Secretariat administrator jobs

Company Secretary Team Assistant

3-Month Fixed Term Contract
Canary Wharf | Hybrid Working (1-2 days in the office per week)
Annual Salary: £38,000 pro rata
⏰ Start Date: ASAP

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an organised and highly professional Governance & Board Support Coordinator to join a leading corporate governance function within a fast-paced and collaborative environment.

Sitting within the General Counsel Directorate, the Corporate Secretariat team provides high-quality governance support to senior leadership and Board members. This role will play a key part in ensuring the smooth running of Board and Committee activity while delivering first-class administrative and operational support to senior stakeholders.

The Organisation

This role is with a UK workplace pension scheme established by the government to help employers provide pension savings for their employees. It offers low-cost retirement savings options and supports automatic enrolment, helping millions of workers save for retirement across the UK.

The Role

Working closely with the Company Secretary team and senior leadership, you will provide proactive and confidential support across a broad range of governance and administrative activities. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-moving environment, enjoys managing multiple priorities, and is confident engaging with senior stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide administrative and operational support to the Company Secretariat team
• Manage complex diaries and coordinate meetings for Non-Executive Board Members and senior stakeholders
• Organise Board and Committee meetings, including logistics, agendas, papers, and catering
• Manage inboxes effectively, prioritising urgent matters and drafting responses where appropriate
• Handle confidential information with professionalism and discretion
• Coordinate travel and accommodation arrangements
• Support onboarding and induction processes for new starters
• Manage expenses, purchasing requests, and record keeping in line with internal procedures
• Build strong working relationships across the organisation, including Board-level stakeholders
• Support projects and discrete pieces of work on behalf of senior leadership

Essential Professional Experience

• Previous experience providing high-level administrative support within a busy office environment
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities independently
• Experience supporting senior executives or Board-level stakeholders
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work with discretion and confidentiality
• Confidence using Microsoft Office and learning new systems quickly
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach with strong judgement and initiative

This is a senior support post of essential importance to allow the Dean, Chief Operating Officer, Chapter and committees to develop and maintain an effective system of governance for the Cathedral with adherence to the highest standards of good governance practice. This will include relevant regulatory and legislative requirements such as supporting the Chief Operating Officer with returns, reports and filings for statutory bodies including the Charity Commission, Information Commissioner’s Office, HSE, the Parish and Companies House. The post holder will provide comprehensive and effective administrative support for Chapter and its statutory committees such as Finance Committee and the Audit and Risk Committee. The post holder will work across Cathedral teams to ensure robust compliance and risk management.

If you have knowledge of and experience in:

• Governance processes
• Working with and administrating databases
• Broad understanding of legal frameworks (e.g. data protection laws), regulatory requirements, risk management principles, and internal audit processes 

And are:

• A proactive problem solver
• Highly efficient and organised
• Enthusiastic for the Cathedral’s overall vision and values, and have sympathy with the Christian faith.

Then we would love to hear from you.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Act as the Whistleblowing Officer and assist in the working of the Whistleblowing Policy;
• Maintain the declarations of interest and gift registry records;
• Assist the COO in keeping a log of complaints under the Complaints Policy 
• Lead the co-ordination, preparation, planning and follow-up for meetings and other committee work associated with the governance of the Cathedral including Chapter, Finance Committee, Audit and Risk Committee, and Nominations Committee;
• Arrange and manage the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) and parish clerking duties;
• Assist the COO with returns, reports and filings for statutory bodies, the Cathedral's insurers, Association of English Cathedrals etc; 
• Assist the Dean and COO in their governance responsibilities under the Care of Cathedrals Measure 2021;
• Support the COO in the coordination of risk management and Health and Safety Compliance across the organisation; 
• Support data protection compliance across the organisation, working with the Cathedral’s GDPR consultants
• Secretariat support for the Health, Safety and Security Committee meetings
• Develop, monitor and review Cathedral policies and systems to ensure compliance and best practice
• Work with the Cathedral HR team to devise and monitor a regular training schedule to ensure best practice and compliance
• The post-holder will assist the Cathedral Safeguarding Officer where needed with administration, DBS checks and training requirements and records.

Closing date: 11.59pm on Wednesday, June 17th 

Interviews are planned for Tuesday, July 7th and Wednesday, July 8th.

Introduction to the Cathedral 

Southwark Cathedral has been a place of Christian worship for over 1400 years. Now it stands on the vibrant and exciting regenerated south bank of the Thames surrounded by cultural venues such as Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe and Borough Market, the offices of major companies as well as schools and diverse residential communities. It is an inclusive Christian community that offers a welcome to all. 

The Cathedral’s mission, ministry and musical tradition are core to its life as a Cathedral and a parish church serving the community. It also relies on the valuable financial contribution made by its income generating activities such as its shop, café, conference rooms, corporate events and concerts. It is a very busy place, attracting 200,000 visitors a year to the Cathedral, its churchyard and medieval herb garden. The Cathedral relies on a small but dedicated team to be inclusive and welcoming to all.

Southwark Cathedral is committed to being an Equal Opportunities Employer. We believe in promoting and building a diverse and inclusive team, and workplace, culture and governance structures that are welcoming to and respectful of all. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified people whatever their ethnicity, background, age, disability, long term condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Southwark Cathedral is committed to a culture of safeguarding, especially for children, young people, and vulnerable adults. The Cathedral has adopted the Church of England policy statement ‘Promoting a Safer Church (2017)’; Safeguarding Learning and Development (2024) and the Safer Recruitment and People Management Guidance (2021). Every member of our team is recruited according to these policies and is required to complete safeguarding training.