Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for three consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
We are looking for an enthusiastic Trust Board Secretary who will be responsible for the successful delivery of the highest levels of corporate governance, including leading the Trust’s governance culture and embedding high standards of accountability, integrity and probity throughout the Trust and ensuring regulatory compliance.
The successful candidate will play a crucial role in supporting the board and ensuring the smooth operation of our governance processes. This role requires a proactive individual with excellent organisational skills, attention o detail and a strong understanding of NHS corporate governance.
We look forward to receiving your application.
Main duties of the job
The Trust Board Secretary is a key senior role and is a member of the Trust’s Senior Leadership Team. They operate with a considerable degree of autonomy and trust to maintain their independence as Trust Board Secretary and to ensure the Trust’s business is conducted with probity, accountability and in accordance with legislation, national standards and regulations to support the delivery of high-quality care to the populations the Trust serves. They have access to every member of the Board and every member of the Board (and Council of Governors) will have access to them.
They are responsible for providing independent and authoritative advice to the Chief Executive, the Chair of the Trust, other Board members and governors on highly complex and sensitive corporate governance issues. They are the lead specialist in the Trust on legal, constitutional and corporate governance issues and are responsible for ensuring there are robust corporate governance arrangements in place in the organisation to support the effective management of the Trust.
The successful post holder will manage and develop systems, policies and processes for sound corporate governance across the organisation and will lead and manage the process for the development and review of all Trust policies and procedures; and will also have a profile outside of the organisation within their areas of specialty; working with their peers across the Integrated Care Systems in which the Trust operates.
Working for our organisation
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
1. We are kind.
2. We are respectful.
3. We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period.
NELFT place great importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.
High Cost Area Supplement
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,313 to a maximum of £5,436 pro rata for part time).
On-call payment
This post will be required to participate in the Trust on-call rota and attracts payment of of the basic salary.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer closely to this when completing your application.
We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Any development needs to help you succeed in the role, can be discussed at the interview stage.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
4. Significant experience of working with directors at strategic level
5. Considerable experience of working at a senior level in corporate governance in a complex public or private sector organisation.
6. Excellent understanding of NHS organisationation policies and political climate in which the Trust operates
7. Experienced line manager and leader of teams. Supports and motivates team members to deliver to an excellent standard
8. Able to hold others to account for agreed targets and to demonstrate personal accountability for delivery of a high-quality service.
Skills
Essential criteria
9. Highly developed drafting skills
Qualifications
Essential criteria
10. Masters level qualification in relevant subject or equivalent experience
11. Relevant governance qualification ( Chartered Company Secretary) or equivalent relevant experience
12. Evidence of continuing personal development
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
13. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
14. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
15. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
16. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.