Governance Officer

The IOP exists to help physics and the physics community deliver on their potential for our lives, our society, our planet.

Together with our members and leaders from the world of physics and beyond, we have identified three priorities of Skills, Science and Society which must shape our work over the next five years if we are to achieve our mission.

We are very proud of our new innovative strategy, please click here to find out more information about our 2024 – 2029 strategy, our priorities and our principles.

Here at the IOP we are looking for a Governance Officer for a fixed period of 12 months to support us in our mission.

What is it like working at the IOP?

The IOP is a friendly and ambitious organisation. Inclusion and diversity are central to our work and we have a ‘work anywhere’ policy to make working at the IOP as flexible as possible. Looking after our colleagues and supporting them in life and work is our priority, ensuring they can live their best lives, with competitive salaries, professional development opportunities and generous benefits.

Our comprehensive benefits package including:

• An excellent pension scheme - (up to 12% company contribution)
• Private medical insurance, life assurance, dental insurance, health care cash plan (via salary sacrifice) eye care vouchers, annual flu vaccinations, long service awards, employee assistance programme
• Floating bank holidays (choose where to take your bank holidays throughout the year)
• Generous annual leave (25 days starting as a standard)
• Flexible working and much more!  

The Role

What will I be doing?

• Provide key support to the Governance, Audit & Risk Manager on the IOP’s governance programme, including the organisation of Council Meetings and Core Governance Committee meetings, and the distribution of agendas and papers on the IOP’s Board Portal
• Be a key point of contact for the IOP’s Trustees and Committee Members, providing support and maintaining trustee information
• Support with the IOP’s annual Council Elections and AGM
• Support with the smooth running of the Group Internal Audit Programme
• Support the Compliance & Data Protection Manager with managing compliance with key policies and procedures.

Projects you work on may include:

• Quarterly Council and Committee Meetings, including one Council meeting held elsewhere in the UK
• Preparation or the IOP’s Annual Council Elections Process, whereby new trustees are elected by the IOP membership each year
• Helping with the IOP’s Annual General Meeting, including the preparation of the member notice and voting materials and ensuring the event runs smoothly on the day
• Five Internal Audits per year, determined by the Group Audit & Risk Committee

Who will I work with?

• The IOP Executive Team, IOP Publishing Chief Executive and IOP Publishing Chief Financial Officer
• IOP’s Council Members and Committee Members
• The Group’s Internal Audit Firm and some collaboration with the Groups External audit firm
• The Governance Team also work closely with the Group Legal Team and CEO Office team

Ideally, we hope you’ll apply if your skills include:

Essential Criteria

• Experience of working in a governance role or similar, providing governance support; ideally in a charity or not for profit business
• Experience of working with senior management, and Board or Council and Committee members
• Experience of coordinating reports and managing diaries

Nice to have

• Experience with internal audits and how an internal audit programme works
• Experience with supporting an elections process

The Institute of Physics is an open and inclusive organisation that welcomes and celebrates diversity. We know that not every candidate fits into a neat little box, and that's okay! So, even if your experience looks a little different from what we’ve identified but you believe you’d bring passion, creativity, and a willingness to learn, we’d love to learn more about you!  

Application

Alongside your CV, please ensure you include a cover letter stating how you meet the person specification. 

How will I be working?

The Institute of Physics is an inclusive employer and our people are at the heart of our approach to delivery. Following the impact of COVID-19, we have developed a new, innovative and exciting trust-based model of flexible working called How We Work. This empowers our staff to choose both individually and as a team how, when and where they work to deliver the goals of the organisation, acknowledging that there will be occasions where in-person meetings, collaborations and events will help generate greater impact. The How We Work initiative is based on the principles of collaboration, trust, flexibility and agility. You will be allocated a ‘base’ office which can also be a chosen place of work. 

Why should I want to work for the IOP?

The Institute of Physics (IOP) is the professional body and learned society for physics in the UK and Ireland - we seek to raise public awareness and understanding of physics and support the development of a diverse and inclusive physics community. As a charity, we’re here to ensure that physics delivers on its exceptional potential to benefit society. 

There’s never been a more exciting time to join the IOP - watch our film to find out more about our work. 

To apply for this role please click the link below, best of luck with your applications!

The Institute of Physics is an open and inclusive organisation that welcomes and celebrates diversity.