Boat Safety Scheme - Governance Manager

Canal and River Trust; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 43,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent environmental organization seeks a Governance Manager to enhance their governance framework and support organizational objectives. The role requires developing governance policies and managing stakeholder relations while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. A degree or substantial experience in business administration, law, or corporate governance is essential. Salary: £43,000 with benefits including a pension scheme, paid holidays, and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Competitive contributory DC Pension scheme

25 days paid holiday

Home working flexibility

Free access to fishing facilities

Paid volunteering leave

Qualifications

• Understanding of charity governance frameworks.
• Experience in managing and influencing stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to translate complex information simply.
• Experience in company secretarial functions.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement governance framework for BSS.
• Ensure compliance with policies and standards.
• Engage stakeholders across the governance framework.
• Manage company secretarial functions.
• Lead on governance best practices.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Governance framework knowledge

Legal knowledge

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Education

Degree in business administration, law, or corporate governance

Tools

Microsoft 365

Salesforce

Diligent

SAP

Job description

Our team

Boat Safety Scheme Limited, or BSS, is a public safety initiative run as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Our role in supporting navigation and harbour authorities, is to help reduce the risk of boat fires, explosions, carbon monoxide or pollution from boats harming visitors to the inland waterways, the waterways' workforce, other waterways users and property on or alongside the waterways.

The BSS comprises a team of 10 operating across the UK supporting 16 Navigation & Harbour Authorities. Colleagues are Canal River Trust Employees permanently seconded full time to BSS Limited.

Our opportunity

Our Governance Manager supports the Boat Safety Scheme General Manager & Directors in designing, implementing and maintaining an effective governance framework, establish BSS specific processes which take into account the different stakeholders and provide secretariat functions across Boat Safety Scheme Limited and its dependants.

The scope of the role covers those UK inland waterways managed by the 16 navigation and harbour authorities participating in the Scheme. There are currently circa 90,000 boats on these waterways which are examined against the relevant BSS Requirements once every four years. There are currently 170 independent BSS Examiners who between them carry out approximately 21,000 BSS Examinations every year.

Find out more here: https://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/about-us/

Location & coverage

The position will be offered on a remote working basis, with a requirement to attend our main hub spaces and or other navigation & harbour authority offices throughout the UK as and when required for team working and collaborative meetings. Travel throughout the waterway network is expected in order to conduct site visits.

BSS Limited represents numerous navigation authorities throughout the UK, we have training centres at Evesham, Northampton and Norwich. We hold technical conferences in numerous locations but mainly based in Warwick. Our monthly meetings are held In Hemel Hempstead.

When travelling on Boat Safety Scheme business, train tickets, and accommodation (when overnight stays are applicable) are bookable through designated apps and websites.

See the links to most of our navigation and harbour authority stakeholders here: www.aina.org.uk

About the role

As a member of our BSS team of ten, you will be working across a diverse range of stakeholders and partners to manage governance policies, processes and controls to ensure that all BSS activities comply with relevant policies, standards and regulatory requirements, in an effective and efficient manner.

Key accountabilities:

• Always displaying the BSS & Trust values and behaviours ensuring that diversity and inclusion are integrated into all aspects of BSS/Trust life and promoting inclusion by challenging behaviour, practices, actions, or decisions that are counter to the objectives of our policies and values.
• Assist BSS General Manager & Directors in designing and implementing a good governance framework for the BSS that is fit for purpose, including organisation of Forum Member elections and nomination or appointment of non-elected Forum Members.
• Establish BSS specific processes which take into account the different stakeholders, develop and manage governance policies, processes and controls to ensure that all BSS activities comply with relevant policies, standards and regulatory requirements.
• Work with the Canal & River Trust's Legal & Governance and Finance teams to ensure wider Trust group governance and reporting requirements are met.
• Liaison with the Board, Forum Members, Technical, Advisory and Standards Setting Forums Chairs & Convenors and other key stakeholders to build and maintain positive engagement across the BSS governance framework.
• Ability to build and maintain cohesive working relationships with, and to engage and influence, senior leaders across the BSS.
• Identify, build and develop an extensive network of key stakeholders (internal and external) to keep abreast of best practice and benchmarking to deliver good and efficient governance.
• Leading on periodic reviews of BSS governance framework in accordance with best practise (e.g. not-for-profit Governance Codes, other leading charities and non-profits).
• Organisation of stakeholder events (e.g. Board Meetings, Advisory, Technical and Standards Setting Forums, other receptions, dinners, public meetings).
• Develop and manage delivery of company secretarial function across the BSS and its subsidiaries, including the execution & management of documents including the annual report, maintaining statutory registers, filing with regulatory bodies (e.g. Audit, Defra, Companies House, Charity Commission).
• Responsibility for design and implementation & maintenance of BSS Scheme of Delegation.
• Act as Company Secretary in relation to agenda setting, minute taking, forward planning of Board, Forums and other stakeholder meetings.

About you

Qualifications:

• Degree (or substantial relevant experience) in a relevant field such as business administration, law, or corporate governance.

Technical:

• Deep understanding, knowledge and experience of charity/not-for-profit governance frameworks, including the inter-relationships and decision making between each governance element (e.g. Board of Directors, Forum Members, Navigation Authorities Executive nominees).
• Ability to build good working relationships at a senior level (e.g. Board, Executive).
• Substantial practical experience of dealing with and influencing a wide range of stakeholders, senior and throughout an organisation including the ability to translate complex information and present this to each stakeholder in an easily digestible way.
• Thorough understanding of how Charity governance and corporate governance fit together and how this practically translates within an organisation and in overall governance frameworks.
• An excellent demonstrable understanding of company secretarial functions.

General:

• Ability to effectively lead, coach and mentor others whilst practically balancing the day-to-day aspects of the role.
• Highly proficient in the use of Microsoft 365 packages including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Highly computer literate. Able to analyse complex data, identifying issues and trends, interpret results and develop recommendations. Familiarity with business systems including Salesforce, Diligent, SAP.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills, particularly written skills.
• Lead by example, ensure you take responsibility for the safety of colleagues, volunteers, themselves and customers.
• Comply with BSS/Canal & River Trust's mandatory policies and defined standards, including health & safety, inclusion & diversity, safeguarding, UK data protection & IT security.
• If you have any questions about the role please contact [e-mail]

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient suitable applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

What we offer

In addition to your salary of £43,000, you will benefit from a Car Cash Allowance of £425 per month, a competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, great holiday entitlement and numerous other employee benefits, including several salary sacrifice benefits, all of which can be found here (https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/work-for-us/our-benefits).

• Competitive contributory DC Pension scheme arrangement, where we will double your contribution to a maximum of 10%.
• 25 days paid holiday (plus paid Bank Holidays), increasing with years of service to up to 30 days after 5 years, plus holiday purchase scheme.
• Home working status with 'hub' facilities available should you need the flexibility to work outside of home.
• Free access to specialist counselling on a range of issues, e.g. health, financial, well-being and domestic matters.
• Access to a range of employee benefits including store discounts, boating holiday discounts and holiday purchase scheme.
• 2 days paid volunteering leave per annum, allowing you to volunteer for a local community project etc.
• Free fishing facilities across our canal network.

We care passionately for our waterways, and as importantly, for those who look after and use them. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce brings with it a diversity of ideas, thinking and ways of working which enhances what we do as a Trust. We are striving to represent the diverse communities that we are a part of and welcome applicants from across all sectors of the community.

All candidates will be treated on the basis of their merits, skills and abilities and solely by being assessed against the requirements for the job.

At the Trust, we empower our people to flow and thrive both on and off the water. Our colleagues enjoy a variety of benefits that enhance their lives while working in a place that positively impacts others. We take pride in our people, protecting heritage and preserving wildlife, and we're all about the future of our colleagues and the future generations who love and use our network. Inspired by people, we harness the different ways of working and thinking, ensuring our teams grow and reach their full potential.

Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.

Find out more about us on our website: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us