Governance, Compliance and Risk Officer

Governance, Compliance and Risk Officer

Permanent, Full Time, Hybrid Working (Minimum of 2 days per week in the office)

Location: This role can be based in any of our UK offices which are Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, and Warrington

Salary: £39,617 per annum for Cardiff, Edinburgh and Warrington. £44,500 per annum for London (including London allowance

If we receive a high volume of applications, we reserve the right to close the advert before the scheduled closing date. Therefore, we encourage interested applicants to apply at their earliest convenience. 

About us

Christian Aid exists to create a world where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty. We are a global movement of people, churches and local organisations who passionately champion dignity, equality and justice worldwide. We are the changemakers, the peacemakers, the mighty of heart.

We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and recognise the value this brings in forming strong, creative and high performing teams. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, and from those with experience from outside of the voluntary sector. And no, you don’t have to be Christian to work here – we encourage people of all faiths and none to apply. We just ask that everyone lives out our values of dignity, equality, justice and love. We value a good work-life balance, so we’re open to part-time and flexible working. We also offer hybrid working for our office-based colleagues. 

About the role

Reporting in to the Head of Governance, Compliance and Risk, the Governance, Compliance and Risk Officer will champion collaboration and accountability through the management of the Board and committee cycle, providing advice and support to trustees and colleagues on governance matters. To further provide support and guidance to colleagues on compliance and risk related matters, to enable effective decision making and embedding best practices in compliance and governance.  

Some of the main responsibilities of the Governance, Compliance and Risk Officer include:

• Manage trustee recruitment, inductions, training and succession planning to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the Board.
• Manage requests for governance information for Bank KYC enquiries and donor due diligence requests.
• Ensure effective planning and prioritisation of the Board and committee meeting cycle, updating workplans to address urgent matters and ensuring corporate policies are reviewed as needed to uphold organisational integrity.
• Facilitate seamless Board and committee meetings by distributing agendas and meeting papers well in advance, producing accurate minutes or key messages, and ensuring smooth operations to support informed decision-making.
• Drive accountability by following up on agreed actions with trustees and senior managers, ensuring commitments are fulfilled promptly and effectively.
• Deliver professional and responsive support to trustees by addressing information and support requests in a timely and courteous manner, reinforcing trust and collaboration.
• Maintain up-to-date governance resources by overseeing the Board SharePoint site and relevant sections of the Legal and Governance SharePoint site, ensuring accessibility and accuracy of information.
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements by updating Companies House and Charity Commission records to accurately reflect trustee appointments and retirements, and assisting the Company Secretary with applicable statutory filings, as directed.
• Support with the due diligence and maintenance of branch and subsidiary registration tasks, including any legal documents, such as Power of Attorneys.
• Support the Corporate Governance managers with matters that promote a culture of compliance, including matters relating to data protection enquiries, risk registers, charity law requirements, and screening of partners.

About you

Who we are looking for:

Essential:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline.
• ​Demonstrable experience of governance administration and managing governance compliance processes.
• Experience of advising on charity related compliance and risk management.
• ​Significant experience of planning and delivering Board and committee meetings including minute-taking and preparing board packs and other governance documents.
• ​Proven ability to plan and prioritise effectively to manage and meet multiple deadlines.
• ​Demonstrable experience of building and managing relationships with senior staff stakeholders, trustees and external advisers.
• ​Ability to work self-directed, using own initiative to follow through on a range of tasks.
• Willingness to develop new skills and areas of interest in supporting the Corporate Governance team.
• ​Highly developed analytical skills, an ability to identify solutions to issues and follow through on agreed actions.
• ​Experience of working with internet-based collaboration tools e.g. SharePoint, Microsoft Teams and social media.

Desirable:

• Demonstrable experience in corporate governance or legal practice.
• ​Understanding of Company or Charity Law. Demonstrable experience in data protection laws.
• ​Understanding or awareness of international development.

Further information

At Christian Aid we strive to be an inclusive and diverse employer and recognise the value that this brings in helping to build strong, creative and high performing teams.

We are actively encouraging racialised minorities, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people with caring responsibilities, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, women, and older workers to apply. This is because these groups are under-represented within our teams, especially at senior level, and we recognise and value the contributions members of these groups make to strong, creative and high performing teams.  ethos and we encourage applications from all faiths. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of and sympathy with Christian Aid’s faith identity. 

All successful candidates will require a DBS/police check appropriate to the role and location and a Counter Terrorism Sanction check as part of your clearance for commencing your role with us. We also participate in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information as part of the referencing process from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

This role requires applicants to have the right to live and work in the country where this position is based and undertake the role that you have been offered. If you are successful and we make you an offer for the role, we will be required to conduct a right to work check on your immigration status in the UK. We will contact you regarding the documentation you will need to provide to evidence this.