Governance Manager

Orbit Group; Coventry; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Orbit Group in Coventry is recruiting a Governance Manager to lead governance and company secretarial support across the organisation. You’ll provide advisory support to the Board, committees and senior leadership, shaping robust governance frameworks and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.

Based on-site in Coventry two days per week, with the rest of the time worked from home. You will design governance processes, manage board operations, prepare agendas and minutes, and mentor

Qualifications

• Strong governance, company secretarial and board support experience in regulated orgs.
• Understanding of housing association governance and regulatory expectations.
• Ability to interpret governing documents, terms of reference and codes of governance.
• Experience creating governance systems, templates and reporting.
• Familiarity with probity rules and declarations of interest.
• Experience ensuring quality of board/committee papers and minutes.
• Ability to lead and coach governance staff.
• Ability to build relationships with non-exec directors and execs.
• Continuous improvement mindset for governance processes.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality governance and company secretarial support to the Board and committees.
• Manage board operations: agendas, minutes, materials and trackers.
• Ensure regulatory compliance through governance returns and records.
• Develop and maintain governance policies and digital records.
• Lead Governance staff and set expectations for accuracy and service.
• Build trusted relationships with directors and external advisers.

Skills

Governance expertise

Board support

Regulatory awareness

Interpreting governance docs

Compliance planning

Stakeholder management

Job description

We’re building thriving communities as one of the UK’s largest housing groups and a leading developer of affordable housing.

We believe everyone is entitled to a good home they can afford, in a place they are proud to live. More than 100,000 people live in our homes.

If you want to experience work that’s truly rewarding, join us. Because when we achieve together, customers and communities thrive.

Work for Orbit. Believe in people.

The role

Orbit Group are delighted to be recruiting for a Governance Manager to join us in this brand new role to the organisation.

As the Governance Manager, you will be an experienced in-house governance professional with a background in housing. You will manage and continuously improve the governance and company secretarial service for Orbit, ensuring effective support to the Board, committees, executive leadership and wider business. The role provides trusted governance advice, maintains robust governance frameworks, supports regulatory compliance and ensures the organisation can evidence transparent, accountable and effective decision-making.

The role will be responsible for developing and embedding efficient governance frameworks, processes and systems to support efficient and effective governance across the organisation. Supporting the Head of Governance to ensure, and evidence, statutory and regulatory compliance including annual effectiveness reviews, regulatory standard self-assessments and internal governance reviews.

Together with the Head of Governance the role will be responsible for designing governance frameworks and managing board operations to ensure compliance with all pertinent laws, regulations, and internal policies. This involves conducting reviews, identifying potential areas of compliance vulnerability and risk, and implementing any improvement measures required.

This role is part of Regulatory & Governance where you'll help us give colleagues the support and expertise they need to be brilliant.

Where you'll be working

This role will be based on-site in Coventry two days per week, with the rest of the week working from home. This can fluctuate subject to business need.

What you'll achieve

Governance

Provide high-quality governance and company secretarial advice to the Board, committee chairs, executive colleagues and senior managers, escalating complex or high-risk matters to the Head of Governance / Director of Governance as appropriate.

Support compliance with Orbits chosen code of governance, regulatory standards, governing documents and relevant company, charity or co-operative and community benefit society requirements. Acting as an internal advisor ensuring board and committee responsibilities align with the chosen code and constitutional rules.

Board and Committee effectiveness

Responsible for assigned Boards and Committees and internal groups.

Preparation of meeting agendas, minutes, resources and action trackers, including organising and managing documentation for assigned board and committee meetings and events via the board portal and email.

Regulatory compliance

Manage processes that support compliance with regulatory, statutory and constitutional requirements, including governance returns, filings, registers and annual assurance activity.

Policies and Procedures

Develop and maintain key governance policies, systems, processes and records, taking a digital-first and continuous-improvement approach.

Team leadership and service improvement

Oversee operational governance administration, ensuring routine meeting logistics, document management, portal updates and standard correspondence are delivered at the appropriate level.

Develop and support Governance Officer-level colleagues, setting clear expectations for accuracy, timeliness, confidentiality and customer service.

Stakeholder relationships

Build trusted working relationships with Board and committee chairs, non-executive members, executive directors, senior leaders, governance colleagues and external advisers.

What you'll bring

Essential skills

• Strong experience of governance, company secretarial and board support in a regulated organisation, ideally a registered provider of social housing or similarly complex not-for-profit environment.
• Good understanding of housing association governance, regulatory expectations, Board assurance, delegations, probity and effective decision-making and how governance supports organisational control.
• Ability to interpret and apply governing documents, terms of reference, schemes of delegation, codes of governance and regulatory standards.
• Experience of developing and improving governance systems, processes, templates and reporting, rather than only administering them.
• Familiarity with probity arrangements, including declarations of interest, gifts and hospitality, fit and proper requirements and conduct matters.
• Experience overseeing the quality of Board and committee papers, minutes, action logs and decision records.
• Ability to lead, coach or develop governance colleagues and ensure work is delivered at the right level.
• Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships and deal sensitively and professionally with non-executive directors, senior executives and external partners.
• Continuous improvement mindset and ability to design practical, proportionate processes.

Why Orbit?

Choosing us means being rewarded in every sense.

Here’s what you can expect to enjoy with us.

A rewarding experience that works for you

We strive to create an inclusive experience with benefits and wellbeing programmes designed to help you, and your loved ones, to thrive. For a better work life balance, we offer flexible working opportunities for many roles.

A place to progress

From training programmes to professional qualifications, we provide opportunities to learn and develop at every stage of your career. Whether you’re a student, graduate or experienced professional we’ll support you to grow.

For leaders, our tailored development journeys are designed to stretch and strengthen your leadership skills. As well as practical training, we give you access to renowned business schools and experiential programmes for greater breadth and depth of learning.

A purpose to feel proud of

We’re proud to make a difference to people together. We’re values-driven with a commercial focus on performance - because the more profit we make, the more we can achieve for people.

What brings us together is a passionate belief in progress and people.

Read more about the values and purpose that drive us on our careers website.

We put the safeguarding of our customers, colleagues and contractors at the heart of everything we do and as such, certain roles will be subject to a DBS check