Governance, Compliance and Planning Manager (Leatherhead)

Role Overview

The Governance, Compliance and Planning Manager is a vital cross-organisational role at Mary Frances Trust (MFT). As a key member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), the postholder will ensure MFT’s governance structures, compliance, policy framework, and strategic planning processes are robust, legally compliant, and effective.

This role will strengthen our governance culture and work collaboratively with SMT colleagues as well as the Department Leads Group (DLG) to ensure that MFT remains aligned to its mission, values, and strategic ambitions.

The postholder will also act as Company Secretary, supporting the Board of Trustees as well as the Policy Committee and Risk Committee, Finance Committee, and providing internal oversight of governance, risk, and compliance functions.

Job Summary

Job title: Governance, Compliance and Planning Manager

Location: Hybrid working available with a base at Leatherhead and occasional travel across Surrey

Hours: 37h per week

Salary: £40,000 (per annum)

Term: Permanent

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Holiday: 25 days plus bank holidays

Closing date: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews scheduled as suitable candidates are identified. Early applications are encouraged.

This post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and the successful completion of a probationary period.

Key Responsibilities

Governance and Board Support

• Serve as Company Secretary, ensuring MFT meets all statutory, regulatory, and constitutional governance requirements.
• Support and coordinate governance structures for the Board of Trustees and relevant sub-committees, including preparing and circulating Board papers, minuting meetings, and following up on actions.
• Lead the ongoing development and improvement of governance processes, ensuring compliance with charity law and best practice.
• Provide governance advice and support to Trustees, maintaining up-to-date records (including those with the Charity Commission and Companies House).
• Act as a first point of contact for governance-related queries from staff, Trustees, and external stakeholders.

Compliance, Policy, and Risk Management

• Support and coordinate the Policy Committee (chaired by a dedicated Trustee) to ensure policies are regularly reviewed, updated, and compliant with legislation and organisational standards.
• Support and coordinate the Risk Committee (chaired by a dedicated Trustee), maintaining the organisational risk register and working with colleagues to manage and mitigate risks.
• Leading on Information and Governance Group and acting as MFT’s Senior Information Officer (SIRO) and internal lead for data protection (GDPR).
• Work with the Clinical Lead to ensure safeguarding policy compliance and training are up to date.
• Oversee internal compliance systems and processes, conducting audits and producing compliance reports to the Board and SMT.
• Monitor and update Health & Safety policies and processes, ensuring statutory compliance and providing advice and leadership in this area.

Strategic and Operational Planning

• Work with the CEO and SMT to develop and maintain annual and strategic plans, ensuring they are aligned to MFT’s mission and values.
• Ensure the implementation of performance measurement frameworks and monitoring of key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Facilitate quarterly and annual performance reviews, drawing on data and insights from across the organisation to support continuous improvement.
• Lead on and/or support new contracts and business development opportunities.

Human Resources (in Collaboration with External HR Support)

• Work with an external HR support service to ensure that MFT’s HR policies and practices remain compliant and reflect best practice.
• Provide internal oversight of HR policies implementation, working closely with the Business Support Officer and line managers.
• Advise on HR compliance, supporting the SMT to manage recruitment and staffing processes.

Organisational Systems and Coordination

• Provide leadership on internal systems and processes that underpin good governance and compliance.
• Line manage the Business Support Officer, supporting them to deliver effective administration, recordkeeping, and compliance support.
• Work with colleagues to ensure organisational readiness for audits, tenders, and external evaluations.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance effectiveness and reduce risk across the organisation.

Collaboration and Cross-organisational Leadership

• Actively contribute to the SMT and Department Leads Group, fostering a culture of high standards, learning, and collaboration.
• Build strong working relationships with colleagues, Trustees, and external partners.
• Support the organisation’s commitment to co-production, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
• Lead on external supporting contracts, including but not limited to HR, Data Protection, IT, insurance etc.

This is not an exhaustive list of the duties that may need to be undertaken. It may be necessary to undertake other duties in order to fulfil the objectives of the charity.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Training

Essential:

• Degree level education or equivalent professional experience
• Professional qualification in governance, compliance, risk, or legal (e.g., ICSA/CGI)
• Evidence of CPD

Desirable:

• Qualification in project management, HR, or data protection (e.g., PRINCE2, CIPD, GDPR)
• Health & Safety or safeguarding qualifications (e.g., IOSH, NSPCC)

Experience

Essential:

• Senior-level experience in governance, compliance, or Company Secretary role
• Experience supporting Boards and committees
• Policy and risk management experience
• Compliance with charity/company law and GDPR
• Strategic and operational planning experience
• HR process oversight
• Line management experience

Desirable:

• Managing external contracts (e.g., HR, IT, legal)
• Experience with audits, tenders, or evaluations
• Mental health or social care experience

Knowledge & Understanding

Essential:

• Governance and regulatory frameworks for charities/companies
• Data protection and information governance
• Risk management tools and approaches
• Safeguarding awareness
• Strategic planning and KPIs
• HR and Health & Safety compliance

Desirable:

• Mental health or VCSE sector knowledge
• Understanding of co-production and inclusion in governance

Skills & Abilities

Essential:

• Strong leadership and relationship-building skills
• Excellent organisational and time management
• High-level communication and documentation skills
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Analytical and problem-solving capability
• Confident using MS Office, digital tools, and databases
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively

Desirable:

• Workshop facilitation and planning session skills
• Experience with project or compliance tracking tools

Personal Attributes

Essential:

• Alignment with MFT mission, values, and goals
• High integrity and discretion
• Proactive, solution-focused attitude
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Commitment to inclusion, co-production, and improvement

Desirable:

• Lived or professional mental health experience

Equal Opportunities Statement

We acknowledge the unique contribution that all host organisations employees and patients can bring to our organisation in terms of their culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status, nationality, age, religion or belief and any physical disability or history of mental health or additional problems.

All appointments and promotions are based on merit and no job applicant or employee will be treated unfairly or discriminated against. All staff have equal access to staff development. Any member of staff who breaches this policy may be subject of grievance and/or disciplinary procedures.

This post if subject to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level. Please note past drug and/or alcohol or criminality history will not necessarily discount you from undertaking this role.

About Us

Mary Frances Trust (MFT) is a mental health and emotional wellbeing charity, supporting Surrey residents since 1994 in Banstead, Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell and Mole Valley.

We offer a variety of face-to-face and online services, available to adults (aged 16+) living in Surrey who would like to restore and/or maintain their mental and emotional wellbeing (no diagnosis needed).

Our services are free of charge, with no waiting list and no time limit (you can use us for as long as you need and register again at any point).

To see all of our services, please visit the How We Help section of our website.

Our Vision

We believe anyone experiencing any kind of mental or emotional health issues should feel unafraid to ask for help, receive appropriate support for as long as they need, and be inspired to develop the skills that will help them to restore and maintain their own wellbeing, and lead a fulfilling life.

Our Values

Inspiring

We believe that everyone can lead a fulfilling life and achieve their goals and full potential. We encourage people to recognise and use their own strengths and resources. We inspire people to develop the skills that will empower them to become experts at managing their own mental wellbeing.  To accompany people on this journey, we offer personal, tailored support to help them regain a sense of hope and control.

Inclusive

The people we support aren’t passive recipient of our services and are not being “done to”. Through our commitment to Co-Production, we involve people with mental health lived experience in every aspect of our organisation, including the design, delivery, monitoring, review and evaluation of our services.

We believe in the power of connection. We encourage the people we support to fully participate in their local communities. As an organisation, we also strive to be part of and reflect the diverse population we serve.

Agile

We live in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment, so we’re always ready to adapt and innovate to meet the evolving needs of the local communities we serve. We are an integral part of a wider mental health system and are dedicated to providing easy access first-class mental health support by working in partnership and collaboration.

Respectful

We work hard to establish mutual honest and trustworthy relationships. We actively listen and treat people we support with the same kindness and respect as we do our staff and volunteers. We strive to be an organisation where people feel safe and that they belong.

Our Mission

Our mission is to:

• Work alongside people experiencing any kind of emotional or mental health issues for as long as they need and inspire them to develop the skills that will help them to restore and maintain their emotional wellbeing.
• Involve people with lived experience of mental health issues at every level of the organisation so together we can design, deliver, monitor and review our services and ensure they respond to their changing needs.
• Consistently challenge stigma attached to mental illness and raise awareness of the importance of looking after your mental wellbeing.
• Lead and co-ordinate the development and delivery of first-class, voluntary mental health services in Surrey.
• Maintain sufficient funding streams to be able to provide person-centred services to people experiencing any kind of emotional or mental health issues.

Safer Recruitment

We are committed to following Safer Recruitment practices to ensure the safeguarding of the whole community we serve, from members of the public and clients using our services, to our staff, volunteers, partners, and external facilitators.

A criminal record does not automatically exclude you from applying for the position. MFT will assess each application on a case-by-case basis.

This post is Exempt from the Protection of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974).

All successful candidates will be required to undertake Enhanced or Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks as well as reference checks.  These will be a condition of any offer of employment being made.

All candidates must disclose both ‘spent’ and ‘unspent’ cautions and convictions on application – other than ‘protected’ cautions and convictions which have qualified for filtering.

Disclosure should be included in a separate covering letter on application, marked ‘Confidential’.

Guidance on Filtering: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbs-filtering-guidance

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We believe in a fair, equal, diverse and inclusive society. As an organisation, we believe we are stronger and richer when we bring together different experiences and perspectives to better serve our clients and local community. We are committed to creating a workforce that is diverse, inclusive of all, representative of the community we serve, promotes positivity, and instils a can-do attitude in everyone, no matter their background or characteristics at every level of our organisation from our staff and volunteers, all the way to our Trustees and Patrons. We strongly encourage applications from members of every community and actively seek to hire people with lived experience of mental health issues.

How to apply

To apply for this role, please fill in our Online Application Form (button below) where you’ll be able to upload your CV and covering letter (in which you’ll explain how you feel your experience is suitable for the role). Thank you!

If you are encountering any difficulties applying for the position, please email us at info@maryfrancestrust.org.uk

Apply now

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