The post holder will work closely with the Company Secretary and will be accountable for the provision of a comprehensive service to support and administer the Board and relevant Assurance Committees. This will include support to the preparation and follow-up to Board meetings, Board Assurance and Management Committee meetings, and Board away days, ensuring that the formal governance arrangements are adhered to and any issues of non-compliance are raised formally. Thus, the post holder will be required to understand Standing Orders, Scheme of Delegation, and Standing Financial Instructions and work to these rules that underpin the Board and its Assurance and Management Committees. There may also be occasions where the post holder is asked to provide support to regional and partnership meetings.
The post holder will be the focal point of contact for Non-Executive Directors and Executive Directors in matters relating to Board and Board Committees. The individual must have excellent knowledge of the organisation and be able to signpost Directors to appropriate sources of information. In addition, the post holder will take a lead role in managing, administrating, and implementing the Conflicts of Interest Policy, including monitoring compliance and facilitating communications and training.
The post holder will be responsible for:
1. Full administration of the smooth and efficient running of the Board and its Assurance and Management Committees;
2. Managing the co-ordination of the corporate meetings schedule;
3. Setting, preparing, and distributing high-quality agendas and papers, in a timely manner, often with competing priorities and under tight time restraints with an awareness of operating pressures and Executive priorities;
4. Ensuring the Board and its Committees are appropriately co-ordinated, attended, administered, and formally recorded;
5. Quality checking agendas, reports, and papers to ensure they meet the Trust's corporate governance standards and retaining for archive record/retention;
6. Accurately recording high-level quality minutes for Committee, Board, and Regional meetings with clear identifiable actions and audit trails providing evidence of how decisions were reached to external regulators;
7. Leading on the distribution and follow-up of actions via the Action Tracker;
8. Ensuring that Board and Committee documents are retained in line with the Corporate Record Retention Policy;
9. Ensuring the integrity of the electronic archiving system for maintenance of this record;
10. Ensuring that the Trust's Conflicts of Interest policy is effectively defined, implemented, and maintained with active compliance checking and communication with CSU administrative leads;
11. Coordinating the maintenance of the online Conflicts of Interest system and extracting data to report on annual compliance to the Executive Team;
12. Providing training and mentoring to new administrators to the Assurance and Management Committee structure and ensuring access for users;
13. Management of the Conflicts of Interests public register;
14. Ensuring that processes/procedures comply with legislative requirements, including Health & Safety, Data Protection, Freedom of Information Act, and confidentiality.
Principle duties and areas of responsibility for the post holder will include, but are not limited to:
1. Responsible for discharging specific duties contained within the Trust's governing documents and operating within defined governance framework as set out within Standing Orders (Terms of Reference for Assurance Committees), Standing Financial Instructions, and Scheme of Delegation regarding the work and flow of information to be reported to the Board and its Assurance Committees;
2. Supporting the maintenance of terms of reference for all Assurance and Management Committees and ensuring that they are up to date and annually reviewed;
3. Understanding and providing advice on the Trust's Standing Orders, and Code of Business Conduct and related corporate governance policies within the Trust;
4. Working with the Company Secretary to coordinate documentation and preparation for the CQC Well-led review and any other external review of the Trust's governance arrangements;
5. Responsible for the oversight and functionality of the electronic declaration system (database) (as the Senior Administrator) including reporting compliance against the Conflict of Interest Policy, creating and distributing quarterly management reports to the CSUs and Corporate functions along with an annual report for scrutiny and assurance to the Executive Team;
6. Working with the external supplier to be the point of contact, to ensure the ongoing development of the system;
7. Managing data migration and supporting implementation, providing training and advice to the Board and Assurance Committee members and management of this data system moving forward;
8. Managing and administering the database management system for the membership database and managing the external contract supporting this system;
9. Managing and coordinating the implementation of the Corporate Calendar for the Board and its Assurance and Management Committees, booking appropriate rooms and facilities; both internal and external, issuing electronic diary appointments to members of the Board and Assurance and Management Committees to support attendance at these meetings, coordinating non-attendance, maintaining a record of attendance for publication within the Trust's Annual Report;
10. Understanding the operation of the Board and its Assurance and Management Committees ensuring timetables are appropriate to best support the flow of information from Assurance Committees to the Board, drafting agendas, co-ordination of presentations (and those attending), and transcribing meetings to record minutes (concentrating for long durations during full day meetings and with possible frequent interruptions when writing these up), coordinating feedback to draft minutes, collating the database to manage and record action trackers for each meeting and effective follow-up to maintain flow of information from Board to Assurance and Management Committees and liaising with Executives to maximise the lead time for them to address actions;
11. Responsible for ensuring venues, facilities, and refreshments are booked, ensuring appropriate IT facilities are in place and attendees are briefed on the usability and access of these;
12. Managing the appropriate authorisation and access to the G drive - Accurately archiving all information to support the Board and Assurance Committees, adhering to retention and record management procedures;
13. Management of the effective distribution of Board, Assurance, and Management Committee papers; both electronic and hard copies;
14. Maintaining the secure content locker (data system) (or alternative solutions) for viewing electronic information on the G drive;
15. Effectively implementing, and ensuring adherence to, Trust and Departmental policies and procedures associated with the role and the service;
16. Production of written reports, including recommendations arising from ad hoc project work, including high-profile meetings facilitated by the Trust Chair, where there is highly sensitive, complex information citywide, regional, or national with implications for the reputation of the Trust.
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team. Effective supervisory skills, be highly motivated and lead by example to motivate other team members. Prioritise own workload and be able to effectively manage a variety of tasks with possibly competing deadlines with minimum supervision. An ability to train staff, including temporary staff, as required and to assess and monitor progress on a continuing basis.
Plan and deliver information required by the Trust Board and its relevant Assurance and Management Committees to ensure that these are produced to agreed standards and timescales. Organise Trust Board and Assurance Committee meetings, ensuring quorate meetings and co-ordination of diaries. This includes remote working supported by Microsoft Teams. Work with the Company Secretary and the Communication team to support the Trust's Annual General Meeting, managing administrative and communication arrangements with the Board and membership. Work with the Company Secretary to facilitate training events for Trust Board and Non-Executive Directors, including compliance with mandatory training for Board members.
Ensure the environment and equipment are appropriate for presentations for Trust Board and its Assurance Committees. Have an adaptable and flexible approach to working hours and practices. Manage and sustain the Board Secretariat account and Executive Support function with efficient administrative protocols, processes, and procedures, ensuring clear communication and reporting lines between the Board and its Committees.
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