We are looking for a highly motivated and organised individual to ensure the smooth running of the association's governance processes.

About Historic Houses

Historic Houses represents nearly 1,500 privately owned historic houses, castles, and gardens throughout the UK, many of which are open to the public, attracting 21 million visits each year. Over 70,000 members of Historic Houses also support and visit these historic houses.

The role of Governance Officer is at the very heart of the organisation, and you'll be working closely as part of the Operations and Finance Teams to ensure the smooth running of the association's governance services and central London offices.

In this role you will provide a professional secretariat service to Historic Houses Council, Board of Directors and its sub-committees. You will help to co-ordinate and manage the Historic Houses National AGM, as well as other governance and corporate events. And you will also take the lead in coordinating Historic Houses awards programme ensuring the smooth running of the application and judging processes, culminating in an award ceremony at our National AGM.

Main Responsibilities:

Professional secretariat to the Board and Council

Arrangement of, and preparation of papers for, the Board of Directors, Historic Houses Council, Regional Chairs Forum, Business Development Committee, Gardens Committee, Investment Committee, and Tax & Political Committee. Provision of catering arrangements for meetings, where necessary. The writing of minutes for the Board of Directors, Historic Houses Council, Regional Chairs Forum, Business Development Committee, Gardens Committee, Investment Committee, and Tax & Political Committee. Keeping updated membership lists of all Historic Houses committees, sub-committees, councils, forums and working groups, working with the Director General, regional chairs and, where relevant, regional secretaries. Upkeep of Governance Handbook as well as governance pages on the Historic Houses website and in the paper format Yearbook, including the distribution of the Yearbook to key recipients in other organisations outside the Historic Houses. Supporting the Director General in his role as Company Secretary and ensuring public-facing information is kept up to date Other general duties and assistance in ad hoc projects across the Historic Houses office as required, including supporting the Operations Officer, answering phone calls, monitoring email enquiries, etc. Co-ordination and management of Historic Houses Governance events

Working with the Operations Team in the co-ordination and management of Historic Houses National AGM, including: Acting as liaison with the venue on all logistical aspects of the national AGM, including taking responsibility for contractual arrangements. Acting as liaison for speakers and sponsors. Budget management. Working with the Operations Officer in the registration of all attendees. Management of presidential guests and the President's Lunch. Supporting the Director General and Board Executive in the preparation of papers. Management of Historic Houses Governance events, e.g. an annual Summer Reception and Presidents' Receptions, including: Venue selection Production of invitations Managing invitee list Liaison with venue, caterers and AV companies Liaison with sponsor Budget management. Administrative and secretarial support to our Regional Sub-Committees

Acting as liaison between Head Office and Regional Sub-Committees, acting as a direct point of contact for Regional Chairs and secretaries. Provision of administrative and secretarial support where requested, including: Arrangement of, and preparation of papers for, Regional Sub-Committee meetings and Regional AGMs. The writing of minutes for Regional Sub-Committee meetings, where requested. Administrative support in the running of Regional AGMs. Provision of financial administrative support for Regional Sub-Committees. Working with Regional Sub-Committees to develop a local sponsorship programme to support regional events. Arrangement of Head Office attendance at Historic Houses Regional AGMs, held in June, July, September, and October. Logistical arrangements for the Director General and President, and preparation of papers. Assistance with research and recruitment of potential new house members by Regional Chairs. Coordination of Historic Houses Awards Programme

Coordination of Historic Houses' annual awards programme including: Administration of the awards application process. Provision of administrative support for the judging process for all five awards including organising meetings, minute taking, and other administrative duties. Acting as liaison between staff, sponsors, applicants, and award winners. Organisation and delivery of the awards ceremony at our Annual General Meeting. Office Administration

Working with our buildings management company to coordinate repairs and provide access to contractors for cyclical inspections. Ensuring the smooth running of our Buckingham Palace Road office including the ordering office supplies. Any other duty as required by the line manager commensurate with the post.

Essential skills and experience:

Good interpersonal skills, with experience of managing external relationships and dealing with internal and external contacts at all levels. Excellent administrative and organisational skills, together with the ability to work under pressure and to deadlines. Excellent written and oral communication skills, including a demonstrable ability to write clear, concise and accurate documents to suit a range of purposes and audiences. Experience of working with committees and minute taking; with a high degree of accuracy and strong attention to detail including in the preparation of accurate correspondence and minutes of meetings. Ability to work as an integral member of a small and dedicated team, and to help out across the team as required. Preferred:

Experience of working in the charity, not-for-profit sector, or with a membership association or professional body. Understanding of the role of Company Secretary and the legal requirements of company administration. Experience of event management or supporting a team in organising events. Strong all-round IT and digital skills including working with MS Office Suite, website CMS, and CRM databases. An interest in, and enthusiasm for, historic houses and gardens. Timescale:

Closing date: 28 January 2023. First round interviews: 7 February 2023. To apply:

Please email your CV and a covering letter (preferably in PDF format) as attachments via the button below no later than midnight on 28 January 2023. Applications without a tailored accompanying covering letter will not be considered. We look forward to hearing from you.