Alternatively, Grant Thornton
At Grant Thornton we do things differently - looking to the future, driving ambitious growth and pioneering positive change in our industry. Providing audit, tax and advisory services, we empower clients through strategic insight, curiosity, and genuine partnership. And we empower our people with real opportunity, an inclusive culture and work life balance. A true alternative.
With over 5,000 people in the UK, and a presence in 150 global markets, we're on an ambitious journey, from great to exceptional, and we need the best people to help us achieve our potential. And with that comes the opportunity to help redefine what our industry looks like, and what you want from your career.
Job Description:
A look into the role
In this role you will:
- Work closely with the most senior leaders in our firm- your primary stakeholders will be members of the governance bodies and the Firm’s senior leadership teams
- Provide high - quality support to the Chairs of our governance bodies, with a focus on (but not limited to) the Audit Oversight Board, the Public Interest Committee and, the Risk and Audit Committee, driving the governance agenda in accordance with their respective remits
- Play a key role in enabling compliance with applicable regulatory and constitutional obligations such as the Audit Firm Governance Code, Ethical Standard and other legal agreements
- Be the key conduit between the firm and our Independent non-executive (INEs), providing trusted insight, advice and support enabling them to discharge their duties individually and collectively, and ensuring timely and effective two-way communication with senior leadership. This will include owning the processes as related to the recruitment, appointment and on-boarding of INEs as required.
- Manage the business affairs of the relevant boards and committees across the organisation to ensure that the overall governance framework operates seamlessly, facilitating co-ordination of effort and minimizing duplication
- Provide operational support to governance bodies in respect of their board and committee meetings; scheduling/maintenance of the annual planner, drafting agendas, production of papers (including board and committee Terms of Reference), minutes, resolutions, monitoring and follow-up of actions. This includes attendance at all meetings and producing/distributing communications to partners on behalf of board and committee Chairs
- Collaborate and consult with specialists from across the firm (e.g Legal, Quality & Risk, Ethics, and Communications) to advise governance bodies and their members on their duties and responsibilities given the firm’s structure, constitution and regulatory framework
- Supporting relevant teams in providing information to regulators and contribute to the drafting of key reports such as the Annual Transparency Report
- Lead on the operational aspects of the ongoing effectiveness and continuous improvement of boards and committees e.g. effectiveness reviews and implementation of resultant outputs
Knowing you’re right for us
We’ve set ambitious growth targets for the firm, and we need the right people to help us achieve these. We’re looking for people who will bring ambition and drive to their role. In changing markets, we need to be able to work at pace and be adaptable to change and to be curious, asking questions of ourselves, each other and our clients to ensure we are delivering the services and quality we expect.
Joining us in this role, you’ll need …….
- Experience in a governance-related Legal, Secretariat, or Chief of Staff (or similar) role, ideally within a professional services or regulated environment.
- Experience of managing, influencing, and building relationships with senior stakeholders.
Strong business/ report writing skills (including minute- taking) with experience of producing high quality written communication for a senior audience.
- Well-developed organisational skills with a strong track record of managing your own workload with minimal supervision, and willingness to work across a broad range of self-directed tasks (of varying complexity) simultaneously.
- Experience of coordinating, leveraging, and consulting with internal experts/ colleagues in the firm to get to the right result.
- Experience of dealing with/handling confidential information discreetly and sensitively.
- Experience of obtaining and assimilating complex/ unfamiliar information from a variety of sources e.g. legal documents, regulatory guidance
- Experience of developing, owning, and driving action plans in collaboration with senior leaders, challenging them where needed.
- Good project management skills that include experience of managing/ co-ordinating multiple workstreams and forward planning over a 12-month time frame.
- Experience of facilitating recruitment and on-boarding/ induction processes
It would also be great if you had….
- Familiarity with the compliance and regulatory obligations of professional services firms e.g., Audit Firm Governance Code, UK Corporate Governance Code, Ethics/ Independence, FCA conduct rules.
Knowing we’re right for you
The culture at Grant Thornton is what sets us apart, we’re known for our inclusive culture and creating environments where all our people can flourish. The things that set you apart, we value them, and this helps us all to perform at our best.
Our values are the unwavering principles that shape our daily behaviours and decisions, alongside our drive to do the right thing. We’re looking for people who align with our values and are purposefully driven, actively curious and candid but kind. You can learn more about our values in practice here.
It’s not just about our culture and values, in addition to a competitive salary and reward package, us you’ll also get:
- Tailored development programmes and access to coaching
- Flexible bank holidays – allowing you to celebrate the days that are important to you
- Benefits including pension, life assurance and private medical, additional holiday purchasing and health benefits
- Any benefits giving you access to shopping discounts, gym memberships, financial advice
And more. Visit our benefits section to read more.
How we work
We have a trust-based way of working, driven by responsible people who have the best interests of our firm and our clients at heart. Our how we work framework gives flexibility in where, how, and when we work to deliver the best results for our clients, whilst helping you keep a balance between work and life. Life is more than work, the things you do, and the people you’re with outside of work matter, that’s why we’re happy to look at flexible working options for all our roles. That is how it should be.
We’re looking for people who can help drive the business forward, who want to contribute, spark fresh ideas and go beyond expectations. People who want to be able to proudly do what’s right, for the firm, our clients, our people and themselves. It’s how it should be.
