Description Job Title: Director of Governance and Deputy Company Secretary Contract Type: Permanent Salary: £130,000 - £135,000 per annum Working Hours: 35 Hours per week Working Pattern: Flexible Monday-Friday/Hybrid Location: UK wide with regular travel to Liverpool and London If you share our values and are excited about making a significant impact at Riverside, please ensure you attach a current CV and covering letter. The difference you will make as the Director of Governance and Deputy Company Secretary We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Director of Governance to join our leadership team and report directly to the Executive Director of Corporate Services. This role will oversee the Governance, Legal and Compliance & Assurance functions and provide support to develop corporate governance across the Group. You will serve as trusted advisor to Executive Directors, Board, and Committees on all Governance related topics. As a highly regulated and customer focussed business, this role is crucial for ensuring the organisation has truly effective governance, receives expert and pragmatic legal advice, and maintains the highest standards of compliance across the Group. About you The ideal candidate for this role will be an exceptional leader with a proven track record of inspiring and coaching senior colleagues, including those at Director level, across large, multi-disciplinary teams in governance, legal, compliance, and assurance contexts. They should possess substantial experience in managing in-house Legal, Governance, and Compliance & Assurance functions at the Director level within a large, complex, and geographically dispersed organisation. The successful applicant will demonstrate a history of service improvement and a genuine commitment to supporting both external and internal customers. They should also exhibit a proven ability to drive innovation, effectively implement new technologies, and embed modern practices within their areas of expertise. Why Riverside? At Riverside, we’re a housing association with a difference – enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we’ve been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives. We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK. Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us. Working with us, you’ll enjoy: Competitive pay & generous pension 28 days holidays plus bank holidays Flexible working options available Investment in your learning, personal development and technology A wide range of benefits Diversity and Inclusion at Riverside: We are inclusive. At Riverside, we value diversity in all its forms. We foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Our commitment to inclusivity drives our success and enriches the lives of our customers and colleagues. Riverside is a Disability Confident Employer and operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for any applicant who declares they have a disability. If the applicant meets the minimum requirements for the role (as set out in the role profile and/or person specification) they will be guaranteed an interview. This role also falls under our Ethnic Diversity guaranteed interview scheme. If you are Ethnically Diverse and demonstrate you meet the minimum criteria for the role you will be guaranteed an interview. Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment. Role Profile Leading Our People To lead in such a way as to have a positive impact on our people. Role modelling Our Riverside Way, ensuring our ways of working are embedded in all we do and ensuring the achievement of our aspired culture. Build a diverse, high performing, and customer focused team with modern ways of working and the right structures, knowledge, behaviours and capabilities that enables the effective execution of our vision, strategy, and goals. Partner with People Services to ensure that we are delivering on our people promises, develop area people plan that continually looks for leading-edge and innovative solutions to improving our people experience. To conduct regular customer needs assessment of the team’s offering and performance to internal stakeholders to ensure the team is responding to the changing needs of the organisation. Leading Our Strategy, Service & Solution Delivery Develop and lead the Group’s governance strategy, working very closely with the Chief Executive, the Governance & Remuneration Committee and Group Board supporting a high standard of governance which develops as regulatory and legal frameworks change. Provide strategic and expert advice to boards, committees, executive directors and directors across the Group, keeping under review legal, compliance, regulatory and corporate governance developments that might affect the Group, ensuring that the impact is understood and communicated widely to the full range of stakeholders. Act as Deputy Company Secretary to all parts of the Group as well as the lead officer for joint ventures and subsidiaries, responsible for reporting and rationalisation, ensuring all entities comply with their constitutional arrangements, regulatory and legal requirements, through excellent company secretarial policies and procedures. Be a key member of the senior team which interfaces with the Social Housing Regulator, leading the preparation and completion of In-Depth Assessments for governance and viability gradings and whatever emerges around consumer regulation testing and review. Drive a culture of continuous service improvement, innovation and forward thinking, promoting cross-organisational working to deliver best practice services and great outcomes. Enhance function capabilities by leveraging and leading a multitude of technology, budgets, resources, both internally and externally, ensuring value for money. Leading and developing: The governance team to ensure best practice in supporting all aspects of governance activities are planned and executed in a timely and highly effective manner. The in-house legal team and the framework of external legal advice ensuring high customer satisfaction and delivering value for money. The compliance & assurance team ensuring that we continue to provide first class assurance to the Executive, Board and Committees, and all Regulators, as required. Comply fully with and champion all Group policies and procedures including the standing orders and financial regulations. Partner and collaborate with peers and stakeholders to develop the organisation approach to data quality, management and security ensuring that our approach minimises risk but also maximises the value that comes with effective data control and management. Develop and control the annual operating and capital expenditure budgets for own area to ensure spend is consistent with the organisation’s overall strategic objectives and is within plan. Maintain currency on new innovations in area of expertise. Provide direction on what practices should be integrated and introduced within the organisation to ensure governance and control responds to business need and aligns to the overall strategy. Provide strategic direction on potential and proposals for adopting new solutions and practices. Ensure organisational resilience and an effective approach to business continuity. Identifying and provide direction to the organisation especially at times when significant risks occur. Develop and maintain strategic risks within own area and ensure effective and proactive approach to risk management that is within business risk appetite. Other Information The Group has offices across the UK and on this basis, there will be the requirement to travel to other locations to effectively perform this role. The role will be exposed to sensitive information; therefore, the role holder is expected to maintain levels of confidentiality at all times. To fulfil the requirements of this role, you will be required to work flexibly during the hours of operation. The role holder is expected to be committed to equal opportunities and to promote non-discriminatory practices in all aspects of work undertaken. Person specification Knowledge, Skills and Experience Essential Evidence of outstanding, inspirational people leadership and coaching other senior colleagues at Head of Service level and above, including peer coaching at Director level, across multi-disciplinary large teams in a governance, legal, compliance and assurance context. Substantial experience level of managing a multi-disciplinary in-house Legal function, a Governance function and a Compliance & Assurance function at Director level within a large, dispersed, complex and complicated business. A proven track record in improving service, as well as a genuine commitment to supporting customers; both customers of Group and internal customers. Proven ability and experience in driving innovation and making best use / introducing and embedding technology and modern practices in a Governance, Legal and Compliance & Assurance context Strong ability to effectively communicate and influence which instils confidence with peers, colleagues, boards, and stakeholders Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to explain legal, and governance impacts to the business (and to colleagues of a non-legal & governance background) in a clear way, whilst also explaining and translating the business needs to their own teams Excellent analytical, strategic conceptual thinking, strategic planning, and execution skills, delivering and working at pace with multiple priorities and objectives. Strong commercial and business acumen with expertise in managing significant budgets, budget planning and financial management and achieving value for money. Deep understanding of current and emerging practices, relevant legislation, corporate governance codes and government policy, and how others are using them to drive and improve our business. Demonstrated ability to lead and manage people across diverse geographies and roles so that colleagues are highly engaged and committed to the vision of the business Resilient, able to work in a large, complex, and complicated group of businesses with different demands and tensions in a financially constrained environment Evidence of excellent and complex governance, compliance, assurance and legal change implementation within a complex organisation. Desirable Understanding of the context of social housing and the challenges it faces. Evidence of continued professional development. Membership of a relevant professional organisation.