Governance officer

Job reference: 000255

Salary: £28,752.79

Division: Quality & Governance

Location: Bristol, Bristol

Department: Governance

Hours Per Week: 37.5

Our vision is to create a future where learning disabled people can live the best life possible. We achieve this by campaigning for positive change, providing personalised support, and creating solutions that empower people to live independently.

We are seeking a highly organised and proactive Governance Officer to join our Governance team. This role provides essential administrative and governance support to Trustees, Board Members, and other key stakeholders, helping to embed excellent governance, compliance, and risk management practices across Hft. You will work with a high degree of autonomy, initiative, discretion, and judgement, supporting the Head of Governance and Trustees in delivering a robust governance framework and ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

• Provide administrative support for Board and Committee meetings, including scheduling, preparing packs, and taking accurate minutes.
• Coordinate risk assurance activities, including audits and reviews of information governance, risk, and audit frameworks.
• Support Trustees with queries, planning, and attendance to enable them to perform their roles effectively.
• Maintain and manage governance and compliance records, including registers for data protection, risk, whistleblowing, and conflicts of interest.
• Respond to internal and external data protection queries, investigate incidents, and manage GDPR compliance activities such as DPIAs and Legitimate Interest Assessments.
• Assist with policy management and compliance documentation, including the NHS Data Protection and Security Toolkit.
• Act as first point of contact for Trustees and liaise with external bodies such as the Charity Commission.
• Support the delivery and continuous improvement of staff governance and compliance training.

• GCSEs (or equivalent) in Maths and English (Grade C/4 or above)
• Experience in administration, coordination, or support roles
• Knowledge of governance administration and Charities Commission procedures
• Understanding of regulatory, ethical, or compliance frameworks
• Confident IT skills including MS Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Strong attention to detail and high-level proof-reading skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to build effective working relationships across all levels
• Ability to work independently while contributing positively as part of a team
• Knowledge of UK data protection and privacy legislation
  
  Integrity, confidentiality, and professionalism in handling sensitive information
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment

• Law qualification or equivalent experience
• Experience as a legal secretary, paralegal, or in governance, audit, or risk management
• Experience in the charity, education, or care sectors

• Diverse:
  We champion equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Kind:
  Compassion drives everything we do.
• Positive:
  We focus on solutions and collaboration.
• Visionary:
  We strive to create the best life possible for the people we support.