Kent Cricket Foundation
Description
https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Company-Secretary-and-Governance-Lead-KCF.pdf
JOB TITLE: Company Secretary and Governance Manager
REPORTS TO: Managing Director, Kent Cricket Foundation
CONTRACT: Part-time
HOURS: 17.5 hours per week
SALARY: £30,000 per annum (FTE)
BASED AT: Remote / Hybrid role with H/O at The St Lawrence
Ground, Canterbury
Summary of Role:
The Company Secretary and Governance Lead will play a pivotal role in ensuring the Kent
Cricket Foundation operates to the highest standards of governance, compliance and
organisational effectiveness. Reporting to the Managing Director and working closely with the Chair, Vice-Chair, Board and Senior Management Team, the post-holder will lead and manage the Foundation's governance framework, ensuring compliance with statutory, regulatory, Charity Commission and ECB requirements.
The role will act as the primary governance adviser to the organisation, supporting effective decision-making, transparency and accountability across the Board and its committees. The successful candidate will oversee board governance processes, coordinate organisational compliance activity, lead the delivery of County Partnership Agreement (CPA 2.0) governance requirements, and ensure robust systems for risk management, policy oversight and corporate record-keeping.
This is an exciting opportunity to shape and strengthen governance within a growing charitable organisation that is committed to making cricket more inclusive, accessible and impactful across Kent and South East London.
Background:
Kent Cricket Foundation is the charitable arm of Kent County Cricket Club, one of 18 FirstClass County Cricket Clubs in England and Wales. Based at The St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury, with a satellite site at The County Ground, Beckenham, the Foundation leads the growth and development of cricket across Kent and the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham.
Our vision is to ensure that cricket thrives in every community by creating opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to participate, develop and succeed. Alongside growing the game, we increasingly use the power of cricket as a vehicle for improving health, wellbeing, education and social inclusion across the communities we serve.
As a relatively young charitable organisation with ambitious plans for the future, we are
seeking a Company Secretary and Governance Manager to establish, embed and continuously enhance best-practice governance arrangements. The role will be instrumental in supporting the Board and Senior Leadership Team to make informed decisions, maintain transparency and accountability, and ensure the Foundation is well-positioned for long-term success and impact.
Equality Statement:
We’re passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Companies that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity and perspective are proven to be better companies. More importantly, creating an environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work, is the right thing to do and we therefore encourage applicants from diverse areas to apply.
Principal Duties & Responsibilities:
1. Governance Leadership & Board Management
• Lead and manage the Foundation’s governance function, ensuring Board and
Committee activities operate in accordance with legal, regulatory and best-practice governance standards.
• Act as the principal governance adviser to the Chair, Vice-Chair, Sub-Committee
Chairs and Managing Director, providing guidance on governance matters, trustee
responsibilities, compliance obligations and continuous improvement.
• Oversee the planning, scheduling and administration of all Board and Committee
meetings.
• Coordinate and quality-assure Board and Committee agendas, papers and decisionmaking processes, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and governance
requirements.
• Attend Board and Committee meetings, producing high-quality minutes, maintaining
accurate records of decisions and actions, and ensuring effective follow-up across the organisation.
• Manage the Board’s annual work plan, governance calendar and forward programme
of business.
• Lead the recruitment, induction and ongoing development of Trustees and Committee Members, supporting Board effectiveness and succession planning.
• Ensure appropriate business continuity and organisational resilience arrangements are maintained, with effective contingency plans for critical operations, systems and
records.
2. Organisational Governance & Compliance Management
• Maintain all statutory, regulatory and governance registers, ensuring records remain accurate, compliant and up to date.
• Ensure compliance with Charity Commission, Companies House, ECB and other relevant governance and regulatory requirements.
• Lead the annual Board effectiveness review process, including the commissioning and management of independent external evaluations where appropriate.
• Maintain and oversee the organisation’s governance framework, ensuring policies are regularly reviewed, updated and effectively implemented.
• Design, coordinate and oversee governance, compliance and risk management training for Trustees, Committee Members and employees.
• Monitor compliance with internal policies, external standards and governance frameworks, reporting key matters to the Managing Director and Board.
• Ensure governance concerns, regulatory matters and organisational risks are appropriately identified, escalated, monitored and addressed.
• Support the Board in fulfilling its legal, fiduciary and strategic responsibilities.
3. County Partnership Agreement (CPA 2.0) – Strategic Coordination
• Lead organisational planning, evidence gathering and reporting for CPA 2.0, ensuring requirements, deadlines and quality standards are consistently achieved.
• Provide strategic oversight of CPA compliance activities, working closely with the Senior Management Team to ensure organisational alignment with ECB expectations.
• Coordinate organisational responses to ECB governance reviews, audits and assurance processes.
• Produce high-quality governance and compliance reports for the Managing Director, Board and ECB.
• Act as the Foundation’s primary governance and compliance liaison with ECB stakeholders and counterparts
4. Risk & Audit Management
• Oversee the development, maintenance and reporting of the organisational risk register.
• Support the Board and relevant Committees in maintaining an effective framework of risk management, internal control and assurance.
• Lead the preparation and coordination of audit documentation and support both internal and external audit processes.
• Advise the Senior Management Team on risk management practices and contribute to embedding a positive risk-aware culture across the organisation.
• Oversee governance-related investigations where required and ensure recommendations, lessons learned and agreed actions are effectively implemented and monitored.
5. Executive Governance Support
• Provide high-level governance support and advice to the Managing Director and Senior Management Team, ensuring governance principles are embedded within organisational planning and decision-making.
• Act as custodian of the Foundation’s governance framework and governance records.
• Maintain accurate and secure records, including governance documentation, decision logs and corporate records.
• Provide guidance and support to senior managers on governance expectations, compliance responsibilities and risk management practices.
• Contribute to strategic projects and organisational development initiatives where governance expertise is required.
Person Specification:
Essential:
• Experience of preparing Board papers, governance reports, minutes and decision records to a high professional standard.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and advise senior stakeholders with confidence and credibility.
• Strong analytical skills, sound judgement and attention to detail.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, projects and deadlines while maintaining high standards of accuracy and professionalism.
• Strong organisational and project management skills.
• Excellent IT skills, including Microsoft 365 and modern document and records management systems.
• Proven ability to handle highly confidential and sensitive information with discretion and integrity.
• Demonstrates personal integrity, professionalism and the ability to build trusted relationships across the organisation.
Desirable:
• Experience working within the charity, sport, education or not-for-profit sectors.
• Experience supporting a Board of Trustees as a Company Secretary, Governance Officer or similar role.
• Knowledge of ECB governance requirements and County Partnership Agreement (CPA 2.0) frameworks.
• Experience leading governance reviews, Board effectiveness assessments or governance improvement programmes.
• Professional qualification in governance, company secretariat, compliance or risk management (e.g. CGI/ICSA, IRM or equivalent).
• Knowledge of governance technologies, digital governance systems and the use of AI-enabled tools to support governance, compliance and organisational effectiveness.
How To Apply:
Please submit your CV by emailing [email protected] with a subject heading of
“Company Secretary and Governance Manager”.
The deadline for applications is 23:59 Sunday 19 August 2026, with interviews to take place week commencing 24 August 2026.
Safeguarding Statement:
The Kent Cricket Foundation is committed to safeguarding and protecting children, young people and adults in cricket and we expect all employees to share this commitment. All posts are subject to a process of vetting with references taken up.
Candidates invited to interview should note we may conduct online searches as part of prerecruitment checks.
In accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendment) Order 2023, you will be required to declare any unspent convictions but do not need to declare any spent convictions. If you have any information to disclose, please provide this under separate, confidential cover, to HR Manager - [email protected].
If you wish to discuss your criminal record, or whether you need to disclose something, please contact Peter Jones, the Safeguarding Manager for Kent – [email protected].
Having a criminal record will not necessarily prevent you from working with us; this will depend on the nature and circumstances of the offence. We undertake to discuss your criminal record with you before any withdrawal of a job offer. Kent Cricket complies with the DBS Code of Practice and a copy is available on request.
Further information can be found here.