Associate Director of Governance in London

We are looking for an Associate Director of Governance to join us on a full-time, permanent basis. You will provide strategic leadership for our governance, compliance, audit and risk functions, ensuring robust decision-making, regulatory compliance and best practice governance across the organisation.

Working closely with Trustees, Governance Boards and senior leaders, you will oversee our constitutional processes, governance frameworks and annual business cycle, while leading the management of corporate risk, internal audit, business continuity and regulatory compliance. As a senior leader, you will shape governance strategy, lead the Governance, Risk & Compliance function and ensure alignment between risk management, audit, business planning and organisational priorities. You will provide expert advice to senior stakeholders, support effective governance at all levels and drive a culture of transparency, accountability and continuous improvement.

Additionally, you will:

• Lead, develop and support the Governance, Risk & Compliance team
• Manage the full internal audit programme and implementation of recommendations
• Oversee insurance renewals, claims management and risk insurance contracts
• Support the development of a new people and culture board
• Act as the Data Protection Officer and lead GDPR compliance activities
• Deliver governance, risk and compliance training and support across the Institution
• Prepare and manage Governance, Risk & Compliance budgets and forecasts

To be considered as our Associate Director of Governance, you will need:

• Proven experience of working in a governance or legal environment at a senior level
• Experience managing and developing a team, including senior professionals
• Experience managing projects across a number of teams, working collaboratively to deliver output to plan
• In-depth experience of professional body regulation, governance, and constitutional matters
• Good working knowledge and application of GDPR regulations and compliance requirements
• Strong communication skills and the ability to engage with a variety of stakeholders
• Excellent influencing and negotiation skills with key supplier contracts
• To be Corporate Governance Institute part or fully qualified, to hold a governance professional qualification or possess equivalent experience

This is an exceptional opportunity for a senior governance professional with deep experience in professional body regulation and constitutional matters to join our globally respected organisation. So, if you are ready to bring your expertise to a role with significant influence and visibility, we would welcome your application.

The closing date for this role is 30th June 2026. Please note, we may close this advert early should we receive sufficient applications.

Other organisations may call this role Head of Governance, Director of Governance, Governance and Compliance Director, Governance and Risk Director, Head of Governance and Compliance, Corporate Governance Director, or Head of Risk and Compliance.

This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency. Webrecruit and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

With over 110,000 members in 140 countries, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) has been at the heart of the mechanical engineering profession since 1847. We strive to improve the world through engineering by developing engineers, promoting engineering, informing opinion and encouraging innovation. We are proud to have achieved workplace accreditations - Invest in People Gold and Invest in Wellbeing Silver. These awards reflect our organisations commitment to our employees, who are a vital part of supporting the engineering community.