EY Governance Compliance Officer - Permanent 

United Kingdom, England, London 

149793559

Role Profile:

Job Title:Governance and Compliance Officer

Application Deadline: 03.08.2025

Job Type: Permanent

London, Birmingham, Manchester or Glasgow

We work in regions across the country, with team members based in four hubs in London, Manchester, Glasgow, and Birmingham. We operate a hybrid working model, where staff work in the office at least one day per week, however, depending on the nature of your role or specific business needs, you may be required to attend the office or events more than once a week.

As an independent charity we raise income through corporate partners, traditional fundraising, and grants.

As, you will lead our governance function, ensuring legal and regulatory compliance while enabling effective decision-making. With strong governance experience, sound judgement and the ability to build trust at all levels, you will support effective leadership and accountability across the EY Foundation. Reporting to the
CFO, you will work closely with the Board, Sub Committees and Leadership Team to ensure the effective and efficient planning, reporting and review of governance processes, leading on agenda-setting, Board development and the recruitment of Trustees and their induction. You will lead the Foundation’s approach to risk management and compliance, maintaining effective systems and processes to support a function that underpins trust, transparency, and ethical leadership across a high-impact organisation.

The role will include several key responsibilities but are not limited to:

Governance:

• To work with the CFO to ensure the smooth running of the Foundation’s governance schedule, leading on continuous development and improvement, ensuring it continues to meet the needs of the organisation.
• To act as first point of contact and provide advice and support to the Board of Trustees to fulfil their roles, including overseeing the servicing of Board meetings and establishing appropriate induction, training and development opportunities.
• To lead governance and Board secretarial functions, ensuring that work is conducted in accordance with agreed processes and legal timescales.
• Provide clear structured agendas, timely papers and accurate minutes to support effective governance meetings.
• Manage statutory compliance and reporting, including submissions to Companies House and the Charity Commission.
• To develop and manage the processes of recruitment and induction of Trustees and successful succession planning, paying particular attention to EYF’s mission, values, Equity Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) aims and constitutional requirements.
• To monitor, develop and review policies and resources which support good governance, ensuring appropriate compliance with relevant external and internal processes.
• To advise on best practice, keeping abreast of charity sector development, legislative and other developments and liaising with Trustees and Leadership Team to provide regular updates.
• To support the Leadership team with its relationship with EY as set out in the MSA and Funding Agreements and the responsibilities of the EY Foundation as a Member of EY.
• Liaise with EY regarding matters of independence and further enhance governance systems to improve efficiency and effectiveness for EY Foundation.
• Assist with preparations for external audits ensuring compliance and readiness.
• To support EY Foundation in its understanding of the implications of procurement and its contractual responsibilities - liaising with EY.

Risk:

• To lead on the development and management of the organisation’s approach to risk management and assurance, monitoring and reporting on organisational risks through the Board Assurance Framework (BAF) and Risk and Control Matrix (RACM).
• To lead on the mapping and support the management of the mitigation of anticipated or emerging risk.
• To communicate effectively and champion risk management across the organisation and support colleagues to embed the agreed approach in their ways of working.

Youth voice:

• Work closely with the Youth Voice Forum group and the Foundation’s Youth Engagement lead to ensure the views and voice of young people are at the heart of Board meetings and any decision making processes.
• Support the Programmes team as appropriate with their delivery to gain an in-depth understanding of our work and the young people we support, establishing yourself as an advocate and ambassador for our work.

• Undertake any and all other reasonable and related tasks associated with this role, including supporting the Leadership Team in other ad hoc tasks.

What you will bring to the Foundation is your demonstrable skills, experience and knowledge in the following areas:

Skills

• Ability to build effective relationships across all levels of the organisation and with external stakeholders
• Excellent organisational skills, able to handle multi-tasking and prioritise effectively
• Proactive in problem-solving with the ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, high numerical ability, and keen attention to detail
• Delivering excellent customer service, to internal or external customers or service users
• Ability to effectively communicate, convey information and collaborate with colleagues, stakeholders and client
• Ability to foster positive relationships with a range of people
• Collaboration and flexibility in your team working, whilst also being able to work with minimum supervision
• High attention to detail and accuracy in documentation and reporting.
• Confident in using digital tools for governance (e.g. Board portals, document management systems).

Knowledge

• Strong understanding of UK charity charity governance, including Trustee responsibilities and regulatory requirements and company law, compliance, and risk
• Familiarity with statutory compliance obligations (e.g. Charity Commission, Companies House).

• Skilled in developing governance policies, frameworks and risk management processes
• Experience in managing Board portal software and tools (e.g. Board Assurance Framework, Risk and Control Matrix) and coordinating large public/member events
• Professional or technical knowledge and experience in your specialist area
• Awareness of legal and regulatory frameworks relevant to charities, including data protection and procurement.
• Understanding of inclusive governance practices and the role of youth voice in decision-making.

Experience

• Extensive experience in a governance and or compliance role, ideally within a charity, corporate, or similar organisation
• Experience supporting or servicing Boards and Committees, including agenda-setting, minute-taking, and follow-up actions.
• Experience managing statutory filings and compliance registers.
• Experience leading or supporting risk management processes and reporting.
• A track record of creating positive impacts on organisational effectiveness through governance changes
• Working in a delivery-focused organisation
• Developing professional or technical qualitative improvement
• Delivering against a portfolio of projects/tasks effectively

Experience

• Experience of good practice in contracting/ procurement
• Experience working with or alongside young people or youth-led initiatives (desirable).

Qualification:

• Qualification or equivalent experience in Chartered Governance Institute (CGI) would be beneficial

The first stage interview will be based on:

• Competency-Based Interview Questions: We will assess your technical and professional competencies relevant to the role.
• Motivational Interview Questions: We aim to understand your drive, passion, and alignment with our organisation's values and mission.
• Scenario-Based Questions: You will be asked to respond to hypothetical situations to demonstrate your problem-solving abilities and decision-making skills.

The second stage interview will be based on:

• Presentation Development: Candidates will be required to develop and present a topic related to the role, showcasing their communication and presentation skills.
• Understanding of Our Organisation: We value candidates who have a strong understanding of our organisation, including our mission, values, and the sector we operate in.

Our organisation is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience for all candidates. If you require any adjustments or support during the recruitment, selection, or onboarding process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Key dates

• First round interviews: We aim to complete the first round of interviews the 21st and 22nd of August 2025
• Second round interviews: We aim to complete the second stage of interview the 28th of August.

If you are invited to interview and are unavailable on one or both dates, please let the recruiter know, we will do our best to offer an alternative.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you during the interview process, please don’t hesitate to let the recruiter know when contacted.