Governance Lead

Final date to receive applications: 19 October 2026

Department: Legal

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Milton Keynes

A little bit about us

East West Rail is an infrastructure programme connecting communities between Oxford and Cambridge, a region currently underserved by transport. We have a once in a generation opportunity to change that, improving prosperity for people and places along the way.

East West Railway Company (EWR Co) was created by the Department for Transport (DfT) to oversee delivery of East West Rail, from design and construction through to services running, making sure the railway comes together in the right way. The programme is projected to deliver a £6.7 billion annual boost to the regional economy by 2050.

Role Summary

As Governance Lead, you will own the operation and continued development of EWR Co's corporate governance framework. Working directly with the Chair, Board, Executive Committee and senior leaders, you will help shape governance at a defining stage in EWR Co's development. You will connect Board governance, delegated authority and organisational decision-making, creating arrangements that support delivery today and remain clear and defensible under future scrutiny.

You will provide independent, practical advice on governance, decision-making and accountability with autonomy, exercise sound judgement, constructively challenge at the most senior levels and lead the governance team.

Function

The Governance Lead reports to the Director of Legal and is accountable for the day-to-day operation of governance within EWR Co. The role leads and develops the governance team, which includes a Governance Manager as a direct report, and sets its priorities, standards and ways of working.

The role operates across organisational boundaries, with direct access to the Chair, Non-Executive Directors, Executive Directors and senior leadership. It builds working relationships with committee chairs, paper owners and decision-makers across EWR Co, as well as governance and sponsorship counterparts within the DfT.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the day-to-day operation and development of the governance function, setting clear priorities, service standards, controls and ways of working.
• Maintain a clear view of EWR Co's governance architecture, including the relationship between the Articles of Association, Framework Document, Development Agreement, delegated authorities, remit and delegation letters, matters reserved, terms of reference and internal governance arrangements.
• Build a governance service that combines reliable secretariat delivery with sound governance advice, keeping a coherent map of governance forums, decision rights, assurance routes and escalation paths and identifying duplication, gaps or unclear accountabilities.
• Operate the conflicts of interest and business interests regime for Board and Executive members, alongside the gifts and hospitality registers, ensuring records are live and auditable.
• Develop and support the governance team, establishing clear accountabilities and building professional capability and resilience.
• Advise the Chair, Board, Executive Committee and senior leaders on governance, authority, accountability and effective decision-making, planning forward agendas with the Chair, committee chairs and executives around the company's strategic, delivery, risk and assurance priorities.
• Provide independent and practical advice on where and how decisions should be taken, constructively challenging where proposals do not meet the required governance or evidential standard.
• Anticipate governance requirements and identify emerging gaps, ambiguities or conflicts before they affect programme delivery or expose the company to challenge.
• Promote a culture in which governance is understood as an enabler of sound and timely delivery, rather than an administrative process.
• Produce proportionate guidance, training and communications that help colleagues understand decision rights, delegated authority and governance requirements.
• Contribute to corporate governance reporting to the DfT and, where required, HM Treasury.
• Embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in all your work, and support organisational EDI initiatives, policies and procedures.

You will bring:

• A background in delivering corporate governance and company secretarial services within a complex, regulated, publicly accountable or similarly scrutinised…