Governance Officer

The Opportunity

PART ONE

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Governance Officer is a newly created role to support the Legal Counsel and Bursar.  The successful applicant will be able to manage day to day data protection and risk management issues and act as a key adviser to the Legal Counsel and Bursar.  This role will offer the opportunity to review and strengthen established processes to support the continued growth of the College, following both its recent merger with The Pilgrims’ School and as it expands from 750 to 900 pupils.

PART TWO

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Data Protection

• to act as the School’s day-day-to day lead and primary contact on data protection matters, ensuring compliance with UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act.
• to provide initial advice on data protection obligations, including the development, monitoring and review of policies, procedures, and practices related to the processing of personal data, with an initial focus on integrating the Pilgrims’ School.
• to oversee and support the completion of Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) to identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with new or significantly changed data processing activities.
• to manage and report data breaches in accordance with legal requirements, including timely notification to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and communication with affected individuals where appropriate.
• to manage and oversee, in collaboration with the relevant departments within the School, the timely production of Subject Access Requests (SARs).
• to promote and maintain high standards of data quality, integrity, and security across all School systems and platforms, working with the IT department to ensure appropriate technical and organisational measures are in place.
• Organise and manage the School’s GDPR Committee, including arranging twice-yearly meetings, setting the agenda in collaboration with the Legal Counsel, taking minutes and following up actions.
• to deliver training and guidance to staff on data protection legislation, responsibilities, and best practice, fostering a culture of data protection awareness and accountability throughout the School.
• to prepare termly reports for the Audit and Risk Committee on data protection, including any trends, themes, and actions to support learning and improvement.

Risk Management

• To maintain and administer the Risk Management process/system for the School and its subsidiaries ensuring the timely and accurate reporting of risk to Committees and Governing Body.
• To support the Bursar in selecting and then implementing a risk management software solution for the School and act as senior administrator for the system thereafter.
• To monitor the delivery of actions designed to mitigate risks to the School, escalating issues and concerns as required.

Policy Coordination

• To establish and maintain a central online repository for College and The Pilgrims’ School policies, ensuring documents are current, accessible and subject to appropriate version control.
• To manage and monitor agreed policy review schedules, liaising with policy owners to ensure policies are reviewed, updated and approved in a timely manner, and escalating any delays or concerns to the Legal Counsel and/or Bursar as necessary.

Complaint Management

• Oversee the internal complaints process for formal complaints in line with the School’s policy and regulatory obligations (including ISI requirements).
• to ensure all formal complaints are logged, investigated, tracked, and resolved within required timescales, including compiling bundles and maintaining case files.

Legal and Company Secretarial Responsibilities

• Support the Legal Counsel in providing basic legal research and advice on general legal matters.
• Provide company secretarial support for the School’s trading subsidiaries, including preparing papers for board meetings, taking minutes and filing returns with Companies House.
• Take minutes for other formal meetings, such as disciplinary, grievance and investigatory meetings.
• Take minutes for Governing Body Committee meetings and related governance meetings when the Legal Counsel is unavailable.

PART THREE

PERSON SPECIFICATION AND KEY QUALITIES

Essential Qualitifcations and Experience

• Educated to degree level, or equivalent.
• Experience interpreting and applying legal and regulatory frameworks (ideally in education or charity contexts).
• Ability to manage sensitive and complex issues with discretion and fairness.
• Knowledge and experience of data protection law and information governance best practice.
• Experience in managing complaints, disputes, or casework in a compliance or governance setting.
• Ability to inform and influence senior stakeholders.
• Excellent written English, strong analytical and communication skills.

Desirable Qualifications and Experience

• Data protection certifications (e.g., IAPP, CIPP/E).
• Experience of risk management processes and systems.
• Legal or paralegal qualifications and/or experience.
• Experience in the independent school, charity, or not-for-profit sector.
• Experience of policy management, review cycles and document control processes.

Personal Attributes

• Well-organised, with meticulous attention to detail.
• Strategic thinker with a hands-on, practical and realistic approach to problem-solving with the ability to balance legal/compliance rigour with the practicalities, values and ethos of School life.
• Excellent communication skills and written English, with the ability to remain impartial and fair under pressure.
• Collaborative, professional approach that builds trust and confidence with academic and operational colleagues.
• Integrity, discretion, and commitment to the College’s values and educational mission.

PART FOUR

BENEFITS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND APPLICATION

Start Date

Flexible start date for the right candidate with preference for commencement as soon as possible.

Hours of Work

This is a full-time role, 37.5 hours per week, although part-time working would be considered for the right candidate, and such other hours as are reasonably necessary to meet the needs of the College and the demands of the role.

Salary

Competitive salary between £30,000 and £35,000 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. Salary is paid monthly, in arrears, to a nominated back account in 12 equal payments.

Induction and Continuous Training and Development

The school is fully committed to the induction, training and development of all our staff, with staff supported to grow and reach their full potential.

We deliver a range of training, run by both our own staff and external providers, varying from highly practical First Aid courses to seminars and learning lunches on many aspects of teaching and learning.

Pension and Life Cover

On employment, employees will be auto-enrolled into the College’s pension scheme according to legislative thresholds. Those who are not eligible for auto-enrolment may still elect to join the College’s pension scheme.

Initially, when joining the College’s pension scheme, employees will become a member of the College’s Group Personal Pension Plan (GPP). For this Plan, known as Tier 1, the employee contributes 4% and the employer 3%.

After 9 month’s membership of the Tier 1 plan, employees may opt to join Tier 2, which is also a GPP, where the employee contributes 5% and the employer 9%.

Employees in Tier 1 automatically qualify for a Life Cover of 2 times salary. On entry to Tier 2, Life Cover changes to 4 times salary.

Annual Leave

The College leave year runs from 1 September to 31 August. This position will be entitled to 28 days holiday annually, which includes the usual Public Bank Holidays. Any Public Bank Holiday occurring during term time is deemed to be a normal working day. All leave must be taken by prior arrangement  and must be taken outside of the school’s term times. 

Subject to the discretion of the school’s Bursar, a gift may also be given of extra time off during the Christmas period.

Wider Benefits

• Free staff lunches during term time.
• Free use of some sports facilities and discounted hire charges for others
• Tour of the College, with discounted rates available for booking venues within the school’s grounds for hospitality events.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Free access to an ongoing cycle of cultural, musical, theatrical and sporting talks and events.
• Employee Referral Scheme, with a reward of up to £250 for staff (subject to scheme conditions).
• Free Library membership with access to a range of online journals and magazines.
• Reduced green fee rates for local golf course

 

Probation, Notice Periods

The first four months of employment will be a probationary period. Regular reviews with line managers take place over the probationary period with the opportunity to discuss progress, identify any areas for action and ensure that there are appropriate guidance and support in place to enable successful completion of the probationary period.

During the probationary period, the notice required by either party to terminate employment will be one week. Once employment is confirmed, the notice period will be one month.

Disclosure Check

As Winchester College is an educational establishment, a condition of employment will be that the successful candidate must consent to the school obtaining an Enhanced Level Disclosure Check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This will reveal all spent and unspent convictions, warnings, cautions and bind-overs. A policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on the school’s website.

Safeguarding is one of the primary responsibilities of this role. The jobholder is responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom they are responsible, or with whom they come into contact with, and will need to adhere to and ensure compliance with the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy at all times. The postholder should be conversant with the responsibilities and procedures detailed in this policy and with the Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education. If, in the course of carrying out the duties of the post, the postholder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the school, they must report any concerns to the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead, or in their absence, the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads.

References and Other Pre-employment Checks

The appointment will be dependent upon the receipt of a successful medical check and satisfactory references. The College will usually seek references from shortlisted candidates before interview and may approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications. At least one referee must be the current or most recent employer. Where applicants are not currently working with children but have done so in the past, one referee must be the person by whom they were most recently employed when working with children.