Interim Deputy Company Secretary

Job overview

The Interim Deputy Company Secretary will work as an integral member of the Corporate Governance Team. The post holder will be accountable to the Director of Corporate Governance and deputise on Corporate Governance matters in their absence. The post holder will support the Director of Corporate Governance in their role to ensure that The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust complies with all relevant legislation and regulatory requirements and delivers best corporate governance practice. They will co-ordinate and continuously improve effective working arrangements for the Board Committees, working closely with the Risk Manager, in particular with respect to embedding the evolving Trust’s Risk Management Framework. They will lead the development of arrangements for the Council of Governors (CoG) and implement all required mechanisms to enable the Trust’s CoG to fulfil its statutory responsibilities.

The postholder will have line management responsibility and provide leadership and support to the Committee Secretary; Information Governance Officer with dotted-line management responsibility for the Risk Manager; and any other members of the Corporate Governance Team as may be required in line with the staffing structure. The postholder will be expected to deal with issues which arise, which may be unforeseen, urgent, highly complex, contentious and sensitive.

Main duties of the job

• Ensure the Board of Directors and the Council of Governors, and their committees, are properly constituted, operated and supported, according to Standing Orders and the relevant legal and statutory frameworks.
• Ensure Corporate Policies such as Standing Orders, a Scheme of Delegation and a schedule of matters reserved to the Board are in place, acted upon and reviewed as necessary, and with the Chief Finance Officer, ensure Standing Financial Instructions are similarly in place, reviewed and acted upon by the Board of Directors.
• Ensure that the Foundation Trust complies with its constitution. Lead on any review of the constitution, and ensure that any changes are appropriately consulted upon, approved and enacted.
• To deputise for the Director of Corporate Governance on Corporate Governance matters including matters relating to the Board of Directors and Council of Governors in his/her absence as required. This includes attendance at Board of Directors, Board Committee and Council of Governors meetings to present papers on behalf of the Director of Corporate Governance.
• Support the Director of Corporate Governance in reporting to the Board of Directors through the Chairman and Chief Executive any areas of non-compliance with corporate processes and procedures.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the person specification/ job description for a detailed description of main responsibilities.