Governance and Compliance Officer

Office Angels; Poole; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

Office Angels in Poole is seeking a Governance and Compliance Officer to support Local Academy Boards across the Trust. The role involves clerking meetings, preparing agendas, publishing minutes, and ensuring governance compliance, with travel to academies as required.

Reporting to the Governance and Compliance Manager, you will maintain records, assist in governor recruitment, and provide advisory guidance on governance procedures. The position offers ongoing professional development.

Qualifications

• Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience supporting formal meetings.
• Proven ability to prepare agendas and produce accurate minutes.
• Experience maintaining confidential records and handling sensitive information.
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Confidence working independently and collaboratively.
• Excellent IT skills and the ability to quickly learn new systems.
• Knowledge of governance, compliance or regulatory frameworks.
• Experience within education, the public sector, charity sector or governance environments.
• Understanding of academy governance requirements and statutory obligations.
• Experience supporting governing bodies, boards, committees or similar forums.

Responsibilities

• Preparing meeting agendas in partnership with Chairs and Principals.
• Organising and distributing meeting papers.
• Clerking meetings and producing high-quality, accurate minutes.
• Monitoring actions and governance compliance requirements.
• Maintaining governance records and statutory information.
• Supporting the recruitment, induction and training of governors.
• Advising boards on governance procedures and best practice.
• Supporting governor panels, including complaints, suspensions, exclusions and appeals where required.
• Carrying out governance compliance activities, including website audits and governance record management.
• Acting as a Trust-wide lead in specialist governance areas (e.g., Complaints, Suspensions and Exclusions, Admissions, Compliance, Policy Management, Data Protection, FOI).
• Supporting governance activities to improve educational outcomes across the Trust.

Skills

Excellent organisational and admin

Strong written and verbal comms

Experience supporting formal meetings

Prepare agendas & minutes

Confidential records handling

Attention to detail

Prioritising & deadlines

Stakeholder management

Independent & collaborative

IT skills & learning systems

Job description

Governance and Compliance Officer

Salary: Starting salary £30,158 FTE

Hours: 37 hours per week

Monday to Thursday: 8:30am to 4:30pm

Friday: 8:30am to 4:00pm

(30-minute unpaid lunch break daily)

Location: Poole, with travel to academies across the Trust as required.

Governance Professional Opportunity within a Multi‑Academy Trust

Our client, a successful and growing Multi‑Academy Trust, is seeking a highly organised and professional Governance Professional to join its Central Team and play a key role in supporting effective governance across its Local Academy Boards (LABs).

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced administrator, clerk, governance professional, or someone with strong meeting management and compliance experience who is looking to build a rewarding career in educational governance.

Working closely with Chairs of Governors, Principals, Local Academy Board members and central colleagues, the successful candidate will help ensure governance arrangements operate effectively, efficiently, and in accordance with statutory requirements. The role offers the opportunity to provide expert administrative support, procedural advice and governance guidance that supports strong educational outcomes across the Trust.

About the Role

Reporting to the Governance and Compliance Manager, you will support one or more Local Academy Boards by:

• Preparing meeting agendas in partnership with Chairs and Principals.
• Organising and distributing meeting papers.
• Clerking meetings and producing high-quality, accurate minutes.
• Monitoring actions and governance compliance requirements.
• Maintaining governance records and statutory information.
• Supporting the recruitment, induction and training of governors.
• Advising boards on governance procedures and best practice.
• Supporting governor panels, including complaints, suspensions, exclusions and appeals where required.
• Carrying out governance compliance activities, including website audits and governance record management.
• Acting as a Trust‑wide lead in one or more specialist governance areas, such as:
• Complaints
• Suspensions and Exclusions
• Admissions
• Compliance
• Policy Management
• Data Protection
• Freedom of Information (FOI)

This varied position combines governance administration, stakeholder engagement, compliance responsibilities and specialist advisory work, making it ideal for someone who enjoys a diverse workload and taking ownership of their role.

What Our Client Is Looking For

Essential Skills & Experience

• Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience supporting formal meetings.
• Proven ability to prepare agendas and produce accurate minutes.
• Experience maintaining confidential records and handling sensitive information.
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Confidence working independently and collaboratively.
• Excellent IT skills and the ability to quickly learn new systems.

Desirable Experience

• Knowledge of governance, compliance or regulatory frameworks.
• Experience within education, the public sector, charity sector or governance environments.
• Understanding of academy governance requirements and statutory obligations.
• Experience supporting governing bodies, boards, committees or similar forums.

Personal Qualities

• Professional and discreet.
• Proactive and solution‑focused.
• Adaptable and resilient.
• Highly organised and dependable.
• Approachable and collaborative.
• Committed to continuous professional development.

What's on Offer

• A supportive and experienced governance team.
• The opportunity to make a meaningful impact across a successful Multi‑Academy Trust.
• Funding and support to achieve the Level4 CGI Clerking Qualification.
• Ongoing professional development and governance training.
• Opportunities to develop specialist expertise in key governance areas.
• A collaborative working environment committed to continuous improvement and excellence.

If you are an organised, detail-focused professional who enjoys supporting governance, building strong stakeholder relationships and helping organisations remain compliant and effective, we would be delighted to hear from you.