Venesky-Brown’s client, a public sector organisation in Edinburgh, is currently looking to recruit a Head of Governance & Company Secretary for an initial 6 month contract on a rate of £450 to £650 per day (Inside IR35). This role will be hybrid based. Responsibilities: - Assisting information flows within the Board and its Committees and between the Chief Executive, Directors and the Board, including financial and performance reporting Co-ordinating communication with the board through the board portal or otherwise- Acting as secretary for the Board and Committees, including organising meetings, preparing agendas, minutes and papers and attending meetings as required- Plan, organise, manage and execute all governance activities rigorously with a particular emphasis on the timely preparation and issuing of Board and Committee agendas, packs, minutes, action logs, advice etc.- Publishing agendas, minutes and papers on the organisation’s website and keeping under review items which have been redacted to see if they can now be published- Arranging Board visits and stakeholder meetings held in conjunction with Board meetings, including travel and accommodation and inviting external guests- Reviewing and updating corporate policies. Reviewing and updating the records management plan- Ensure detailed and informative record keeping, delivering compliance with legislation and reporting requirements across the organisation.- Assistance in the preparation of the annual report- Collaborating with the internal auditors to support the Audit & Risk Committee and the Board in relation to the assessment of the risks and the risk management process.- Ensuring adequate procedures are in place to manage conflicts of interest.- Act as Standards Officer for the Board, liaising with the Standards Commissions for Scotland, providing guidance to Board members on the Members Code of Conduct.- Work to continuously improve and evolve governance and compliance across organisation.- Contribute to the leadership of organisation as a member of the Leadership Team.- Build positive and productive relationships with Board, colleagues, wider stakeholders, and partners both internally and externally.- Demonstrate inclusive leadership behaviours, provide coaching, advice, and strategic direction to colleagues, assist with conflict resolution, support difficult conversations, and exercise timely decision making.- Formally escalating matters requiring CEO or Board intervention and confronting and resolving behaviours that are not consistent with those expected of an employee or an individual in public service.- Support and guidance to members of the board. Liaising with Board on internal arrangements- Facilitating Board induction and assisting with professional development/appraisals of the Board as required- Implementation and monitoring of policies and procedures to ensure compliance with all relevant statutory and regulatory requirements.- Implementation promotion and monitoring of procedures to ensure compliance with reporting requirements to necessary organisations.- Maintaining registers, including register of interests- Deliver training to the organisation on statutory and regulatory matters, including corporate policies (whistle-blowing and anti-fraud, complaints)- Assisting information flows between the Executive Team and the Board, including financial and performance reporting- Assisting with governance policies and procedures and giving guidance within organisation on governance policies and procedures- Assisting with risk management- Assisting with the corporate planning- Member of the IT and Data Users Group – including helping review policies- Assisting staff and Board in compliance with: Health and safety policies & Information Security- Actively contribute to corporate risk management.- Lead on reviewing the Risk Management Policy, ensuring that this is regularly reviewed (not less than every two years)- Lead on ensuring the Corporate Risk Registers is actively reviewed by the CEO and Executive Team quarterly and presented to the Audit & Risk Committee. Essential Skills: - Legally qualified or ICSA accredited or similar- Company secretarial experience – public and/or private sector. - Good understanding of corporate governance and assurance. - Working knowledge of risk management.- Knowledge of the regulatory, compliance and legal framework.- Critical thinker, able to translate legislation and regulations into policy, procedures and guidance for the organisation to follow- Strong prioritisation skills and ability to organise own time and those of their team. - Ability to explain complex legal issues in a clear and concise manner.- In-depth knowledge of data protection legislation- Balance being part of the organisation while remaining a neutral observer and advisor to the Board.- Strong people management and leadership skills- Able to produce business cases and support business case generation.- Experience in working autonomously as well as experience in working cross-functionally.- Experience of providing guidance and advice and constructive challenge at all levels within an organisation in relation to data protection.- Experience in developing and reviewing corporate policies.- Investigation and analytical experience – ability to review and analyse evidence and provide recommendations based on this- Able to demonstrate experience in acting with impartiality and independence, particularly to regulators.- Experience managing staff. Experience in managing team outputs against KPIs and reporting on performance Desirable Skills: - Certified Data Protection Officer- Experience of working in similar environment. If you would like to hear more about this opportunity please get in touch.