Company Secretary / Board Support

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a part-time in-house Company Secretary / Board Support at Chichester Festival Theatre (CFT). Reporting to the Executive Director, you will be supporting the Board and Executive Team to ensure exemplary governance, stakeholder engagement and compliance.

Company Secretary / Board Support

Responsible to: Executive Director

Contract:    Part Time, Permanent

Salary: £43,000 – £50,000 pro rata

Reporting to the Executive Director, you will provide expert company secretarial and governance support to CFT, and its Board of Trustees led by its Chair.

You will ensure that our governance structures are robust, compliant and fit for purpose while acting as an advisor to the Executive Director on emerging legal, regulatory and sector developments.  You will support the Executive Director in the management of Stakeholder relationships – specifically with the Arts Council and Chichester District Council.

Key Responsibilities

Governance & Board Leadership

• Ensure full compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, including maintaining company records, statutory registers and filings
• Provide guidance on charitable governance best practices to the Board and senior leadership
• Lead the preparation for board meetings, including the preparation and distribution of the Management Report agendas, minutes, and other documentation
• Oversee the annual governance cycle, promoting effectiveness and best practice
• Support the Executive Director as a point of contact for legal and regulatory bodies
• Embed and champion a detailed understanding of the requirements attached to CFT’s Governance within wider charity and company law, including regular review of the Board, Chair and Charity Commission Governance Code
• Support the development and approval of the Annual Report and Accounts by the Board and Executive Team, drafting the trustee narrative in consultation with the Executive Director
• Manage the induction of new Trustees/Chair.

Strategic Planning

• Support the Executive Director to manage communication and meetings with the Board and its sub committees
• Support the Executive Director with Board reporting to the current Business Plan 2025-30S
• Support the Executive, Senior Leadership Team and Trustees to fulfil CFT’s Stakeholder commitments (ACE and Chichester District Council)
• Draft and review governance and policies relating to regulatory and compliance matters in conjunction with the Executive Team and the Board

Risk and Compliance Support

• Work with the Executive and Senior Leadership Team to support and document strategic and operational risks to CFT, strengthening internal risk management processes
• Maintain the operational risk register with the Senior Leadership Team and update prior to F&SO and Board meetings

Other

• Undertake research and advise on developments in the charity governance landscape as required
• Support confidential, ad hoc projects of a legal or risk-based nature, working with the Executive Team and Board of Trustees – this might include Chair, Trustee or Executive recruitment
• Maintain appropriate records, archiving and ensuring the timely handover of agreed documentation for heritage purposes to the West Sussex Records Office

Full details of the role can be found on our website https://www.cft.org.uk/jobs/company-secretary-board-support

To apply please send your CV and a covering letter, or video, to recruitment@cft.org.uk by the closing date, quoting job reference: 2606CSBS. Let us know why you are applying for the role, what excites you about joining CFT and how your experience and skills match the person specification.

We’d love to hear about what makes you a great fit in your own words. We encourage candidates not to rely on AI for their applications, as a more personalised approach gives us a better sense of who you are.

Please email recruitment@cft.org.uk if you’d like to arrange for an informal chat about the role before applying. We appreciate this may be a busy time – if you need more time to submit your application, please let us know.