Governance Lead: Appointments and Elections

The Law Society

About the Organisation

Law Society represents solicitors in England and Wales. From negotiating with and lobbying the profession's regulators, government, and others, to offering training and advice, we're here to help, protect, and promote solicitors across England and Wales. An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit for a role at the heart of the Law Society's campaigning and political influencing activity.

The Law Society is the independent professional body for over 200,000 solicitors in England and Wales. A year into the new government, there is a significant opportunity to influence the political debate, drive important issues such as access to justice, the rule of law, and a thriving legal business sector up the agenda, and influence policy on behalf of our members.

About the role

The Governance and Elections Lead will ensure the efficient and effective planning, coordination, and delivery of the Law Society's elections; internal and external appointments, succession planning and onboarding/induction processes for members of its governance bodies, including the Council, Board, Council Committees, Board Committees, and Member Advisory Committees.

The role will provide specialist coordination of these processes from initial planning through to appointment/election and completion of onboarding/induction, working closely with the Governance Team Leaders and Governance Officers to ensure effective delivery.

The role operates across several high-profile and time-critical governance cycles, with elections, appointments and onboarding activity requiring careful planning, coordination and delivery against fixed deadlines. The postholder will require advanced project management skills to manage competing priorities and fluctuating workloads across multiple parallel workstreams.

The Governance and Elections Lead will be responsible for planning, coordinating, and delivering elections, appointments, onboarding, and induction activity, as well as continuous improvement projects within these areas. The role relies heavily on collaborative working both within the Governance team and with colleagues across the Law Society.

Responsibilities

Core Duties:

• Support colleagues across the business to engage with governance groups and processes. 
• Promote and maintain good governance practice, particularly in relation to elections, appointments, onboarding and induction processes across the organisation.
• Regular interaction and coordination with internal and external stakeholders, including the chairs of the Law Society’s governance bodies, Law Society members, and other persons participating in appointment, election and onboarding processes. After onboarding is complete, responsibility for ongoing governance support will normally transfer to the relevant Governance Officer. 
• Project management responsibility for delivery and continuous improvement of elections, appointments, onboarding and induction processes, and succession planning.
• Lead adviser to the Governance team and the wider organisation on constitutional aspects of elections and appointments to the Society’s governance bodies, including relevant bye-laws and internal regulations.
• Lead the planning, coordination and delivery of elections and internal and external appointment processes relating to the Law Society’s governance bodies.
• Oversee the processes for electing or appointing persons who represent the Law Society in external organisations, including liaison and communication; adherence to agreed election/appointment protocols; ensuring effective succession planning; and maintaining an up-to-date register of external appointments.  
• Develop, coordinate and administer efficient and professional processes for the recruitment, election and appointment of members of the Society’s Council, Board, Council Committees, Board Committees and other governance bodies. 
• Coordinate onboarding and induction following appointment or election, including induction events and completion of initial governance requirements.
• Coordinate completion of initial and continuous declarations and disclosure requirements as part of the onboarding process, including conflicts of interest and other required governance documentation.
• Maintain appropriate and up-to-date governance registers relating to conflicts of interest and other declarations made by members of internal governance bodies. 
• Maintain forward plans for upcoming vacancies, elections and appointment processes across the Society’s internal governance bodies, including the Council, Board and committees
• Contribute to succession planning and strategies in collaboration with the Head of Governance, Governance Team Leaders and relevant Governance Officers.
• Lead the planning and coordination of the Society’s Annual General Meeting in compliance with relevant bye-laws, working collaboratively with the Head of Governance, Governance Team Leaders, Governance Officers and other colleagues to ensure its effective delivery.
• Maintain accurate and accessible records relating to elections, appointments, onboarding and induction processes.
• Identify and implement process and technology improvements relating to elections, appointments, onboarding and induction, working collaboratively with Governance Team Leaders and Governance Officers where implementation requires interaction with and support from wider governance processes. 
• Maintain good and collaborative working relationships with other teams, including the Executive Support team, Finance, Legal, Risk & Assurance and other relevant stakeholders to support the effective delivery of the role’s responsibilities.
• Collaborate with relevant communications teams to ensure information relating to elections, appointments, onboarding, induction and other relevant governance activity is accurate and kept up to date on the Law Society intranet and website. 
• Ensure records, membership and distribution information arising from elections, appointments and onboarding processes are accurate and up to date, with relevant information shared with Governance Officers following completion of onboarding. Participate in or lead team initiatives as requested from time to time. 
• Respond to queries from members and staff. 
• Provide cover for Governance colleagues in the event of sickness or other absence.

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Knowledge, Skills & Attributes:

• Significant experience of working as a governance professional.
• Experience of leading and delivering governance processes, projects or programmes, ideally including elections, appointments and onboarding/induction.
• Demonstrable experience of planning and delivering complex, time-critical projects, processes or events involving multiple stakeholders.
• Demonstrable experience of managing relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders, including senior stakeholders.
• Experience of reviewing and improving governance processes, with the ability to identify and implement practical improvements to systems and ways of working.
• Accurate and succinct drafting of papers and reports in a governance environment.
• Advanced IT literacy and skills, including MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to both explain and understand information and advice.
• Ability to work well in a rapidly changing and pressured environment, completing a range of tasks accurately and effectively.
• Ability to resolve competing priorities, deadlines and fluctuating workloads proactively and efficiently.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to build effective relationships and maintain confidence with senior staff and members of governance bodies and structures.
• Excellent organisational skills, including a high level of attention to detail.
• Proficient in tailoring communications according to the audience.
• A proactive approach to supporting commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at work and a respectful, welcoming and supportive working culture.
• Familiarity with the administration of record and document management systems, databases and finance processing systems.
• An understanding of work in a professional services or membership organisation.

Compensation & Benefits

• 3% flex fund after 3 months, plus comprehensive benefits
• Generous flexible benefits package
• A friendly working environment and the opportunity to develop your career within a professional organisation.

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the London office and remotely

How to apply

• Apply on our website
• Please note: if you are an internal applicant, the Pay Policy will apply.

Policies

This is an excellent opportunity to work with contemporary thinkers in a progressive membership organisation. The successful candidate will join a strong brand with a reputation for excellence and legal expertise, committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, and a culture of trust, clarity, excellence and respect.

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