Board Secretary

**We are looking for a Secretary to the Board of Trustees**

**Job Title**:Board Secretary

**Salary**: £48,000 - £55,000 pro rata, depending on experience

**Reports to**:Director of Finance and Operations with a dotted line to the Chair

**Hours**: Part Time - details below

**About the role**:
Reporting to the Director of Finance and Business Services (with dotted line to the CEO) and accountable to the Chair of Trustees, the Board Secretary will support the Chair and Board of Trustees in the achievement of strategic objectives of Advance Charity.

The Board meets 16 times a year in Hammersmith/online via Zoom between 5:00pm and 7:00pm and currently has two subcommittees which also meet quarterly in the evenings. This number of meetings includes an annual strategy away day and AGM.

This role is part time, and we estimate you will be required to work for 50 days per year, i.e. four days per month commitment during evening and weekends, which will be managed flexibly. You will be expected to attend any face-to-face meetings in person, with administrative duties being carried out remotely/home based.

**Key responsibilities include **(but are not limited to):

- Ensuring all statutory organisational paperwork is filed on time with the Charities Commission and Companies House; this includes annual returns as well as Trustee appointments / resignations
- Manage the Board calendar and set up Board, Committee, AGM and Strategy meetings and days - including booking rooms/zoom links, as required
- Collating all papers, and ensuring all papers are issued in a timely manner - at least one week prior, to any meetings
- Taking and dissemination of minutes of all meetings
- Supporting the Chair, Committee Chairs and CEO in managing aspects of the Board of Trustees, including the work plan and the agenda of work, and ensuring agendas are agreed with updates to agreed actions included
- Support the CEO, Chair, Committee Chairs to ensure that the charity is up to date with best practice on charity governance
- Maintain a central register of key governance documents and ensure that they are easily accessible to both senior staff and Trustees
- Ensure an annual appraisal process is in place for all trustees and work closely with the Chair to identify the development opportunities suitable for the trustees and to update records of the trustee’s development programmes where appropriate
- Establish effective arrangements for the induction of trustees and provide advice and support to trustees regarding the discharge of their statutory duties
- Ensure that there is an annual review of the Board Committees so that they remain effective and legally consisted and their membership is regularly refreshed
- Diary liaison for Chair for any Advance related meetings
- Ensure robust action plans are in place to address the findings of governance reviews and that these are effectively monitored as part of performance management arrangements
- Setting up any meetings between the Chair and any Advance staff as required
- Be responsible for your own personal learning development and keep up to date on research, relevant legislation, policy and practice, and other literature relevant to the role

**About You**:
To be successful as the **Board Secretary,** you’ll need the below experience and skills:

- Previous experience acting as board secretary within a Charity, Third Sector or comparable organisation
- Strong understanding of the voluntary sector and charity governance
- Highly proficient in the use of Microsoft Office systems, including SharePoint, MS Word, MS Outlook, MS PowerPoint and MS Excel
- Strong minute taking, writing skills and committee administration
- Extremely well-organised and able to produce forward plans and consistently meet timetables
- Able to plan work for self and others to ensure that deadlines are met, and accuracy is ensured
- Excellent time management skills

**About us**:
Advance is an award-winning and innovative women-only organisation, established in 1998, providing emotional and practical support to women and girls survivors of domestic abuse and supporting women with short-term sentences to reduce offending. We believe in empowering women and girls to lead safe, non-violent, equal lives so that they can flourish and contribute to the community.

Our values are to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability.

**What we can offer you - Employee Benefits**:

- An exceptional **30 days of paid holiday per year **(pro rata for part time), PLUS public holidays on top
- ** Additional days off** to celebrate **International Women’s Day**, and for religious observance and moving home
- Perkbox - an employee discount platform where you can receive free rewards as well as take advantage of savings on clothes, groceries, travel, leisure and more
- Pension scheme
- Enhanced maternity/adoption provision
- Access to our Employee Assistance Programme
- Access to Yog