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Brief role description:

As the Global Head of Legal & Governance, you will provide strategic leadership for parkrun on legal, governance, risk and safeguarding matters, ensuring the organisation has effective systems, procedures and controls for compliance with laws, regulations and standards in the jurisdictions in which parkrun operates.

parkrun is a small charity with a big impact. We’re looking for a Global Head of Legal &

Governance who can manage a team working on legal, governance, safeguarding, risk, data protection and compliance, ensuring parkrun operates responsibly, adheres to regulations, and has a commitment to compliance and accountability across our 26 countries and territories. The ideal candidate has a proactive, solutions-focused mindset, is able to prioritise and make effective risk based decisions. 

Main responsibilities:

Governance

• Advise on appropriate governance structures across our international footprint including creating the right delegations of authority with Global, advising on the right legal structures and overseeing international Board appointments, with support of the Board Administrator.

• Manage any changes required with respect to Board members and directors in our various legal entities, to ensure compliance with appropriate legislation, with support of the Board Administrator.

• Carry out the role of Company Secretary, supported by the Board Administrator

• Work with, and provide guidance to the CEO and Regional Leads on a range of governance matters such as policy & procedure development, Terms of Reference & board resolutions.

Legal

• Providing legal advice to parkrun on a range of legal matters including charity and company law, contracts and fundraising.

• Establish and manage relationships with legal advisers and their effective and cost-efficient use.

• Provide support to the organisation on contract management including supporting the drafting, review and negotiation of contracts and implementing appropriate contract review, approval and reporting policies & processes.

Compliance

• Ensure there are appropriate and effective systems, procedures and controls in place for compliance with regulations and standards in the jurisdictions in which parkrun operates.

• Identify and develop opportunities from regulatory change, and ensure the charity is aware of any changes in legislation or regulation.

• Establish policies and procedures to uphold legal, ethical, and operational standards, including General Data Protection Regulation and Subject Access Requests or their local equivalent.

• Formalise key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor compliance and risk objectives.

• Oversee the management of reporting to regulatory bodies (e.g. Charity Commission, Companies House, Sport England, Fundraising Regulator etc.), ensuring transparency and accountability.

• Lead investigations into compliance breaches or significant incidents, ensuring timely resolution and reporting

Risk Management

• Oversee the development, implementation and maintenance of  a comprehensive risk management framework across all parkrun operational areas working with the Senior Leadership Team and global event delivery teams.

• Support the identification, assessment and mitigation of organisation risks, ensuring alignment with organisational goals and legal requirements in partnership with the Senior Leadership Team.

• Provide strategic leadership on risk assessments, maintenance of the global risk register, and provide actionable recommendations to the Senior Leadership Team and the Global Board.

• Strategic leadership on parkrun Global insurance ensuring a robust process for all insurance claims to be managed centrally.

• Working with the Head of Event Delivery, provide input into the event risk assessment process including landowner permissions and incident response.

Safeguarding

• Oversee the Global Safeguarding team including setting the policy for safeguarding across the whole organisation.

• Provide input and oversight into the global safeguarding strategy.

• Champion safeguarding globally and work with the Head of Safeguarding to report on safeguarding matters to the Global Safeguarding Committee.

• Support the team with Safeguarding Panels as needed.

Leadership and Advisory

• Serve as the primary advisor to the senior leadership team on risk and compliance matters.

• Provide solution-focused partnerships across the organisation to enable us to fulfil our strategic goals.

• Monitor external trends, emerging risks, and regulatory changes, advising the organisation on proactive measures.

• Maintain an appropriate external professional network to provide insight & monitoring of external trends and good practice.

• Build a culture of compliance and risk awareness through staff & volunteer training and development programs.

• Provide expert guidance on governance practices, ensuring parkrun adheres to best practices.

• Collaborate with departments to embed risk management and compliance in their activities and decision-making processes

• Carry out the duties and responsibilities required of line managers at parkrun.

Essential experience requirements:

• Solicitor or relevant legal qualification with minimum 7 years PQE.

• Proven experience in law, risk management, compliance, or governance within the charity, non-profit, or similar sectors.

• Demonstrable knowledge of regulatory requirements, particularly those applicable to charities.

• Executive and Board-level engagement and responsibilities, accountable to non-executive directors and presenting key aspects of a business’ performance and development.

• Demonstrated ability to lead on, develop and implement risk and compliance frameworks.

• Proven track record of excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

• Proven track record of stakeholder engagement and representing an organisation externally to relevant authorities, funders, partners and regulators.

• Ability to manage complex projects and prioritise competing demands.

• Implementation of insurance, regulations, and liabilities across multiple international territories.

• Line management experience and demonstration in developing talent in the organisation.

• Experience in managing cost centres within budgets & budget planning.

Desirable experience requirements:

• Experience of overseeing a safeguarding function or willingness to upskill

• Proven track record of stakeholder engagement and representing an organisation externally to relevant authorities, funders, partners and regulators.

• Ability to manage complex projects and prioritise competing demands.

• Implementation of insurance, regulations, and liabilities across multiple international territories.

• Line management experience and demonstration in developing talent in the

• organisation.

• Experience in managing cost centres within budgets & budget planning.

Expectations of Line Managers at parkrun:

• Will have regular 1:1s with direct reports. 

• Will set objectives for direct reports / team. 

• Will provide regular feedback and developmental guidance. 

• Will plan teams’ workload and availability.

• Will play a role in recruitment and selection and work with the People & Culture team to understand the roles required. 

• Will cascade messages to the team as appropriate. 

• Will be able to assign responsibilities and authority to the right employees, taking their interests, ambitions, development and competency into account.

• Will deliver any disciplinary sanctions in line with our policies and processes. 

Will provide support for team members and promote health and wellbeing at work.

Professional certification requirements:

• Solicitor or legal qualification with minimum 7 years PQE

Most relevant skills:

• Adaptability: Able to easily adjust to changing circumstances and a growing organisation 

• Attention to Detail: Meticulous with a sharp eye for detail and accuracy.

• Organisation: Able to determine goals and priorities and to accurately assess the actions, time and resources needed to achieve those goals 

• Presentation: Able to deliver engaging and informative presentations with excellent public speaking skills. 

• Priority Management: Able to manage competing priorities with resilience and thrive in a fast-paced environment 

• Problem Solving: Able to detect problems, recognise important information and link various data; to trace potential causes and look for relevant details 

• Ability to consider alternative perspectives and to understand cultural differences 

• A proactive, solutions-focused mindset. 

• Able to process detailed information effectively and consistently. 

• Able to convey and share ideas, concisely and accurately, both verbally and in writing. 

• High ethical standards and integrity. 

• Business and Commercial acumen. 

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. 

• A collaborative approach, with the ability to inspire and influence others. 

• Leadership experience, and interpersonal, communication, and relationship management skills. 

• Able to use a variety of IT systems and tools, such as Google Workspace. 

• Demonstrates high levels of discretion and confidentiality. 

• Demonstrates a growth mindset, with a desire to improve and learn new skills.