Company Secretary

Permanent - Full time – Hours are negotiable

About us

Practical Action is a change making organisation that works in unconventional ways. We put ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world.

We do things differently, so answers that start small can grow big – bringing people together in bold collaborations, using innovation and knowledge to build futures free from poverty and help shape a world that works better for everyone.

About the role

The key function of this role is to support all Practical Action entities and subsidiaries in providing effective and efficient legal, governance and operational support.

The role will support the Board and Senior Management by keeping abreast of developments in the legal and regulatory environment and acting as focal point for providing/securing specialist advice to support decision making.

The role also manages and develops several internal systems.

About you

We are seeking an experienced, dedicated and detail-oriented Company Secretary. This role involves a variety of responsibilities aimed at ensuring the smooth operation of compliance, legal, and company secretarial functions across our global organisation.

Accountabilities

• Oversight and management of UK legal budget.
• Ensure that all legal registrations for all PA offices and subsidiaries are maintained and that relevant documents are available to key staff and governance bodies.
• Ensure all returns to Companies House/Charity Commission are made and that Board/Committees sign off as needed.
• Maintain statutory registers including register of members, register of People with Significant Control, Register of Directors (including residential addresses), register of secretaries and register of charges.
• Provide specialist support to GLT, Chair of Board of Trustees and Chair of Finance, Audit and Risk Committee in relation to governance, legal and regulatory compliance. The role will act as secretary to FAR.
• Maintain lists and records of staff and trustees holding Powers of Attorney and ensure that these are renewed or replaced as needed.
• Provide governance information for the Annual Report, statutory audits and other purposes.
• Work with the Executive Assistant to the CEO to ensure that Admin Control is up to date and incorporates all of the above.
• Stay abreast of legal and regulatory changes and notify relevant staff of any implications.
• Oversight of the Annual Legality Questionnaire.
• Lead on annual review of Practical Action’s insurance requirements to ensure insurance needs are met whist delivering good value for money.
• Provide support on Practical Action projects relating to charity governance e.g., development of Governance manual, Governance self-assessments and GDPR.
• Contribute to the monitoring of GDPR compliance as a member of the GDPR management team
• Support the trustees to administer the Defined Benefit pension scheme as requested.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

• Knowledge of legal and regulatory requirements for charitable companies and experience of developing and implementing policies and systems to ensure compliance.
• Good knowledge of GDPR with ability to develop robust systems to share and protect personal data.
• Organised, thorough and with good attention to detail.
• Highly numerate with a strong capacity to analyse and utilise complex data.
• Strong team working with the confidence to seek advice from expertise elsewhere.
• Strong IT skills including the ability to specify or design new systems.

Desirable

• A background in international development including some time spent working overseas.
• A good understanding of the role of internal audit, finance and other key departments.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

The opportunity to work for an organisation that is making a positive difference to the lives of people worldwide, a friendly and supportive culture, and working with values-driven and highly engaged colleagues are just some of the reasons we think Practical Action is a great place to work.

Our open plan offices are located in the centre of Rugby and near to Rugby train station.

In addition, we offer the following benefits:

• Full time roles are contracted at 35 hours per week.
• Hybrid/flexible working options.
• 27 days’ holiday rising with continuous service, in addition to public holidays.
• Pension scheme - employer contributes 10.5% of salary and the employee contributes a minimum of 5%.
• Enhanced family friendly policies, including maternity, adoption, paternity, and shared parental leave.
• Life assurance (3 x annual salary).
• Bike to Work scheme.

The successful applicant must have the pre-existing right to both live and work in the UK.  This is a hybrid role, and you must live in a commutable distance from our Rugby office, as you would be expected to attend the office on regular occasions.

Additional information

Practical Action believes that having a diverse workforce and inclusive workplace culture based on respect will enable us to be an effective organisation. We seek to create an inclusive workplace in which people are accepted as individuals, regardless of their differences and where they feel their contribution is valued.  Practical Action is an equal opportunities employer, and we encourage applications from under-represented groups.

We stay committed to cultivating an inclusive and diverse working environment and believe that people from different backgrounds or cultures give us different perspectives, and the more perspectives we have, the more successful we will be. By building a culture where everyone feels heard, respected, and valued we give everyone working with us the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Practical Action is committed to safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults and as such candidates will be subject to pre-employment checks including criminal checks and terrorist financing.

Closing date for applications:   5th December 2024.  Please note that should we recruit a suitable candidate before the closing date, we will close applications earlier than the specified date.

If you do not hear from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has not been successful on this occasion.

HOW TO APPLY

If you want to work for a charity with significant people ambitions, then we would like to hear from you. For more information, please visit our careers page.    

To apply please submit a copy of your CV and send us a supporting statement.