all staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training relevant to their role and responsibilities, to empower them to be competent and feel confident in recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding issues and promote wellbeing.