The Vacancies
We are seeking to appoint one registered medical practitioner and one business registrant (Companies Committee), one lay member (Education Committee) and one optometrist (Standards Committee) to our Advisory Panel Companies Committee.
About the GOC
We are the regulator for the optical professions in the UK. Our purpose is to protect the public by promoting high standards of education, performance, and conduct. For more information about us please visit our website.
About the Advisory Panel
The Advisory Panel is a meeting of the four Council’s committees (Companies, Education, Registration, and Standards) in plenary session. They are established by statute for the purpose of giving advice and assistance to Council (whether or not in response to a request from them) on:
- matters relating to business registrants other than matters required by the Opticians Act to be referred to the Investigation Committee, the Registration Appeals, Committee or the Fitness to Practise Committee;
- matters relating to optical training, education, and assessment;
- matters relating to registration, other than matters required by the Opticians Act to be considered by the Registration Appeals Committee; and
- matters relating to the standards of conduct and performance expected of registrants or those seeking admission to the register.
Time Commitment and Remuneration
This role is part time with a commitment of approximately 2-3 days per year, including time spent preparing for meetings. Meetings will usually take place via MS Teams but may on occasion be held at the GOC Offices in London or other suitable venues.
Members are paid up to £185 per meeting. This is taxable and subject to National Insurance (NI) contributions. This is in line with our member fees policy and member fee schedule.
How to apply
Please apply with the following:
- your CV outlining your employment history, any relevant voluntary work, public service, or other experience; together with any relevant professional, academic, or vocational qualifications (please keep this to two sides of A4);
- the application form (attached), stating how your experience matches the essential criteria for the vacancy you are applying for; and
- an EDI monitoring form (linked in the candidate pack)
Please email your completed application quoting reference GOC01/26 to appointment@optical. org.
We would welcome applications from individuals who are disabled and from diverse ethnic backgrounds, as these are currently under-represented on our Council and committees.
For more information about these roles please download the candidate information pack attached.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: midnight Sunday 29 March 2026.
Online interviews will be held on 14,15,18 and 19 May 2026.
If you have any questions, please email them to appointment@optical. org and we will aim to respond to you within 48 hours.
We strive to be as diverse as the public we protect and welcome applications from everyone, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy, maternity, and geographical locations outside of London.
Registered Charity 
51 - 100
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end-of-life charity. We are the largest non-NHS provider of end-of-life care in the UK, the only provider across all 4 nations, delivering community nursing and hospice care across the country, while providing information and support on all aspects of dying, death, and bereavement. Our leading research pushes the boundaries of what we know about good end-of-life, and our campaigns fight for a world where everyone gets to have the best possible quality of life while living with an illness, they’re likely to die from.
Job DescriptionWe’re looking for an exceptional Legacy Administration Team Leader to play a critical role in safeguarding and maximising one of Marie Curie’s most significant income streams. This is a senior operational role suited to someone with large-charity experience, a strong commercial mindset, and the confidence to manage a high-volume, high-value caseload in a fast-paced environment.
You’ll oversee a team of three Legacy Officers, providing expert guidance, coaching and performance management while maintaining accountability for a portfolio of around 900 active cases. Alongside this, you’ll personally manage approximately 50 complex and contentious matters, including litigation-related cases, ensuring Marie Curie’s interests are protected through robust decision-making, cost-benefit analysis and close collaboration with our legal team.
What You’ll Do
- Lead, support and develop three Legacy Officers, ensuring high performance, quality assurance and clear progression pathways.
- Hold oversight and accountability for 900+ legacy cases, ensuring accuracy, compliance and timely administration.
- Manage a personal caseload of 50 complex and contentious matters, including litigation, disputes and reputationally sensitive issues.
- Work closely with the legal team, executors, solicitors and co-beneficiaries to protect Marie Curie’s entitlement.
- Apply strong commercial judgement, undertaking cost-benefit analysis and making informed decisions on behalf of the charity.
- Monitor KPIs, SLAs and quality standards, ensuring consistent excellence across the team.
- Provide expert technical guidance on wills, probate, tax, trusts and multi-jurisdictional UK estate administration.
- Support process improvement, systems optimisation and operational best practice.
- Deputise for the Legacy Administration Manager when required.
Skills & Experience Needed
- Proven line management experience, including performance management, coaching and developing staff.
- Significant experience in a large charity legacy administration team, ideally handling income of £20m+ annually.
- Demonstrable experience managing contentious and complex legacy cases, including litigation and dispute resolution.
- Advanced technical knowledge of wills, probate, trusts, tax and estate administration across multiple UK jurisdictions.
- Strong commercial mindset, able to assess risk, analyse costs and make confident, informed decisions.
- High-volume caseload management experience, with exceptional organisational skills and the ability to prioritise under pressure.
- Excellent stakeholder management, able to influence solicitors, executors, co-beneficiaries and internal teams.
- Exceptional attention to detail, especially when reviewing legal documentation, estate accounts and financial information.
- Strong systems capability, ideally with experience using FirstClass4 or similar legacy administration platforms.
Please see full job description
Application & Interview Process
- As part of your online application, you will be asked for a CV. Please review both the advert and job description and outline your most relevant skills, experience and knowledge for the role.
- Close date for applications: Thursday 2nd April. Please note, we are reviewing applications as they come through and we reserve the right to close the advert sooner. We encourage applying early if you are interested.
Salary: £45,000 + London Allowance (£3,500) where applicable
Contract: 12 months Fixed Term Contract
Based: Homebased (or can be based in London office 2 days per week)
Benefits you’ll LOVE:
- Flexible working. We’re happy to discuss flexible working at the interview stage.
- 25 days annual leave (exclusive of Bank Holidays)
- Marie Curie Group Personal Pension Scheme (we will match your contribution up to 7.5%)
- Loan schemes for bikes; computers and season tickets
- Continuous professional development opportunities.
- Industry-leading training programmes
- Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programmes
- Enhanced bereavement, family friendly and sickness benefits
- Access to Blue Light Card membership
- Subsidised Eye Care
Additional Information
At Marie Curie, our values are central to everything we do. They guide how we care for people, how we work together, and how we make decisions every day. We are committed to creating a workplace that is safe for everyone — staff and volunteers alike — supportive, inclusive and rewarding. We take stringent steps to ensure that anyone who joins our organisation are suitable for their roles and are committed to safeguarding all our people from harm. We actively consider our impact on the planet, embedding sustainability into everyday decisions to create a lasting, positive difference for the individuals we care for and the world we share.
We believe everyone should have the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their potential. Marie Curie is deeply committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, recognising both the social justice imperative and the strength a diverse workforce brings. We actively encourage applications from people of all cultures, perspectives and lived experiences.
We are happy to make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process. If you require any support, please contact us at .
Every application we receive is personally reviewed by a member of our Talent Acquisition team, and in return, we ask that your application authentically reflects you — your experience, perspective and voice.
