Trainee Company Secretarial Assistant

Reports to:      Senior Assistant Company Secretary
Function:      Corporate Secretariat, Group Legal team

JOB DESCRIPTION

An opportunity has arisen, for an entry level company secretary to join this high profile, fast-paced and collegiate FTSE30 team.  This role will provide training on a broad range of core company secretarial duties and support the department to achieve the highest governance standards by maintaining accurate and organised records.  There will be ample opportunity to get involved with a range of projects working with all team members, as well as taking ownership for a portfolio of companies and relationships with external stakeholders.  The role calls for a confident and energetic self-starter with a good understanding of corporate governance and company law who is eager to learn and apply their knowledge.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

As the Company Secretarial Assistant, you will have responsibility for a variety of matters to support the team across the areas below.  Your responsibilities will include: 

PLC and Governance

• Assisting the Senior Assistant Company Secretaries in supporting the Tesco PLC Board and its Committees as necessary 
• Maintaining directors’ interests and related party registers
• Supporting with the production of the Tesco PLC Annual Report
• Monitoring and maintaining of the regulatory sections of the PLC website 
• Providing AGM support as required 
• Preparing and releasing regulatory announcements, FCA notifications and NSM submissions 
• Facilitating day-to-day compliance with the Market Abuse Regulations 

Statutory Compliance 

• Maintaining the statutory records for all UK Group companies on Blueprint and making timely filings of applicable documentation with Companies House
• Co-ordinating the global half-yearly health checks
• Responsible for maintaining good relationships with global company secretarial service providers
• Providing support on a portfolio of UK and international companies, including ensuring that the best standards in governance are adopted 
• Organising subsidiary board meetings, preparing minutes and other ancillary documents
• Supporting with the annual subsidiary accounts process in collaboration with other company secretaries, cross-functional teams and external auditors; preparing and reviewing accounts, engagement letters, management representation letters and comfort letters
• Preparing and supporting in the delivery of training and inductions to statutory directors 
• Supporting the Group’s payment practice reporting requirements
• Assisting with general team administration, and provide support to other team members as and when required 

Transactional and Project Support

• Supporting on UK and international corporate transactions and intra-group restructurings, including: group acquisitions, investments and disposals, corporate simplification activities, equity injections, liquidations and inter-company dividends
• Responding to ad hoc queries from international businesses, joint venture partners and third-party service providers

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Highly organised, with excellent attention to detail and the ability to work well as a team player will be key strengths.  You will be able to learn and adapt quickly in a fast-changing environment.  The role will encourage you to think creatively and beyond the immediate task or issue. We will support you in seeing the bigger picture and in meeting the needs of the wider business. We will offer comprehensive training to complement your existing learning.  You will be able to work autonomously on tasks and manage your own workload to ensure that all relevant deadlines are met.

In addition, the successful candidate must: 

• have achieved GradCG status or be studying for the Chartered Governance Qualifying Programme, with a good working knowledge of company law and governance requirements
• have experience of working in a listed or large company environment
• have good written and verbal communication skills, attention to detail is essential
• be able to work cross-functionally and form strong working relationships internally 
• have good project management, planning and organisational skills; must be able to manage own time, prioritise and meet deadlines without compromising on quality
• be able to adapt well to change in a fast-changing retail environment
• have strong PC skills including Word, Excel, Outlook and Blueprint (or similar entity management system)

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

Internal:

• Company Secretarial & Legal Team
• Finance Teams (Finance, IR, Treasury & Tax)
• Share Schemes Team
• Internal & External Communications Teams
• UK Trading Businesses 
• International Businesses

External:

• Third-party service and software providers 
• Legal and tax advisors
• Auditors
• Registrars
• Companies House