Clerk to Trustees/ Governance Professional in Market Rasen

Salary: £25,583 - £27,694 FTE (£2598.26 - £2812.04pa ACTUAL)

Payscale: NJC 5 - 10

Hours: 170 hours per year - 14 Meetings a year (Each meeting will require approximately 10 hours total – 2 hours in preparation, 3 hours in attendance and 5 hours in creating and circulating the resulting minutes and associated action and administration. Evening availability is required for the meetings; however flexible home working is available for all other hours work.) Additional hours may also be required to clerk for ad hoc committees.

Contract type: Permanent

Start date: 01.09.26

Reporting to: Chair of Trustees

Main purpose

To provide a professional, efficient and comprehensive clerking service to the Board of Trustees within a Single Academy Trust, ensuring full compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, including the Academy Trust Handbook and relevant education legislation. The postholder will support Trustees, Members and Senior Leadership in delivering effective governance, enabling robust strategic oversight and informed decision‑making. Working closely with Board of Trustees that hold significant strategic responsibility, the Clerk will ensure the smooth running of all governance processes, including the accurate preparation of agendas, minutes and documentation, and the maintenance of statutory records. The role requires a high level of attention to detail, strong organisational skills and the ability to provide proactive governance advice. The Clerk will demonstrate absolute commitment to confidentiality, integrity and impartiality, supporting the Trust in upholding the highest standards of accountability and transparency in line with expectations for academy governance.

Duties and responsibilities

• Knowledge and understanding
• Know the features of effective governance, and the board’s governance structure and core functions
• Understand their role as set out in the trust’s articles of association
• Understand key national education policies and the local education context in which the board is operating
• Know the board’s duties under legislation and statutory guidance
• Understand the importance of the board adhering to and promoting the School’s internal procedures
• Understand the School’s governance structure, including legal structure and constitution
• Understand the principles of records management and have working knowledge of the Data Protection Act and the Freedom of Information Act
• Understand the board’s accountability to and relationship with other bodies
• Know the board’s code of conduct and strategic priorities
• Understand the School’s culture, values and ethos
• Know which information about student performance and financial management will be used by the board to hold leaders to account
• Know the requirements of charity and company law
• Know the trust’s funding agreement(s) and articles of association
• Administration
• Check that meetings are quorate, and if not, provide appropriate advice on how to proceed
• Establish and maintain efficient procedures for meetings, sharing documents in a timely manner
• Promote the use of project management tools (including risk registers) to support the chair
• Make sure that board papers are clear and accurate, and that minutes capture discussion points and actions
• Challenge the board if meetings are not conducted in a proper or orderly manner
• Support the chair in identifying priorities and upcoming issues when planning meetings
• Evaluate administrative procedures to ensure effectiveness, and adapting these where necessary
• Prepare thoroughly for meetings and ensure that outstanding action points are acted on
• Maintain or help maintain accurate registers (e.g. register of interests)
• Establish and administer procedures for filling vacancies on the board
• Keep a record of Trustees’ attendance
• Understand the principles of confidentiality and apply this to their own work and that of the board
• Have an eye for detail and excellent proofreading skills
• Use technology effectively to streamline the board’s processes
• Communicate information clearly, logically and impartially by using a range of presentation methods as appropriate
• Have a systematic approach to managing documentation and other records that meets legal requirements for records management
• Have excellent time management skills
• Remain calm and maintain a high standard of work under pressure
• Advice and guidance
• Provide appropriate information for the board and check the credibility of sources
• Update the board on changes to legal or statutory requirements
• Access third‑party guidance on behalf of the board where necessary
• Inform the board about training and development opportunities
• Provide clear, logical and impartial advice to the board
• Clearly explain difficult concepts, including information on the board’s legal duties
• Understand the principles of conflicts of interest, and be able to advise the board on managing and avoiding these
• Understand how and when to escalade concerns where there is non‑compliance or suspected misconduct
• Speak out where the board is overstepping its strategic role or is not following the code of conduct
• People and relationships
• Build effective professional relationships with the board, external contacts and others
• Use appropriate influencing skills to gain the board’s confidence
• Establish effective channels of communication with the board, the wider school and any external contacts and partners
• Contribute to discussions about the design of governance committees and structures
• Advise the board when Trustees’ terms of office end, and assess the effect this will have on the board’s skills mix
• Establish and facilitate transparent procedures to fill vacancies
• Help the board to create a culture in which challenge is welcomed
• Support the board when carrying out self‑evaluation exercises
• Remain committed to improving own performance and that of others involved in governance, taking advantage of opportunities to attend training and development
• Qualifications
• The ideal candidate will possess a high level of expertise in board governance, strong analytical and communication skills, and a proven ability to work independently and confidentially within a complex organisational environment.