Risk and Governance Officer

Job overview

The Risk and Governance Officer will:

• Working with the Chief of Staff and Head of Board Governance, ensure the Trust’s Corporate Affairs are undertaken to the highest standards of probity and according to statutory and legislative requirements;
• Support the Head of Board Governance to provide high level secretarial and administrative support to the Trust Board/Committees, servicing and minuting meetings.
• Deputise for the Head of Board Governance in their absence.
• Support the Head of Risk Management with Trust processes to capture and report key risks, ensuring that risks are escalated appropriately through the Trust’s governance framework.
• Support the Board Secretariat team in a range of governance processes and projects including, but not limited to maintaining disclosures of interests, fit and proper person records and the register of Corporate policies.

Main duties of the job

• To ensure that a high quality and timely service is provided (utilising all Microsoft Office packages) when producing minutes, agendas, correspondence, reports, emails, presentations, project plans and spreadsheets. This requires a high degree of keyboard skills, speed and accuracy and substantial VDU use most days.
• The role also requires long periods of sitting in a restricted position while taking minutes at meetings.
• There is a regular requirement for prolonged concentration while taking and transcribing minutes where a high degree of accuracy is required.
• There may be interruptions to deal with conflicting priorities and these will need to be managed whilst still meeting the required deadlines for agenda, minutes etc.
• Occasional exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances such as staff performance issues, dissatisfied patients/clients, dealing with complaints
• Monitor key information sources (web sites, journals) to keep abreast of wider NHS developments relevant to the post.
• Keep up-to-date with developments relevant to the post by attending relevant conferences and local network meetings, in agreement with the Trust Board Governance Manager.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

Board Secretariat

• Responsible for providing high level administrative support to the Head of Board Governance and Trust Board and Committees;
• Responsible for servicing meetings; taking and transcribing minutes to a high standard, planning and preparation of agendas and papers;
• Responsible for proactively monitoring progress against Committee action logs through liaison with Executive Directors, advising the Committee Chair of any outstanding issues;
• To resolve agenda issues using independent judgement to make necessary revisions.
• Support the Head of Board Governance in:
• Ensuring that the Board and its Committees run efficiently and effectively, that they are accurately minuted and that Directors and Non-Executive Directors receive appropriate support; and
• Planning Committee Agendas in negotiation with the Non-Executive Chairs and Executive Leads; and
• Delivering corporate governance arrangements of statutory committees, maintenance and disclosure of statutory registers and documents
• Work with the Head of Board Governance to co-ordinate and minute, when required, the Trust’s fortnightly Trust Management Executive meetings chaired by the Chief Executive, regularly liaising on agenda items with senior staff across the Trust.
• Work with the Head of Board Governance to arrange the annual schedule of Board and Committee meetings.
• To type and draft where appropriate, correspondence and other documents as required, checking all typing for accuracy, spelling and grammar before it is sent;
• To work with a high level of autonomy, prioritising own workload, deciding when necessary to refer to the Head of Board Governance;
• To regularly review Board Members’ mandatory training records and liaise with members’ who training is due to expire to ensure all Board Members are compliant.
• To support the Head of Board Governance with ordering items necessary to ensure the smooth running of the Trust Board and governance processes.  Such items are likely to be on an adhoc basis.

Risk management

• The Risk and Governance Officer will work alongside the Head of Risk Management ensuring there is a comprehensive, effective and regularly maintained risk management function in place across the organisation, and that risks are identified, escalated and reported through appropriate governance structures.
• The post holder will proactively promote the benefits of strong governance and implement strategies to enhance staff knowledge of governance, risk processes, and regulatory requirements.