Corporate Governance Officer in London

About DFT Operator

Join Our Team at DFTO

DFTO is the government’s public sector rail owning group. Its purpose is to bring all currently privately-owned train operators into public ownership in advance of the creation of Great British Railways in 2027 - and deliver improvements in the here and now by unifying and integrating train operations under common public ownership.

DFTO has over 30,000 employees, runs over 11,000 services a day and delivers over 930 million customer journeys across its networks every year. 7,000 people joined the railway family in the last year

Major improvements are being delivered by DFTO train operators (TOCs) that are already under public ownership - these are LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express (TPE), Southeastern, South Western Railway (SWR), c2c, Greater Anglia, WM Trains, GTR. and Chiltern.

We work closely with the DfT but operate independently with our own governance and leadership teams. Our priority is ensuring efficient, dependable rail services for everyone.

Primary Purpose of Job:

Support the effective operation of DFTO’s governance meetings and related decision-making processes. The role provides high-quality secretariat, administrative and governance support across a range of formal committees, forums and working groups, so meetings are well planned, papers are issued on time, actions are tracked, records are maintained and follow-up activity is progressed. Working closely with senior leaders, meeting chairs and colleagues across the business, the postholder will support the management of governance arrangements so they are are clear, consistent and compliant with relevant internal requirements, while supporting the continuous improvement of governance processes and standards.

Key Responsibilities:

• Governance meeting management: Schedule, organise and support DFTO governance meetings, committees, forums and working groups, including preparing agendas, coordinating attendance, issuing meeting packs and ensuring papers are submitted in line with agreed deadlines.
• Secretariat support and meeting records: Attend relevant meetings as required, prepare accurate minutes or meeting notes, record decisions and actions clearly, and maintain an organised record of proceedings, approvals and follow-up activity.
• Action tracking and follow-up: Maintain action logs for allocated governance meetings, liaise with action owners to support timely completion, escalate overdue or unclear actions where appropriate, and ensure progress is reflected in subsequent meetings.
• Governance compliance and consistency: Support the application of agreed governance processes, templates, terms of reference and reporting standards, helping ensure meetings operate consistently and in line with DFTO’s governance expectations
• Papers and decision support: Work with presenters, meeting owners and senior colleagues to support the timely preparation, quality checking and circulation of meeting papers, ensuring that items are clearly framed for decision, discussion or information as appropriate.
• Communication and liaison: Act as a point of contact for allocated governance meetings, liaising with chairs, attendees, paper authors, senior leaders and relevant stakeholders to support effective planning, information flow and follow-up.
• Record keeping and document management: Maintain an effective record-keeping system, storing governance documents, minutes, decision records, action logs, papers and correspondence securely, consistently and accessibly, in accordance with internal requirements.
• Continuous improvement: Contribute to the development and improvement of governance processes, meeting calendars, templates, trackers and guidance, helping create a clear and reliable governance environment across DFTO.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Technical Qualifications:

Essential:

• Experience of providing secretariat, governance, administrative or business support in a corporate, public sector, regulated or complex organisational environment.
• Strong understanding of effective meeting management, including agenda planning, paper coordination, minute taking, decision recording and action tracking.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing deadlines, coordinate multiple governance meetings, maintain accurate records and support several meetings or workstreams at the same time.
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to draft clear minutes, actions, decision records and professional correspondence.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion, accuracy and sound judgement.
• Confident interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with senior colleagues, meeting chairs, paper authors and stakeholders across the business.
• Competent user of Microsoft Office and document management tools, with the ability to maintain structured records, trackers and meeting materials.
• High level of integrity, discretion and professionalism when handling confidential papers, discussions and decisions.
• Excellent attention to detail, particularly in preparing agendas, compiling meeting packs, drafting minutes and tracking actions.
• Proactive and solution-focused approach to improving governance processes, meeting discipline and the flow of information through decision-making forums

Desirable:

• Knowledge of corporate governance practice, company administration, public sector governance or regulated industry governance arrangements.
• Experience of using governance tools, board or committee management systems, action tracking systems or SharePoint-based document libraries.

Vacancy Details:

Duration: Fixed Term up to 31st October 2027 contract/secondment or Permanent
Location: We currently have officesin London Waterloo, Leeds, Birmingham
Salary Banding : £36,390 to £40,000
Closing date: 25th November2026

DFTO Locations:

DFTO currently have office locations in London, Birmingham and Leeds and individuals can be based from any of the three locations. Whilst we do offer hybrid working there are sometimes demands to travel to the other office locations.

DFTO Benefits:

Annual Leave: Starting at 25 days and rising to an additional day per year of service completed within the first 5 completed years up to a maximum of 5 additional (30 days)

DC Pension Scheme: 10% Employer contribution, 5% Employee contribution

Opportunities to learn and network across the wider industry

Additional Information…

Disclaimer: Candidates applying for this position on a secondment basis must inform their line manager prior to submitting their application. This is to ensure transparency and facilitate any necessary discussions regarding workload and responsibilities.

About our people and the recruitment process - We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone! We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly, as we know traditional working patterns don't always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly, just let us know and we'll do our best to help and invest in your career with us, whilst you have a healthy work life balance.

Contact: If you have any questions or reasonable adjustments, please contact Dean.palmer@dftoperator.co.uk .

Please do not email any CV's to us, your application must be made by clicking the 'Apply' button.