Director of Governance

East Surrey College / John Ruskin College; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution located in Greater London is seeking a highly skilled Director of Governance to support its governing body. This senior role involves ensuring the Governing Body operates effectively, providing expert governance advice, and managing key governance activities. The ideal candidate will have strong experience within governance, preferably in the education sector, and excellent communication skills. The position offers a competitive salary, flexible working conditions, and a variety of staff benefits.

Benefits

Excellent pension schemes

Generous holiday package

Free onsite parking

Access to fully equipped gym

Discounted Spa and Salon treatments

Qualifications

• Qualified in governance or willing to work towards qualification.
• Experience in an educational or public sector environment preferred.
• Proven track record of supporting senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Ensure effective operation of the Corporation and its Committees.
• Provide expert governance advice to the Board and Executive.
• Lead strategic development of governance across the College Group.
• Organise and support Corporation and Committee meetings.
• Manage governor recruitment and development.
• Maintain compliance with statutory obligations.
• Oversee governance records and data management.

Skills

Governance experience

Strong communication skills

Detail-focused

Organisational skills

Education

ICSA/HE (Level 5) Award in Governance

Maths and English GCSE or Level 2 equivalents

Degree or equivalent

Job description

Director of Governance

Location: East Surrey College / John Ruskin College

Working Pattern: 3 days a week, Term Time only for 36 weeks

Hours: Flexible, with governor meetings typically 4–6pm

Working Days: Tuesday–Thursday (Thursday fixed for governor meetings; some flexibility available. This role would be a mixture of on Site and Hybrid)

Salary: £70,000 per annum (pro rated to £35,635.38 for 36 weeks)

Interviews: 16th January 2026

We are seeking a highly skilled and proactive Director of Governance to support the Corporation of East Surrey College / John Ruskin College. This senior role ensures that the Governing Body operates effectively, lawfully, and in line with best practice, providing independent, impartial advice to the Chair, CEO/Principal, and all Board Members.

You will play a central role in maintaining the crucial working relationship between the Chair, CEO/Principal, and Director of Governance, ensuring alignment, trust, and strong communication at the heart of College leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure the Corporation and its Committees operate within statutory, regulatory, and best practice frameworks.
• Provide expert, impartial governance advice and briefings to the Board and Executive.
• Lead the strategic development and continuous improvement of governance across the College Group, including subsidiaries.
• Organise and support all Corporation and Committee meetings, ensuring high-quality agendas, papers, and minutes.
• Manage governor recruitment, induction, development, and succession planning.
• Maintain compliance with Codes of Conduct, GDPR, FOI, safeguarding, and all statutory obligations.
• Oversee governance records, registers, and effective data management.

Requirements

• ICSA/HE (Level 5) Award in Governance for Clerks or a comparable qualification (or willingness to work towards)
• Maths and English GCSEs (or Level 2 equivalents) or willingness to work towards
• A degree or equivalent is desirable

We are looking for someone with strong Governance experience, ideally within the education or public sector who is highly organised, detail-focused, and confident in advising senior leaders. The successful candidate will demonstrate professionalism, integrity, impartiality, and excellent communication skills, and will be fully aligned with our values.

Benefits

In return, we offer a competitive salary, as well as staff benefits such as choice of two excellent pension schemes, a brilliant holiday package, free onsite parking and access to our fully equipped gym along with discounted in house Spa and Salon treatments.

Applications will however be shortlisted on a rolling basis and we reserve the right to interview and appoint before this closing date. We therefore encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment. As much as we would love to respond to all applicants, due to the sheer volume of applications we receive we are unable to respond to all unsuccessful candidates.

Please refer to the attached Job Description, Person Specification and Competency Framework and apply using the button below.

Orbital South Colleges Group are committed to Equal Opportunities, encouraging applications from all sectors of the community to reflect our diverse student population. We are also committed to PREVENT and Safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Both College Campus are smoke-free zones.

As part of our pre-employment checks, successful candidates will be required to complete an enhanced DBS, references will be taken and evidence of all qualifications and awards will also be required before commencement of employment. Failure to do so may lead to offers being withdrawn.

Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK as we do not sponsor work permits, and work permits from other organisations are unacceptable as proof of right to work in the UK.