Senior Assistant Company Secretary

QBE Europe; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days holiday

Flexible working

Pension

Private medical insurance

Family friendly policies

Remote work abroad

Sustainable investing

Cycle-to-Work

Job summary

QBE European Operations plc. is seeking an experienced Senior Assistant Company Secretary in London to join our Company Secretarial team on a hybrid, permanent basis. You will own broad subsidiary and corporate governance matters and directly support senior stakeholders, including Directors.

You’ll provide high‑level secretarial support to Boards, manage a portfolio of subsidiaries, and lead a small team, with opportunities to drive smarter processes and automation across the function.

Qualifications

• Qualified governance professional with strong corporate governance experience.
• Experience supporting Boards/Committees and producing minutes from complex discussions.

Responsibilities

• Support the Deputy Company Secretary as their right-hand person.
• Deliver Company Secretarial support to Boards, Board Committees and Management Groups across QBE’s European Operations.
• Manage governance activity for subsidiary companies including Board/Shareholder meetings, packs, resolutions, actions and minutes.
• Build trusted relationships with Executive and Non-Executive Directors and other senior stakeholders, providing governance guidance.
• Lead and support direct reports, helping manage priorities and development.
• Maintain knowledge of the UK Companies Act and evolving governance best practice.
• Support implementation of regulatory and legislative changes in governance processes.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement in Company Secretarial processes and technology.
• Contribute to wider governance initiatives and ad hoc projects across QBE’s European Operations.

Skills

Board governance

Minutes writing

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Chartered Governance Institute

Tools

Diligent Entities

BoardVantage

Job description

Primary Details

Time Type: Full time

Worker Type: Employee

Senior Assistant Company Secretary

London / Hybrid

Permanent / Full Time

About QBE

At QBE, we get to the heart of what matters for our customers. And we do it all with a human touch.

We’re an international insurer with more than 13,000 people working across 26 countries, which means we’re big enough for your ambitions, yet small enough for you to make a real impact. It’s an exciting time. We’re building momentum towards our vision to become the most consistent and innovative risk partner.

What if you could have a positive impact, at work and in the world? As part of the QBE team, you’ll get to spend every day working with people who are passionate, talented and kind.

Having the right to work in the UK is a requirement for this role. QBE may consider sponsorship at its discretion.

The opportunity

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Assistant Company Secretary to join our established Company Secretarial team in London, taking on a broad role with significant ownership across subsidiary governance and corporate governance matters.

You’ll work closely with senior stakeholders, including Executive and Non-Executive Directors, supporting effective governance across QBE’s European Operations. Alongside managing your own areas of responsibility, you’ll have direct reports and the opportunity to support their development while contributing to the wider direction of the team.

This is a great opportunity for someone who brings strong technical Company Secretarial experience but also enjoys looking at how things can be done better. We’d particularly welcome someone curious about continuous improvement, smarter processes and opportunities to use technology (particularly AI), and automation effectively.

The role may also offer occasional travel across Europe, predominantly to our Belgium office.

Your new role

Acting as principal support to the Deputy Company Secretary, you’ll deliver high‑quality Company Secretarial support to Boards, Board Committees and Management Groups, working with colleagues and senior stakeholders to ensure robust governance and statutory compliance.

You’ll have plenty of autonomy and responsibility, while joining an experienced and supportive team with exposure across a wide range of governance matters.

Main responsibilities

• Support the Deputy Company Secretary as their right‑hand person.
• Deliver Company Secretarial support to Boards, Board Committees and Management Groups, helping ensure effective governance across QBE’s European Operations.
• Manage governance activity for a portfolio of subsidiary companies, including Board and Shareholder meetings, meeting packs, written resolutions, actions and minutes.
• Build trusted relationships with Executive and Non-Executive Directors and other senior stakeholders, providing practical governance support and guidance.
• Lead and support direct reports, helping manage priorities and contribute to their ongoing development.
• Maintain strong knowledge of the UK Companies Act, relevant regulatory requirements, corporate legislation and evolving corporate governance best practice.
• Support the implementation of regulatory and legislative changes across relevant governance processes.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement across the Company Secretarial function, including smarter processes, technology and automation.
• Contribute to wider governance initiatives and ad hoc projects across QBE’s European Operations.

About You

You’ll be an experienced Company Secretarial professional who is comfortable operating with autonomy, managing direct reports, managing senior stakeholder relationships and navigating complex governance matters.

You’ll combine strong technical knowledge with a practical and commercial approach. Just as importantly, we’re looking for someone proactive and curious, who isn’t afraid to challenge existing ways of working and explore how processes could be simpler, smarter or more efficient.

Skills you’ll need

• Fully qualified with the Chartered Governance Institute is a preference.
• Strong Company Secretarial and corporate governance experience, ideally gained within a large, complex or regulated organisation in Financial services is preferred.
• Experience supporting Boards and Committees, including producing high‑quality minutes from complex and technical discussions at pace.
• Confidence working directly with Executive and Non-Executive Directors and other senior stakeholders.
• Strong working knowledge of the UK Companies Act, corporate governance requirements and relevant regulatory developments.
• Previous people management or leadership experience, with the ability to support and develop others.
• A hands‑on, organised and proactive approach, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities at pace.
• An interest in continuous improvement, technology and automation, and how these can improve Company Secretarial processes and ways of working.
• Experience using entity management databases such as Diligent Entities (formerly Blueprint), and Board portals such as BoardVantage, would be beneficial.
• Experience gained within insurance or a legal/regulatory background, would be advantageous.

Benefits

• 30 days holiday a year with the option to buy up to 2 additional days.
• Flexible working – balancing work and life is important so our flexible working opportunities are open to all, this can include part‑time, job share and compressed hours.
• Pension – you are automatically enrolled into the QBE pension plan, which entitles you to receive employer contributions of 10% of your basic salary.
• Private medical insurance – we fund fully comprehensive private medical cover for you and all the family.
• Family friendly policies – we offer 26 weeks leave at full pay regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation or how you become a parent.
• Short term remote work abroad – you can request up to 20 days per year to work remotely from certain locations abroad.
• Sustainable investing – we believe sustainable integration is important for long term financial, environmental, and social outcomes. Our pension strategy supports our net‑zero goal to achieve year‑on‑year reductions in carbon footprint, by investing more in green businesses than the broader market, so your savings are looking after the planet's future, as well as your own.
• Cycle‑to‑Work – benefit from regular exercise whilst making your commute greener and cheaper, select and bike and/or accessories up to the value of £5,000.

Awards & Recognition

• General Insurer of the Year 2026 at the British Insurance Awards
• Winner of Excellence in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award 2025 at the Insurance Business Australia Awards for our Respect@QBE program
• Insurance Post British Insurance Awards 2025: Winner: Commercial Lines Insurer of the Year, Winner: Reinsurer of the Year - QBE Re, Winner: ESG, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year, Winner: Insurance Personality of the Year - Chris Wallace, Executive Director UK insurance
• AXCO Global Insurance Awards 2024 Winner: Network Management of the Year
• Insurance Business UK 5-Star Cyber Awards 2024: QBE rated as a 5-Star Cyber Insurer
• UK IT Industry Awards 2023 Winner: Green Technology Innovation of the Year
• Working Dads Employer Awards 2023 Winner: Parental Policies Award
• Insurance Post British Insurance Awards 2023: QBE rated as a 5-Star Employee

You can view all our awards here

Equal Employment Opportunity

QBE is an equal opportunity employer and is required to comply with equal employment opportunity legislation in each jurisdiction it operates.