Company Secretary

Please note that this advert may close early should sufficient applications be received, so early application is advised. Please include a cover letter with your application, outlining how you feel you meet the requirements of the role.

WithYou are recruiting for an experienced Company Secretary, to join us in supporting our Board of Trustees and Executive team. We’re looking to hear from tenacious and collaborative individuals, who will be the key liaison between the Board, Executive and wider organisation.

This role is offered on a permanent and part time basis, working 3 days per week. You will work mainly from home, with occasional travel as required.

WithYou is a drug, alcohol and mental health charity employing over 1,600 staff. With over 80 services across England and Scotland, we provide support and advice without judgement to more than 100,000 people a year. 

At WithYou, we work with people on their own goals, whether that’s staying safe and healthy, making small changes or stopping an unwanted habit altogether. We give people support in a way that’s right for them either face to face in their local service, community or online. We use our expertise to improve the help available and raise awareness around drugs, alcohol and mental health so that more people can get support.

The Company Secretary plays a vital role in ensuring corporate governance and compliance within WithYou. They serve as a key advisor to the Trustee Board and Executive team, overseeing legal and regulatory compliance, corporate governance practices and company administration. In a regulatory environment that constantly evolves, the Company Secretary holds an essential role to help the Trustee Board and the organisation to navigate legal and regulatory complexities, uphold ethical standards and promote corporate sustainability and therefore requires meticulous attention to detail and a forward thinking approach.

The main responsibilities of this role will include:

• Ensuring that governance arrangements, processes and procedures are kept under periodic review to ensure WithYou operates best governance practice - including acting as a key point of contact in respect of governance with relevant external and regulatory bodies
• Providing sound, well researched and impartial advice and guidance to the Trustee Board and its Committees
• Ensuring the preparation of timely agendas, supporting reports and briefing papers for the Trustee Board and its Committees and the efficient management of electronic governance records
• Maintaining all Statutory and Regulatory administration
• Managing the Trustee Board’s succession and membership

We’re looking for robust, demonstrable experience as a Company Secretary, where expert knowledge and clear, reasoned thinking are essential. You should be confident and effective in your communication with senior management and Board members and have an exceptional ability to build and sustain relationships with a range of stakeholders. As well as this, you will need:

• Experience in a complex, multi-sited organisation - previous experience working within the non-profit sector will be advantageous
• A good working knowledge of company and charity laws and applicable regulations
• A good understanding of regulatory environments
• A relevant Governance qualification and/or appropriate experience at a professional level e.g. law degree or other relevant experience
• The ability to work independently and handle confidential information with discretion

A full job description and person specification is available on request. 

Interviews will be held in two stages, as follows:

Stage one virtual interviews - Thursday 28th August

Stage two in person interview at our Head Office in London - Monday 8th September

As an organisation, we continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our staff. We know that representing the communities we serve is key to us meeting our goals of radically improving people's lives. We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring, and we encourage people from underrepresented communities and backgrounds to apply to join our team, including people with lived experience, people with disabilities, people from racialised communities, LGBTQ+ people, people of all ages and armed forces veterans.

As part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, we provide a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates that are veterans and meet all the essential criteria for a role. WithYou is also a Disability Confident Employer, and we offer a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with a disability and meet all the essential criteria for a role.If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a medical condition which you believe may affect your performance during any aspect of our selection process, we’ll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to perform at your best.

Benefits

• 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays 
• An extra day off for your birthday or a special occasion of your choice
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• 2 days paid volunteer leave per year
• Auto-enrollment into We Are With You’s pension scheme
• Access to a Blue Light Card - giving you great savings on big high-street and online brands
• Flexible working opportunities and access to a range of services and resources to support you with your wellbeing
• We have an excellent Refer a Friend scheme which offers you a £500 bonus for any recommendations, any role! Our scheme allows you to recommend your friends and family to work with us and earn a £500 bonus payment for every successful referral you make. Please note, the Refer a Friend scheme is only applicable if your recommended friend completes their 6 months probation period