Board Secretary - Volunteer in Manchester

About the role

Conviction is seeking an experienced, organised Secretary to help formalise our governance, build strong processes, support accountability to our members and service users, and guide us as we grow from an informal movement into a structured, impactful charity‑minded organisation.

What difference will you make? This role will have a direct and lasting impact on Conviction’s ability to grow, improve our services, and reach more people affected by the criminal justice system.

As a volunteer‑led organisation with no formal funding for several years, our board has understandably focused on day‑to‑day support work rather than structured governance. Strengthening our processes is essential if we want to meet the standards expected by funders, partners, safeguarding frameworks, and the communities we support.

By taking responsibility for governance, compliance, and documentation, the Secretary will free the rest of the board to focus on strategy, service development, and fundraising. This will help us operate more confidently and professionally, ensuring that decisions are recorded, actions are followed through, risks are managed, and our constitution and policies are applied consistently.

Your impact

• Become more accountable to our service users, volunteers, and members.
• Build a governance model that funders trust and value.
• Demonstrate transparency in how we operate and make decisions.
• Ensure our processes are compliant, accessible, and inclusive.
• Maintain good records, enabling us to show impact and track progress.
• Support a culture of responsibility and shared leadership.

What we’re looking for

We are looking for someone with strong experience of the Secretary role in a board or committee environment – ideally within a charity, voluntary organisation, or community group, though we will consider applicants from other sectors with equivalent experience.

Ideal candidate skills

• Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
• Experience setting up or improving governance processes.
• Strong understanding of good practice for boards and constituted associations.
• Confidence drafting minutes, policies, agendas, and formal documents.
• The ability to maintain accurate records and follow up actions.
• A proactive, detail‑oriented approach.
• The confidence to advise the board on compliance and procedure.
• Commitment to accountability, transparency, and good governance.
• The ability to work collaboratively and respectfully with volunteers.

Preferred but not essential experience

• Governance in small volunteer‑run organisations.
• Supporting organisations transitioning from informal to formal structures.
• Quality assurance, compliance, or audit roles.
• Lived experience of the criminal justice system or supporting people within it.
• Neurodiversity awareness, accessibility, or trauma‑informed practice.

What you will be doing

Conviction is a volunteer‑led movement supporting people navigating the criminal justice system, with a strong focus on lived experience, human rights, and accessibility. Since 2017, we have operated informally with a small, committed board. Until now our governance has been purposely light, as we’ve had little or no funding and most of our energy has gone into direct support work.

We are now entering a new phase. Demand for our services has grown significantly, and we are developing a clear strategy to diversify and increase our income so we can expand our support, improve our digital tools, and reach more people who urgently need us. To do this responsibly, we need to strengthen our governance and formalise some of the roles that have been handled informally up to now.

We are recruiting a new Board Secretary who will play a crucial role in shaping our future. This is a newly created position and an opportunity for someone to design and embed excellent governance practice from the ground up. As Secretary, you will help us become a more organised, accountable, and transparent association while preserving the grassroots, lived‑experience ethos that makes Conviction special.

You will work closely with our Chair and existing board members to

• Establish and maintain clear governance processes.
• Ensure our constitution, policies, and procedures are up‑to‑date and followed.
• Support meetings (scheduling, minuting, record‑keeping, follow‑up actions).
• Maintain our membership records and ensure compliance as a constituted association.
• Oversee document management and ensure decisions are recorded and traceable.
• Help embed good practice in risk management, accountability and reporting.
• Support us in meeting the expectations of funders, partners, and service users.

You will also help us transition from a very small, informal structure into a resilient, sustainable organisation. There is real scope to shape, define, and solidify the Secretary role as we grow. For the right person, this is an exciting opportunity to have significant influence and help build a strong foundation for Conviction’s next chapter.

This is a hands‑on role suited to someone who enjoys creating clarity, structure, and process – someone who can take a small grassroots organisation and help put strong governance in place without losing the heart of who we are.