Senior Governance Officer

GEDU Services; Elstree; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

An educational services provider based in Elstree, United Kingdom, is looking for an individual to manage corporate governance. This role entails providing high-quality support to various boards, ensuring compliance with regulations, and leading governance planning. Candidates should possess excellent communication skills, a strong understanding of higher education governance, and the ability to thrive in fast-paced settings. This full-time position offers opportunities for travel across UK and European campuses.

Qualifications

• Excellent understanding of Higher Education governance, both academic and corporate.
• Ability to produce high quality written and oral reports.
• Strong understanding of risk management and its best practices.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage competing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Manage the professional delivery of corporate governance.
• Lead planning and coordination of governance calendar.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and provide secretariat support to boards.
• Provide secretariat support to senior boards, ensuring agendas, minutes and actions are accurate and timely.
• With the Head of Governance, lead elections to senior committees.
• Promote risk management best practice and embed risk management across the organisation.
• Take on special projects or support the Head of Governance as required.
• Maintain high quality communications between the Governance Team and GEDU institutions and leadership.
• Ensure regulatory compliance is met in collaboration with senior leaders.
• Act as liaison between corporate and academic governance teams.
• Line manage and support the Governance Officer.
• Develop a network of influence with senior GEDU officers and external peers.

Skills

Understanding of HE governance

Excellent written skills

Communication and interpersonal skills

Organizational skills

Ability to work in fast-paced environments

Willingness to travel

Education

Governance related qualifications or willingness

Job description

Role Purpose

To manage the professional delivery of corporate governance across GEDU including providing high‑quality servicing for the Board of Directors, Executive Boards, and the Standing Committees of the Boards, and to assist the Head of Governance in the ongoing development of governance processes and procedures, informed by relevant national and international directives, policy developments and good practice.

Role Responsibilities

• Lead the planning and coordination of the Governance calendar.
• Ensure reporting deadlines are met in line with the Boards and Committee’s term of reference.
• Provide high quality and accurate advice and guidance on governance based on an up-to-date understanding of a broad range of issues, systems and processes, best practice and frameworks.
• Provide high quality secretariat support to senior boards and committees, assuring the quality and timeliness of agendas, minutes and their distribution, and following up on actions.
• With the Head of Governance, lead the elections to senior committees.
• Actively promote risk management best practice and embed risk management throughout the organisation.
• Take on any special projects or assist the Head of Governance as required.
• Provide high quality communications between the Governance Team and Gedu institutions, directors, and senior members of the organisation.
• Provide high quality secretariat support to Boards and Committees including distribution of agendas, minutes and actions.
• Work closely with the Head of Governance and the senior leadership team to ensure regulatory compliance is met.
• Act as liaison between corporate and academic governance teams.
• Line manage and support the Governance Officer.
• Develop a network of influence with senior GEDU officers and external peers.
• Provide high quality written and oral reports, as required, to the Head of Governance, CEO and other senior staff at GEDU.
• Maintain governance registers including policies ensuring reviews and approvals are conducted where needed.

Liaison With Gedu Staff

Key relationships are with the Head of Governance, Provost, International Provost, Executive Boards, Academic Boards, Group Chief Finance Officer, Chief Operating Officer, CEO and Deputy CEO of GEDU and its partner organisations.

Essential Skills And Experience

• Excellent understanding of HE governance, including academic and corporate governance.
• Excellent written skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced environment.
• Excellent organisational skills.Willing to travel to UK and European campuses.

Desirable Skills And Experience

• Governance related qualifications, or willingness to work towards qualifications in corporate governance.
• Knowledge or experience in risk management.

Other Information

• To GEDU values and regulations, including equal opportunities policy.
• To GEDU’s social, economic and environmental responsibilities and minimise environmental impact in the performance of the role and actively contribute to the delivery of GEDU’s Environmental Policy.
• To their Health and Safety responsibilities to ensure their contribution to a safe and secure working environment for staff, students, and other visitors to the campus.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned.

Role Dimensions

• Direct Reports: Yes
• Travel: Yes
• Budget Responsibility: No

Seniority level

Executive

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

Other, Information Technology, and Management

Industries: Education