Company Secretarial Assistant & Corporate Paralegal

Sagentia; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and benefits

Job summary

Sagentia in Cambridge is seeking a versatile paralegal to join our busy legal team. This office-based role supports Group Legal Counsel & Company Secretary and works across multiple jurisdictions.

You will assist with board packs, AGM, governance framework, statutory filings, and corporate transactions, coordinating with finance, HR and back office functions. Strong organisational skills and discretion are essential; SC clearance eligibility is required.

Qualifications

• Strong academic credentials; degree level beneficial but not essential.
• Previous experience in a company secretarial, corporate governance or relevant paralegal role.
• Good working knowledge of UK company law and Companies House filing requirements.
• An understanding of corporate governance principles.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Excellent written communication skills, high levels of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to handle confidential and commercially sensitive information with discretion.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the confidence to liaise professionally with directors, senior management and external advisers.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Eligibility for UK Government Security Check (SC) clearance is a prerequisite; five years UK residency preferred.

Responsibilities

• Assist with preparation for monthly Board meetings and related Board packs.
• Assist with the annual general meeting including preparation of the AGM notice and related documentation.
• Support the Group Legal Counsel with the maintenance of the corporate website in accordance with AIM Rule 26.
• Support the Group Legal Counsel in maintaining and developing the Company’s corporate governance framework, policies and procedures, ensuring documentation reflects current requirements and practice
• Assist with the preparation of the annual report and accounts, including the corporate governance statement, directors’ report and other relevant disclosures.
• Maintain statutory registers for subsidiaries across various jurisdictions, including registers of members, directors, secretaries, PSC and other relevant records.
• Prepare and submit statutory filings to Companies House, including changes to directors, confirmation statements, share capital and other relevant filings.
• Coordinate subsidiary company administration, including board meetings for routine matters.
• Assist the Group Legal Counsel with documentation, public announcements and filings relating to listed company and regulatory matters such as buybacks, share options, Market Abuse Regulations and other compliance matters.
• Monitor changes in relevant legislation, regulation, listing requirements and corporate governance guidance, highlighting developments that may affect the Company.
• Other areas: Assist with annual corporate insurance renewals and liaise with insurance brokers; tenant matters, facilities contracts and leases; manage IP portfolio; provide day-to-day administrative support; assist with corporate transactions and due diligence; work with rest of legal, Finance, HR.

Skills

Strong organisational skills

Excellent written communication

Discretion with confidential信息

Interpersonal skills

MS Office proficiency

Education

Degree-level education beneficial

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

Job description

We are seeking a versatile and enthusiastic individual to join our busy legal team based at the Cambridge office. This role is office-based, 5 days a week. The team comprises the Group Legal Counsel & Company Secretary, two other solicitors, a contracts manager and a legal administrative assistant, and supports all businesses and locations in the Group.

The purpose of this role is to provide effective company secretarial, corporate governance and broader paralegal support to the Group Legal Counsel & Company Secretary and the wider business, ensuring that Science Group and its subsidiaries comply with applicable statutory, regulatory and corporate governance requirements.

The successful candidate will be proactive, willing to take on a broad range of work, and confident in liaising with colleagues of all levels of the business, in addition to demonstrating high standards of organisation and attention to detail. They will need to quickly develop an understanding of the Group’s various businesses, key individuals and priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with preparation for monthly Board meetings and related Board packs
• Assist with the annual general meeting including preparation of the AGM notice and related documentation.
• Support the Group Legal Counsel with the maintenance of the corporate website in accordance with AIM Rule 26.
• Support the Group Legal Counsel in maintaining and developing the Company’s corporate governance framework, policies and procedures, ensuring documentation reflects current requirements and practice
• Assist with the preparation of the annual report and accounts, including the corporate governance statement, directors’ report and other relevant disclosures.
• Maintain statutory registers for subsidiaries across various jurisdictions, including registers of members, directors, secretaries, persons with significant control (PSC) and other relevant records, as applicable.
• Prepare and submit statutory filings to Companies House, including changes to directors, confirmation statements, share capital and other relevant filings.
• Coordinate subsidiary company administration, including board meetings for routine matters.
• Assist the Group Legal Counsel with documentation, public announcements and filings relating to listed company and regulatory matters such as buybacks, share options, Market Abuse Regulations and other compliance matters.
• Monitor changes in relevant legislation, regulation, listing requirements and corporate governance guidance, highlighting developments that may affect the Company.

Other areas:

• Assist the Group Legal Counsel with the Group’s annual corporate insurance renewals and liaise with the Group’s insurance brokers on day to day queries.
• Assist the Group Legal Counsel with tenant matters, facilities contracts and leases across the Group’s locations.
• Manage the Group’s IP portfolio in conjunction with the Group Legal Counsel.
• Provide day-to-day administrative and organisational support to the Group Legal Counsel.
• Assist with corporate transactions, due diligence and other strategic projects as required.
• Work collaboratively with the rest of the legal team, Finance, HR and other back office functions.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Strong academic credentials; degree level beneficial but not essential.
• Previous experience in a company secretarial, corporate governance or relevant paralegal role.
• Good working knowledge of UK company law and Companies House filing requirements.
• An understanding of corporate governance principles.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Excellent written communication skills, high levels of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to handle confidential and commercially sensitive information with discretion.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the confidence to liaise professionally with directors, senior management and external advisers.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Due to industry requirements, eligibility for UK Government Security Check (SC) clearance is a prerequisite for this role. As part of the clearance process, candidates will normally be expected to have been resident in the UK for a minimum of five years.

Benefits

• We offer a competitive salary and benefits package.