Governance Lead (3464)

Do you want to create a better world for animals? At the RSPCA, we believe all animals deserve kindness and respect. We work for the benefit of every animal – as well as pets, that includes farmed animals, wildlife, and animals used in science. Choose a career with us and make a difference for every kind.

We are looking for a new team member as a Governance Lead, to serve as the vital linchpin between our Board of Trustees and the Executive Leadership Team (ELT).

Although the title is Governance Lead, this role is very much pitched at the 'head of department' level.

This is a fantastic and rewarding opportunity that will give you exposure to the development of all of our strategic work, from animal welfare to research and food and farming. 

• Contract: Permanent 
• Working hours: 35 hours per week - Monday to Friday. 
• Location: Hybrid- you will work from home and will be expected to travel to the London and Horsham Hubs for key meetings, as required.

In this key role, you will hold broad visibility across the Society's strategic landscape. You will be tasked with giving our Board complete assurance that our organisational strategy is being implemented faithfully, effectively and in alignment with our values. 

You will work alongside the Chair, Committee Chairs, the CEO and Chief Legal Counsel and will serve as a trusted advisor; balancing flawless operational administration with high-level strategic oversight.

As our Governance Lead you will work closely with the executive leadership team and will be trusted with highly confidential information, therefore, we are seeking an experienced governance professional, who thrives on working autonomously, is quietly efficient, has the proven ability to be one step ahead and has the diplomacy and organisational skills to gain the trust of our Board and Leadership teams.

You will serve as the primary conduit between the Board of Trustees and ELT, ensuring a shared understanding of strategic delivery and progress.

As our Governance Lead, you will provide impartial, expert advice to ensure all actions remain in the best interests of the RSPCA and will stay abreast of high-level operational activity, keeping the Board informed and assured.

You will serve as a professional guardian of the Society's integrity, ensuring that high standards of compliance are embedded in every decision-making process.

As well as this, you will be responsible for:

• Leading end-to-end support for the Board, its sub-committees and the Governance and Nominations Committee (GNC)—managing forward work plans, agendas, paper compilation and minute-taking.
• Overseeing key governance processes including annual Trustee elections, co-opted appointments, skills audits and induction programmes.
• Collaborating with the Legal team to ensure accurate statutory returns and filings to the Charity Commission and Companies House, for example Annual Returns, Accounts, Trustee ID checks.
• Maintaining and updating the Society's governance framework, including Rules, Bye-laws, Schemes of Delegation and Terms of Reference.
• Leading the operational setup and voting processes for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in coordination with Communications, Events, and Legal teams.
• Supporting Branch governance alignment in partnership with the AD Federation.

To succeed within this very rewarding role, it is essential that you have the composure and emotional intelligence to command trust, read the room and build strong working relationships with the Board Chair, Committee Chairs, and Executive leaders.

The role requires a self motivated and proactive professional, who is able to anticipate needs, translate complex discussions into concrete actions and who has a proven ability to navigate ambiguity under pressure.

Our Governance Lead must also have:

• Strong ethical leadership with the courage to challenge decisions and champion the Society's values at all levels.
• Extensive knowledge of the Charity Governance Code, Charity Commission requirements, and Company Secretarial duties within large, complex, or high-scrutiny organisations.
• Absolute integrity when managing sensitive, confidential, or strategic information.
• Exceptional organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing deadlines, statutory calendars and shifting priorities seamlessly.

• A proven track record in a senior governance role within a national charity, a complex non-profit, a higher education establishment or high-scrutiny environment.
• Hands on experience servicing boards, filing statutory returns, drafting board-level papers and monitoring compliance policies (Whistleblowing, Conflicts of Interest, Safeguarding).

If this sounds like the natural next step in your Governance career, we would love to receive your application.

If you would like to discuss the role in advance of applying, please feel free to get in touch. 

Successful candidates for certain RSPCA roles will need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK as we are unable to sponsor visas.

We want to ensure we do all we can to give you a positive candidate experience through our recruitment. Whilst we do try to give feedback where we can, sometimes due to receiving high levels of applications, this may not always be possible

Our vision is a world where all animals are respected and treated with kindness and compassion. Our purpose is to inspire everyone to create a better world for animals. We are building the future of a diverse Society, and our priority is to support animal welfare by finding people from all backgrounds who are committed  to our purpose.  For this reason we actively encourage a wide diversity of applications - in particular from members of minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities - as these candidates are currently under-represented at the RSPCA. Your transferable skills & lived experiences could make you a valuable addition to our RSPCA Family! 

We're here to support you and encourage you to let us know if you need any adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please feel free to contact us at resourcingteam@rspca.org.uk or 0300 123 0685 so we can ensure the process works for you.