Governance Officer [APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED]

£34,100

Full-time | Hybrid or Remote

Deadline: Midnight, 16 Feb 2025

Details

Salary: £34,100 p/a
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Location: Remote/Hybrid (London)
Application deadline: 23.59 pm, 16th February 2025

Jump to section:

Ready to apply?

About SCN

At The Social Change Nest (SCN), we’re radically transforming the funding landscape and strengthening civil society. We remove the financial and administrative barriers – like bank accounts and legal structures – that often prevent communities, grassroots groups and informal movements from accessing funding and focusing on their core mission. We also work closely with funders, providing Grant Distribution and Fund Management services, enabling them to support social action with confidence and transparency.

We currently support over 600 groups across the UK and abroad addressing issues such as social injustice, climate, housing, wellbeing and animal rights. We are at the forefront of Fiscal Hosting in the UK and, since our inception in 2021, we have supported groups in securing over £23m in funding, helping them take advantage of opportunities that may have otherwise been unavailable.

The Social Change Nest is part of The Social Change Group. We are a Disability Confident Employer, and an accredited Living Wage Employer. In addition, we were listed as one of the top social enterprises in the UK in the SE100 for the last three years.

How we work

You’ll be joining a close-knit team, supported and developed to be the best you can be. We believe that every member of our team brings a unique perspective from their experiences and abilities and we encourage everyone to be a curious soul about how we can improve everything we do, from how we interact as a team to how we deliver for our clients and communities.

Underpinned by our values of collaboration, curiosity, courage, and creativity, we work closely and with care with our partners because we believe relationships are the glue that hold us all together.

We’re a growing business and operate at pace to keep up with the challenges that the sector faces. We have established a lot, but as we grow, we’re still working some things out. The right person will thrive in this environment and feel a level of ownership to support the build out of things we need as we need them.

The ideal person will enjoy working towards building something new and exciting for our clients, and be able to thrive when things change quickly which you need to adapt to. You’ll be the type of person that will intuitively look at the entire system and how your role and function fit into it, always looking to collaborate and make sure there’s great communication across each part of the business.

About you

As someone committed to social impact, you’re motivated to embed ethical and community-centred approaches within risk and compliance frameworks. You should understand the complexities of working in a high-risk environment where innovative and non-traditional risk management methods are valued. This role is a crucial bridge between SCN’s governance frameworks and the social missions of the groups it supports.

You’re someone who sees governance as a powerful tool for change. You have a strong attention to detail, and you’re motivated to help organisations navigate the complexities of risk and compliance without losing sight of their purpose.

Your approach balances practical expertise with a commitment to innovation and care. You excel in building relationships, adapting to changing contexts, and solving problems creatively. You’re ready to challenge traditional models of governance and embrace new ways of working that prioritise social impact, equity, and trust.

Skills and experience

You will be a detailed person, proactive, very organised and good at managing various tasks at the same time, with excellent project management skills. You will be keen to make an impact in a small team and be hungry for searching out opportunities to develop yourself and the business. We are looking for someone who is happy working on their own initiative with energy, enthusiasm and good humour. This is a client facing role so you must be comfortable with working with groups of people from varied backgrounds and excellent at client management. You will be comfortable prioritising urgent, last minute tasks.

Person specification includes:

Exceptional organisational skills
Demonstrable experience of project management
Exceptional attention to detail
Strong and creative problem-solving skills
Process-oriented
Strong interpersonal skills and experience with stakeholder management
Confident with numbers and finances
Ability to manage multiple tasks and project at the same time, and capable of managing time effectively
Ability to manage competing priorities
Experience of working within a team, with excellent communication skills to support the team in delivery of the whole service and to support cross pollination of work across all of our projects
Experience with grantmaking (on an international scale would be desirable)
IT literate – experience of working with project management and CRM software is desirable
Experience of line management is desirable

We will give you full training on our internal systems and processes and other methodologies that will be relevant to your role.

About the Role

At SCN, we believe that governance, risk, and compliance should enable transformative social change rather than constrain it. The Governance Officer plays a vital role in shaping and maintaining an approach that prioritises social impact, ethical principles, and trust over rigid traditional frameworks. This role is about more than just ensuring safety or meeting regulatory requirements – it’s about empowering community groups and civil society organisations to navigate complexity and scale their work without compromising their values or relationships.

This role is key to implementing SCN’s trauma-informed and relationship-centred approach to governance. By embracing innovative thinking, the Governance Officer will help challenge power dynamics, navigate uncertainty, and develop equitable and resilient systems that unlock the potential of grassroots initiatives. Through due diligence, risk monitoring, and regulatory compliance, you’ll ensure that both SCN and the groups we work with are not just secure but also positioned to take thoughtful, mission-driven risks that lead to meaningful change.

Additionally, this role supports the evolution of governance by exploring alternative models and practices that better reflect the collaborative and dynamic nature of community action. You’ll also engage directly with clients and stakeholders, offering guidance and support to groups that are often working in high-risk, high-impact contexts.

This is not just a role about governance—it’s about reimagining governance to be a force for justice, innovation, and community empowerment.

Key Responsibilities

Governance:

Governance Frameworks: Support the development and maintenance of SCN’s governance structures, ensuring they align with SCN’s unique approach to risk and compliance.
Board Administration and Reporting: Prepare materials for Board meetings, record minutes, track actions, and provide governance-related support to ensure effective administration and compliance.

Risk Management and Compliance:

Risk and Compliance Monitoring, Mitigation and Reporting: Assist in maintaining SCN’s corporate registers and reports and support staff where necessary.
Due Diligence: Conduct nuanced due diligence reviews of new and existing clients, services, and projects.
Policy Compliance: Help ensure SCN remains compliant with internal policies, regulatory standards and legal requirements.

Client and Stakeholder Engagement:

Relationship-Based Risk Management: Work with the Head of Governance and Innovation to provide ongoing support on resolving risk or compliance issues with our groups.
Governance and Process Hosting Support: This includes supporting the planning and facilitating governance-related meetings for clients, and providing guidance where necessary.
Policy Development and Client Support: Support our clients in building out the right policy approach for individuals who are interacting with both public sector bodies (NHS, DWP etc) and Nest

Terms and benefits

Terms: The role will be full-time (37.5 hours/week) permanent contract – we will consider well-structured JobShare applications. As we often work with volunteers occasional evening and weekend work will be required and compensated through TOIL. Occasional but limited UK or European travel will be required (by arrangement).

We are open to exploring flexible working arrangements and supporting you to meet commitments you may have.

Salary: £34,100 p/a

Location: You must be based inside the UK. We have an office in Kings Cross, London which London-based staff are in 3 times a week or more, but if you are based out of London you will be home based.

We hold quarterly all-staff strategy meetings and annual away days which you will be required to attend in person which we will cover the cost of your travel. You will be required to come together with the team occasionally and these travel costs will not be covered, we try our best to keep these to when only necessary.

Language skills & visa status: Candidates must be fluent in English. You must have the right to work in the UK independently, as we are unable to provide visa sponsorship.

Holiday: 22 days plus bank holidays. We close the office in the days between Christmas and New Years – this time is paid for all staff and is in addition to your annual leave entitlement.

Employer pension contribution: We offer a 3% employer pension contribution, that you will auto enrol for after 3 months of employment with SCA.

Additional Paid Time Off: We offer 2 days of paid voluntary time off, encouraging all staff to serve as trustees or any equivalent voluntary positions to contribute to their communities

Mintago: The health and wellbeing of our staff is very important to us. We offer all of our staff access to Mintago which offers a 24 hour support line, structured counselling with external support, and a bank of online resources such as webinars and articles tailored towards health and wellbeing for both you and the members of your family, and access to some types of legal advice. You can see their website for details. They also offer access to a 24hr virtual GP.

Financial Wellbeing: The financial wellbeing of our staff means a lot to us. We offer the following to our staff to help them reach their financial goals:

Salary sacrifice/exchange schemes for groceries (and pensions will be coming soon!). Staff members can choose a set amount to be taken out of their gross pay (before being taxed) each month, to be put towards purchasing groceries from all major grocery retailers.
Financial wellbeing platform allows staff to check their pension dashboard, plan for retirement and search for forgotten/lost pensions. There is also a smart saver plan and we provide access to financial advisers for free.
Benefits app – retail discounts. Select from over 80 brands.

Start Date: ASAP

How to apply

To apply please fill out this application form. Please note that CVs, cover letters, and/or copies of the question outline will not be considered. You can also view the questions and draft your answers here before submitting it through the Google Form.

We recognise that AI tools are becoming increasingly prevalent in various aspects of professional life, including the job application process, view our AI use guidance for some points to consider.

Applications will close 23.59 pm, 16th February 2025

Hiring process

We strongly encourage applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds. We are committed to our staff representing the wide variety of backgrounds represented in the communities we work with. If you are concerned that you may not fit 100% of the job specification – please throw your hat in the ring. We never put formal education requirements on any role as we value lived experiences as highly as formal education and training qualifications.

We follow a blind recruitment process, which means that hiring managers for the role can only see your work history and answers to application questions when deciding to progress to the interview stage.

If you need any accessibility accommodations for this application please do not hesitate to contact us at people@thesocialchangenest.org or by calling +44 7958 298 727 and we will be happy to provide you with those accommodations.

Please visit our main vacancies page for our equal opportunities statement.