Governance Officer

Salary: £28,000 - £34,000
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: London 2-3 days/week

About us

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is one of the best-known professional membership organisations in the world, with a name and reputation that speak for excellence in the UK and across the globe. We provide education, assessment and development to around 30,000 surgeons, dental surgeons and members of the wider surgical and dental teams at all stages of their career; we set professional standards, facilitate research and champion world-class surgical outcomes for patients.

About the role

This role forms part of the Governance, Compliance and Risk team. The role plays a key part in the team providing a confidential, professional and high-quality central governance and secretariat services to the College. The role will also provide a professional secretariat and governance service to the Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS) and will work in close liaison with the FDS Registrar and the FDS team.

Given the nature of the role, the ability to manage time and workload is essential. This role also requires a highly motivated strong team player, able to communicate at all levels.

The post-holder will be expected to contribute to continuous improvement of the team’s processes and procedures whilst offering excellent customer focus and service. 

Responsibilities

• Support the Senior Governance Officer and Governance and Risk Manager in planning, arranging and monitoring a schedule of meetings for the Council, Board of Trustees and committees and the FDS.
• Provide secretariat support for College Committee meetings, collating and distributing agendas, drafting minutes, follow up of actions, and maintaining a record of decisions taken.
• Maintain accurate and up to date contact lists for the Council Board of Trustees and other key stakeholders as required, as well as an accurate record of attendance and responsibilities at Committee meetings.
• Monitor the team inbox, responding to inquiries appropriately and redirecting as required.
• Assist in the preparation of mailing lists and documents for the election/appointment process for Board and Council Members, Trustees and committee members, to help meet the College’s ambition of achieving a diverse and inclusive College leadership.
• Support the arrangements and development of programmes of induction, recruitment and training for Council Members and Trustees.
• Coordinate the process for awarding College medals, including liaising with engravers.
• Support the Head of Governance, Compliance and Risk and the Governance and Risk Manager in the development and embedding of good governance practices across the College.
• Working with the FDS Registrar, provide secretariat support for the FDS Board including collating and distributing agendas and drafting minutes. Ensure that all actions required of the Board are carried out in an effective and timely manner, briefing and consulting the Dean and Registrar as appropriate.
• Assist in the preparation of mailing lists and documentation for the annual election process to the FDS Board, compliant with Standing Orders.
• Provide administrative support to the Governance, Compliance and Risk Team, including financial processes, diary management and record keeping. 
• Provide support in the absence of the Executive Assistant, to ensure a consistent level of service for the President and Chief Executive.
• Assist with projects and other duties commensurate with the status of the post, as required by the President or Chief Executive.
• Undertake any other administrative tasks as appropriate, including arranging board, committee and other meetings on behalf of the team.
• Support the Governance and Risk Manager and Head of Governance, Compliance and Risk with additional projects.
• The post-holder is expected to represent the College in a professional manner in relation to their responsibilities and in ensuring their own continuing professional development. 

About you

• Experience in a Governance and Secretariat role
• Experience of governance administration including minute writing or willingness to develop these skills
• Excellent organisational skills
• Demonstrable understanding of and commitment to customer service
• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels across the organisation
• Attention to detail
• Strong IT skills
• Experience of working in a similar environment i.e. medical arena, academic institution or membership organisation – desirable
• Previous supporting role to a Board/Council – desirable.

What we can offer you

• 27 days paid holiday + bank holidays and up to 4 college closure days
• Flexible working
• Enhanced contributory pension scheme & other leave entitlements
• Variety of learning and development opportunities 
• Wellbeing programme & Employee Assistance Scheme

Interested Candidates

If you would like to find out more about the role please get in touch with Anna Abela, Governance and Risk Manager, on [email protected]

Any personal data collected from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us in accordance with our recruitment processes. If unsuccessful in your application, your information will be held by us on our database for a period of 6 months before deletion. If you would like your information removed sooner, please contact [email protected]

Closing date: 5pm, 11 December 2025
Interviews (in person): 17 December 2025

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We are open to all talent and we actively ensure that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regards to race/ethnicity, nationality, religion, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age and disability.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is committed to protecting your privacy. We are registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). All College employees are responsible for records held, created and used as part of their work for the College including patient/client, corporate and administrative records. Records are managed according to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 and ensure confidentiality. The College ensures that staff are trained to handle the information you submit to us with care and discretion, seeking advice where necessary.

Please note that this advert may close early if we reach the maximum applications