Governance Manager

At the Orpheus Centre, we believe in the power of the arts to transform lives. We support young disabled adults to develop confidence, independence and skills through creative and performing arts programmes. Our values of being joyful, bold, inclusive, resilient and determined are at the heart of everything we do.

We are seeking an experienced and proactive Governance Manager to lead and develop our governance function. This is an exciting opportunity for a governance professional who enjoys improving systems, supporting senior leaders and trustees, and ensuring governance arrangements are effective, efficient and compliant.

Salary: £45,000 - £50,000 per annum (depending on experience)

Hours: 35 hours per week, full-time (52 weeks per year)

Location: Godstone, Surrey

Reporting to: Director of People & Governance

Please note that the Orpheus Centre is not a licensed sponsor organisation and therefore is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants must already have the legal right to live and work in the UK for the duration of their employment.

As Governance Manager
, you will work closely with the Director of People & Governance, Senior Management Team and Board of Trustees to ensure robust governance arrangements across the organisation. You will be responsible for coordinating and servicing Board and committee meetings, maintaining governance frameworks and registers, supporting trustee development, monitoring compliance requirements and driving continuous improvement in governance practices.

We are looking for someone who can identify opportunities for improvement, provide constructive challenge and help strengthen governance arrangements across the organization.

• Lead the administration and coordination of the Board of Trustees and committee governance programme.
• Prepare, coordinate and quality assure Board and committee papers.
• Attend Board and committee meetings and produce accurate, high-quality minutes.
• Maintain governance frameworks, policies, registers, action logs and delegated authority arrangements.
• Coordinate trustee recruitment, induction, training and development.
• Support risk management, assurance reporting and regulatory compliance activities.
• Manage governance improvement projects and implement best practice governance processes.
• Monitor governance developments and regulatory changes relevant to the charity and education sectors.
• Line manage and support the Executive Administrator.

You will be an organised and highly professional governance specialist with experience supporting Boards, committees or senior decision-making bodies.

• Significant experience in governance, company secretarial, board secretariat or committee management roles.
• Experience servicing Board and committee meetings and producing high-quality minutes.
• Experience coordinating agendas, papers, forward plans and action tracking.
• Experience reviewing and improving governance systems, frameworks or processes.
• Experience working with senior leaders, trustees or non-executive stakeholders.
• Experience handling highly confidential information.
• Experience managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent written communication and minute-taking skills.
• Strong attention to detail and organisational skills.
• Ability to interpret complex governance information and communicate it clearly.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Confidence building relationships and influencing at a senior level.
• Advanced Microsoft 365 skills, including SharePoint, Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to work independently and use sound judgement.
• Experience working within a charity, education, social care or regulated…