Assistant Director of Corporate Governance

Poplar HARCA (Housing and Regeneration Community Association) is an award-winning housing association in East London, established in 1998 to drive forward ambitious regeneration and community development. Focused on achieving real social change, Poplar HARCA manages around 9,000 homes while also creating opportunities for employment, education, health, arts, and enterprise across the Poplar area. Through partnerships with residents, local organisations, and strategic partners, Poplar HARCA strives to create thriving, sustainable communities where people are proud to live and work.

This is a senior leadership position at the heart of Poplar HARCA’s governance and compliance structure. Reporting directly to the Director of Finance, the Assistant Director of Corporate Governance will lead a proactive and effective governance service across the organisation, acting as Company Secretary for the Group and its subsidiaries.

The successful candidate will be responsible for advising the Board, Chief Executive and Corporate Management Team on all constitutional and governance matters. They will also provide assurance to the Board that Poplar HARCA has a robust system of internal controls and complies fully with statutory and regulatory requirements.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead and oversee Poplar HARCA’s governance structures, reviewing governing instruments, board membership, and protocols.
• Ensure all activities of the Group comply with constitutional, statutory, and regulatory obligations.
• Manage the organisation and delivery of General Meetings, AGMs, Board and Committee meetings, and Board Strategy Days.
• Provide formal company secretarial services including statutory returns, regulatory filings, and maintaining compliance with the Regulator of Social Housing and Financial Conduct Authority requirements.
• Develop and implement Board and Committee member recruitment, induction, appraisal, and training programmes.
• Maintain strong links between Board and staff, providing advice and support to Board and Committee members.
• Coordinate internal audits, oversee the internal audit tender process, and manage the delivery of the internal audit plan.
• Lead the review and management of the organisation’s risk register and mitigation strategies, reporting regularly to the Audit & Risk Committee and the Group Board.
• Ensure compliance with intra-group protocols, service level agreements, company constitutions, and regulatory codes.
• Act as the organisational lead for risk management, internal controls assurance, and the Asset and Liability Register.
• Coordinate regulatory compliance activities and lead Poplar HARCA’s In-Depth Assessment process.
• Actively promote Poplar HARCA’s values, championing inclusion, collective leadership, social justice, and partnership working internally and externally.

Poplar HARCA are looking to appoint a senior leader with the following attributes:

• Chartered Governance Professional (Graduate, Affiliate, or Fellow) or qualified solicitor.
• Excellent negotiation, influencing, and communication skills.
• Objective decision-making ability, particularly when handling complex data.
• Experience in corporate governance within housing associations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead governance services in a regulated sector.
• Experience as a Company Secretary at a senior managerial level.
• Knowledge and understanding of internal audit management.
• Strategic change management experience.
• Strong personal commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• Ability to build and sustain effective relationships with senior stakeholders internally and externally.
• Commitment to partnership working and collective leadership.

If you are interested in hearing more about this opportunity, please get in touch with one of our consultants at Neemar Search.