Senior Assistant Company Secretary

London, England, United Kingdom

12/5/2024

St. James's Place (SJP) works in partnership to plan, grow and protect our clients’ financial futures. We deliver personalised, face-to-face financial advice to our clients, who trust us to manage their money to reach their goals. We provide this service via the Partnership, a network of qualified, expert advisors. We put financial wellbeing and responsible business choices at the heart of everything we do. We believe in the value of difference and know that diverse teams can help us problem solve and innovate for clients.

We look for people to join SJP to make an impact and to contribute to our culture which is based around long term relationships, doing the right thing, and being the best version of ourselves.

Location: London - Paddington

Workplace Type: Hybrid

Employment Type: Permanent

Seniority: Mid-Senior Level

This key individual will provide strategic governance advice and support to directors and management within the SJP Group of Companies, leading the support of key boards and committees. This role requires previous experience of providing board and committee support and minute writing and is a high profile role which oversees SJP’s compliance with relevant governance, regulatory and legal requirements.

What you’ll be doing:

Board/Committee Meeting Support

• Provide full company secretarial and governance support for key boards and committees including minuting meetings and advising Chairs on best practice governance.
  
  

Governance Support and Guidance

• Act as an SME and provide support and advice to the business in a Company Secretarial capacity.
• Oversee the company secretarial and governance support provided to the Group’s tier 3 subsidiaries.
• Lead on the training and induction of new directors/NEDs.
  
  

Regulatory/Company Law Compliance

• Identify new/proposed rules and guidelines in relation to governance and relevant regulatory requirements, assessing the impact of these and communicating them to the relevant audiences.
• Assist with compliance with applicable legislation, regulations and governance guidelines including MAR and the UKLA’s Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules and Listing Rules.
  
  

Team

Drive the development of more junior members of the team.

Responsible for overseeing the identification and cataloguing of controls relating to the Company Secretariat’s responsibilities and working with the team to create a comprehensive service catalogue and effective processes to underpin the services delivered.

Shareholder/Investor Relations and Support

• Take a lead role in the arrangements for the AGM of St. James's Place plc.
• Take a lead role in the preparation of governance related content for the Consolidated Group Annual Report and Accounts and the Annual Report and Accounts of the Group's subsidiary companies.
  
  

Corporate Administration

• Oversee the maintenance of the statutory books of all Group companies.
  
  

Who we’re looking for:

• Qualified Chartered Secretary and/or commensurate legal qualification/experience with at least five years’ PQE.
• Experience of working within the secretariat of a Financial Services or other listed PLC organisation.
• Extensive knowledge of UK corporate law, listing regime, FCA/PRA governance requirements and corporate governance codes and basic understanding of wider international regimes.
• Experience of providing support to boards and board committees of material subsidiaries in a financial services/listed plc organisation, preferably within a large group.
• Good understanding of SJP and its operating infrastructure and the key responsibilities of the governance bodies across the Group.
• Strong problem-solving skills with a collaborative and proactive approach.
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills, able to engage and communicate confidently with people at all levels.
• Resilient and tenacious, able to act with high levels of discretion and diplomacy.
  
  

Special Requirements:

Some travel will be required in this role and occasional work outside of traditional working hours, including overnight stays.

What's in it for you?

• Private Medical paid for by Company.
• Meaningful protection benefits with real value, such as 10X life cover, PHI, and critical illness.*
• Non-Contributory Pension – 10% (increasing with length of service up to 15%) with further pension matching.
• Parental leave – 6 months full pay
• 28 days holiday entitlement plus bank holidays (based on full-time equivalent) with the option to buy up to an additional 5 days holiday
• Not applicable to Fixed-Term Contracts (standard uplift applies in lieu of the protection benefits)
  
  

Flexible Working We know that everyone works best in different ways, at different times and in different environments. We have introduced a hybrid working policy to provide greater flexibility for part-time work, job-sharing, remote working, and flexibility on hours. Our people are encouraged to work in a flexible way that suits their lifestyle, so please ask the question and start a conversation!

Research tells us that applicants (especially those from underrepresented groups) can be put off from applying for a role if they do not meet all the criteria or have been on an extended career-break. If you think you would be a good match for this role and can demonstrate some transferable experience please apply, regardless of whether you tick every box.

Reasonable Adjustments

We're an equal opportunities employer and want to ensure our recruitment process is accessible and inclusive for all, if you require reasonable adjustment(s) at any stage please let us know by emailing us at careers@sjp.co.uk

What's next?

Our team will be in touch. As a business regulated by the FCA we would advise you to familiarise yourself with the conduct regulations and in particular consumer duty obligations prior to an interview with SJP.