Working hours: 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Duration: Permanent

Location: Gloucester 

Job Ref: 204267

About the role

Benefact Group, are looking for a Company Secretary to join our Gloucester office. 

As Company Secretary you will support the Group Company Secretary and Group Chair, and regularly liaise with other board members, the Executive and senior management. Lead the corporate secretarial team in making and maintaining strong and lasting relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to ensure that statutory and governance practices are implemented to the highest standards

Why join us?

Join a collaborative and inclusive culture that’s committed to making a difference and building a more sustainable future. Ranked amongst the UK's top 50 Best Large Companies to Work For in 2024, we offer fantastic career and development opportunities within a rapidly growing, innovative Group—where all profits go to charity and good causes.

What you'll be doing

• Lead and develop a proactive secretarial team, ensuring the delivery of a high quality and comprehensive company secretarial service to a diverse portfolio of group boards and committees and the boards of client companies, maintaining oversight of governance standards and activities across all entities
• Act as secretary and trusted advisor to a portfolio of boards and committees to include: providing sound guidance and assurance to directors enabling them to effectively execute their responsibilities and adhere with legislation and regulation. Upholding the group’s compliance with the requisite standards of corporate governance and best practice. Preparing reporting frameworks, agendas and papers, minutes and resolutions
• Lead specific projects across the group working effectively with key external legal, regulatory and other stakeholders to deliver results
• Oversee the effective implementation of governance frameworks, board charters and policy frameworks
• Act as conflict secretary where significant issues arise between two or more group companies
• Oversee the production of the annual report and year end activities for group and client companies
• Play an active role in mergers and takeovers, dissolutions, allotments and capital reductions
• Monitor changes in legislation and regulation affecting the group and work with key stakeholders in the business to ensure that compliance with emerging legislation and regulation is appropriately addressed and reported upon to the boards and risk committees
• Ensure compliance with the UK listing authority rules and market abuse regulations (and maintain the group’s share dealing policy framework)
• Manage shareholder relationships (including with the registrar) and oversee the arrangements for AGM's and dividend payments
• Ensure compliance with the companies act to include the timely and accurate filing of returns at companies house and maintenance of the statutory registers
• Oversee board appointments including position specifications, regulatory approvals, directors inductions and welcome packs
• Oversee board and committee evaluations
• Manage matters relating to directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and contractual agreements with third parties
• Monitor the corporate administration of the company's pension scheme – including liaison with the pensions regulatory

What you'll need to have 

• Qualification: Associate of the Chartered Governance Institute (or equivalent qualification), Law Degree.
• Experience in managing and developing teams.
• Experience of working in a governance environment of a diverse PLC Group.
• Experienced in dealing with, and presenting to, Senior Executives, Non-Executive Directors and Board Committees.
• In depth knowledge of Companies Act and awareness of other legislative requirements.
• Sound understanding of PRA and FCA (Insurance) Regulations.
• Sound knowledge of UK Listing Authority Rules.

What we offer

• A competitive salary - let's discuss it
  
• Hybrid working
  
• Group Personal Pension - up to 12% employer contribution
  
• Generous annual bonus scheme between 10% and 40%
  
• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays, and a holiday buy and sell scheme
  
• An array of health and wellbeing benefits, including private healthcare, income protection and life assurance
  
• £200 annual personal grant to a charity of your choice
  
• Encouraged to take at least one volunteering day per year
  
• Employee Assistance Programme
  
• Full study support to gain professional qualifications
• Access to virtual GP
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

Hear from the hiring manager

"This is a unique opportunity to join a well-established, award-winning organisation and a high-calibre team as Company Secretary reporting to the Group Company Secretary. The role will provide support to the Board of Directors and Committees and deliver first-class governance and corporate administration. We’re looking for an ambitious, proactive, governance professional seeking variety, visibility, and the chance to influence and build trusted relationships at board level."

About us

Benefact Group is a unique international financial services Group made up of over 30 businesses. We are owned by a charity and have been the 3rd largest UK corporate donor over a decade*, having given away £250 million since 2014. We have ambitious plans to become the UK’s number one corporate donor, with strategic objectives in place to double the Group’s size.

We believe it’s essential to attract, empower, grow and reward talented people, offering fantastic opportunities for career and personal development. Our giving ethos, 135-year history and the diversity of what we do, has enabled us to build a culture of kindness, great ambition, and of passionate people driven to do better and be better.

At Benefact Group, we are committed to creating an inclusive culture and building an environment where each and every one of us feels valued and respected. We are a community made up of people with a range of different backgrounds, abilities, perspectives, beliefs and interests and we value the strength this brings to us as a Group. We welcome applications from everyone.

If you need any additional support during the recruitment process, then please let us know.

*Directory of Social Change’s UK Guides to Company Giving 2017-26