Assistant Company Secretary Thank you for your enquiry concerning the above position. Attached is the full information about this post, to apply please apply via our website: http://www.paradigmhousing.co.uk/ attaching a CV and detailing in a cover letter how you meet the person specification. If you have any questions about the position, please do not hesitate to contact hr@paradigmhousing.co.uk Suzanne Prince HR Business Partner
PARADIGM HOUSING GROUP LIMITED JOB DESCRIPTION Post: Direct Reports: Regular Contacts: Responsible to: Job purpose: Assistant Company Secretary Governance Officer Chair, Board Members, Shareholders, Chief Executive, Executive Team, General Counsel & Company Secretary General Counsel & Company Secretary To undertake company secretarial duties for the Paradigm Group, including Board administration and support; to deputise for the General Counsel & Company Secretary on all matter of corporate governance. Key Accountabilities: To be a trusted advisor to senior management including the Board of Directors; and be an efficient manager of the corporate governance structure of Paradigm; ensuring workflow efficiency. Board Administration Responsible for the organisation of all meetings of the Board and its Committees Responsible for the organisation of conferences at both internal and external venues, ad hoc meetings, visits to sites and events, as required Responsible for taking accurate and comprehensive minutes of Board meetings Key manager of the corporate decision-making processes in terms of operational responsibility Prepare information for Chairs of Boards regarding attendance at meetings, notices and tabled documents, and maintain attendance and disclosure of interests registers In conjunction with the General Counsel & Company Secretary, deliver company AGMs, SGMs, EGMs and shareholder meetings with associated documentation in addition to annual timetable for Board and Committee meetings Company Secretariat Schedule, organise and manage the delivery of Board Members training programme, ensuring they possess the necessary skills, experience and knowledge further to induction programme as determined by General Counsel & Company Secretary Manage at the direction of General Counsel & Company Secretary the administrative processes of Board retirement and recruitment Deliver full service company secretarial support to the Paradigm Foundation Deliver high quality reports to Boards on behalf of General Counsel & Company Secretary Manage accurate registers of shareholders, including updating changes to registers and the issue and cancellation of share certificates To deputise for the General Counsel & Company Secretary in matters related to the governance of the Paradigm Group Manage the Governance Officer to ensure delivery of high quality administration and to develop their knowledge and skills, completing regular performance development reviews
Responsible for the accurate submission of returns to Companies House, Financial Services Authority, Homes & Communities Agency and National Housing Federation and for updating Consumer Credit Licence, as required Act as main point of contact for the Board including direct communication with Board Members independently and as directed by Chair and General Counsel & Company Secretary Responsible for the administration of the life-cycle of Board Members including facilitating the recruitment process, induction, appraisal process and training activities Manage the document execution process To provide expert advice on corporate governance and best practice to internal and external stakeholders/customers To schedule and organise weekly Senior Management Team meetings with (and other internal/external meetings) as directed by the Chief Executive including managing attendance, agendas, key documents, etc. To advise and support internal and external stakeholders/customers to resolve queries and issues, ensuring that their expectations are managed and proactive resolutions are identified and delivered To update and maintain systems/ records to ensure that data is kept up to date and accurate, KPI s are met and that all relevant policies and procedures are adhered to so that consistent and standard practice is achieved across the organisation To undertake tasks as required by the General Counsel & Company Secretary which are complimentary to this role and according to the needs of the business Level of authority: Trusted advisor to internal and external customers on matters of corporate governance Responsible for updating information files with regard to external agencies Responsible for provision of Board reports in relation to signing and sealing of documents First level of authority for invoice approval up to 1,000 Main point of contact with Board Members and external Shareholders Responsible for delivering sourcing venues for annual conference and ad hoc meetings/events and negotiating terms Required outcomes of the post: Success in this post will be measured by:- Board members (external and internal) have all required information and documentation prior to meetings and events Timely production of accurate minutes of meetings and board reports relating to the signing and sealing of documents Registers being kept up to date Accurate and current data submitted to Companies House, Financial Services Authority, Homes & Communities Agency and National housing Federation in addition to Consumer Credit Licence Strong reputation for personal integrity, planning, organisation and maintaining confidentiality. Providing proactive and effective support to General Counsel & Company Secretary
Person specification: In addition to fulfilling the role in a way that reflects our values, the attitudes and behaviours we expect from all staff and corporate objectives, this role requires the following: Essential criteria = (E) Preferred criteria = (P) Experienced company secretarial/governance professional (E) Experience of governance requirements in relation to housing associations (P) Knowledge of housing sector (P) Bachelors degree (P) ICSA part/full qualified (P) Ability to maintain confidentiality (E) Credibility and influencing skills both internally and externally Take accurate minutes of meetings (E) Take personal responsibility for assessing situations, taking ownership and making decisions within established policy, procedures and recognised best practice (E) Demonstrate strong prioritisation skills (E) Adept at planning and organising (E) Demonstrate a positive and helpful approach in all situations (E) Develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external contacts (E) Effective communication including clear, concise verbal and written skills with good attention to detail (E) Intermediate level in using Microsoft Office suite (E) Experience of organising conferences, meetings and events (E) Our Values Attitudes and behaviour we expect of ourselves and others Additional attitudes and behaviours we expect of our leaders and managers Customer Focus Placing customers at the heart of everything we do Have Respect Treating people with dignity and respect, valuing differences Openness Being open, honest and transparent I will try to be flexible and take account of what customers see as good service I am approachable and always willing to help I always communicate in a clear, constructive way I treat my colleagues as my customers. I respect people as individuals, value their contribution and include them in conversations I end all conversations including difficult ones in a constructive way I am aware of the impact my behaviour and actions have on others I ensure what I say and do is consistent I am always professional. I am honest about what I can and can t do I give others the opportunity to share I evaluate customer needs and feedback to ensure we are delivering the best possible services I treat my staff as my customers. I am conscientious, honest, fair, consistent, respectful, approachable, caring, considerate and compassionate I champion appropriate attitudes and behaviours I proactively and consistently challenge inappropriate attitudes and behaviours in a timely manner. I share information about the organisational and team priorities and encourage the team to all work towards
building confidence and trust between ourselves, customers and colleagues Innovation Finding creative and innovative ways to continually improve all we do Commitment Being Passionate about being the best Empowerment Giving people confidence to positively influence we do and how we do it ideas and opinions and input into decision making I encourage and support others if things go wrong I give and respond to feedback in a professional and constructive way I aim to get agreement from partners to support ideas and action I willingly share knowledge and experience. I put forward new ideas and use my initiative to deliver efficient solutions I challenge and question in a constructive way to achieve improvements I am open to new ideas, approaches and technology and respond positively to change I encourage people to innovate, collaborate and make decisions. I won t accept that being mediocre or average is ever good enough I meet my personal commitments and promises I am enthusiastic and passionate about quality I make a difference every day I aim to deliver Right first time I have a can do attitude and always try to go the extra mile I can be relied upon to deliver I take pride in my work and the work of others I am a team player supporting others to do a good job and achieve our targets and corporate objectives I develop myself and learn from mistakes I celebrate success. I am always learning and I acknowledge and learn from my mistakes I know what is expected of me and will ask if I am unsure I respond quickly to prevent issues escalating I am able and willing to make decisions. the common goals I provide direction and purpose, helping others to understand their responsibilities and how their work contributes to broader business objectives. I encourage alternative approaches and innovative ways to achieve positive outcomes I champion change and motivate others to get involved in the improvement journey I work with other business areas to develop better methods for achieving common goals/ targets. I am a positive role model leading by example I personally deliver and also motivate my team to deliver on key objectives I am self-aware and am committed to developing my management and leadership skills I promote a strong ethic of Team Paradigm I inspire, motivate and support people to achieve levels of performance beyond what they originally thought possible. I recognise good performance and tackle poor performance quickly and in a fair and consistent way I ensure the team are capable of the work expected of them and will support them where necessary. I create a culture of learning that develops individuals and helps people to realise their full potential I embrace new ideas and suggestions from all members of the team and give them full consideration.
Paradigm Housing Group Terms and Conditions of Service Assistant Company Secretary Salary on appointment: Payment of salary: The salary for this position is 38,302 per annum according to skills and experience. Salary is paid monthly on the fifteenth working day of the month by direct credit into a bank or building society account. Location: Probationary period: Hours of work: Flexi-time scheme: This post will be based at Glory Park in Wooburn Green however you may be required to work at any other premises which the group currently has or may later acquire within 25 miles of this. This appointment will be subject to a probationary period of six months, during which time the post holder will be expected to establish his/her suitability for the post. These are 37 per week to be worked Monday to Friday. Paradigm operates a flexible hour s scheme. A maximum of 10 days flexi leave can be taken in a year. Flexible working arrangements: We support flexible working arrangements that meet business needs and those of our staff. Holiday entitlement: Pension scheme: The holiday entitlement for this post is 25 days a year, rising to 27 days after two years service. Rising on an incremental basis to a maximum of 30 days after ten years service. Paradigm, as a member of the National Housing Federation, participates in contributory pension schemes administered by the Social Housing Pensions Trust. All new employees will be able to join either: or A defined contribution, contracted in, option where the employee will make a contribution into the scheme and the employer will match this. Defined contribution is also known as a money purchase. A defined benefit, contracted out, scheme based on 80 th Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE), where the employee contributes and the employer contributes. The employee can also make additional voluntary contributions up to 100% of their salary and both schemes
include death in service benefit and a survivor s pension. Paradigm offer a salary sacrifice scheme enabling the employee to save on employee and employer national insurance on their pension contributions. Childcare voucher scheme Flexible annual leave benefit Policy on smoking: We offer employees the opportunity to participate in a contributory childcare voucher scheme, which is exempt from Tax and National Insurance contributions. More information will be given on appointment. This scheme allows employees, who have completed a satisfactory probationary period in their post, to elect to buy or sell a maximum of five days annual leave in any one leave year, subject to terms and conditions Paradigm operates a no-smoking policy in all of its offices. Full terms and conditions of service will be set out in the contract of employment which will be issued on appointment.