Governance Officer/Company Secretary

OX Place is Oxford City Council’s wholly owned housing company, created to deliver new affordable homes, generate sustainable returns and build to low and zero carbon standards for the residents and communities of Oxford. Since 2016 it has played a pivotal role in supporting the city’s housing ambition, combining commercial focus with public purpose.

Oxford is a city that thinks long term. The Council has accelerated plans to increase affordable and council housing, reduce inequality and improve health and wellbeing. It is leading the way on emissions reduction and biodiversity, with a clear ambition to become a net carbon neutral city. OX Place plays a vital role in turning those ambitions into bricks, mortar and thriving neighbourhoods.

Operating within a local government framework while functioning as a registered company in its own right, OX Place must balance pace, delivery and strong corporate governance. That balance sits at the heart of this role.

About the Role
As our part time Governance Officer and Company Secretary role, you will be working closely with our Managing Director and Board. You’ll have the opportunity lead on corporate governance, statutory compliance and board administration across the OX Place group, ensuring robustness, transparency and best practice.

You’ll lead on ensuring compliance with UK company law, managing statutory returns and company registers, and coordinating Board and shareholder meetings to ensure we are aligned with our Council colleagues. You will bring structure and clarity to forward planning, agenda setting and the recording and tracking of decisions, ensuring that governance supports delivery rather than slowing it down. This is truly an opportunity to shape our framework and make this role your own.

Working closely with the Chair, Board and Council governance and legal colleagues, you’ll play a key role in advising on constitutional and regulatory matters, maintaining key policy and compliance registers including GDPR, and ensuring that shareholder requirements are properly managed. This is a politically sensitive role with direct exposure to senior leaders and real influence over how the company operates.

About You
We are looking for a qualified governance professional with strong knowledge of UK company law and experience within a local authority, housing association, or similar environment. Chartered Governance Institute status or equivalent is desirable.

To be successful in this role, it is important to have an understand the dynamics of a Local Authority Trading Company and the need to balance commercial governance with public sector accountability.

Credible, organised and measured, you’ll be confident advising Boards and senior stakeholders; having the judgement to navigate complexity, the discipline to maintain high standards and the pragmatism to ensure governance enables delivery.

Above all, you will bring assurance, clarity and professionalism to an organisation delivering homes that genuinely matter to the city’s future.

For a confidential discussion about the opportunity, please contact Bella Bennett (bella.bennett@tile-hill.co.uk, 07918 976494) or Anita Denton (anita.denton@tile-hill.co.uk, 07725 554802).

Working pattern: Part time – 3 days per week (22.2 hours)

Closing date for applications: Midnight, Monday 6th April

To apply:
To apply, please submit an up-to-date copy of your CV (three sides of A4 maximum), along with a supporting statement (three sides of A4 maximum) detailing your experience, and achievements and addressing the key criteria for the role set out on this site and using examples to demonstrate how you meet the requirements. Documents should be uploaded via our website, please include and upload the below information in two documents only. If you experience any issues whilst applying, please contact Abbie.Hamilton-grant@tile-hill.co.uk.

Applications should include:

• Full contact details;
• Names, positions, organisations and contact details for two referees (we will ask your permission before contacting referees);
• Details of your notice period
• Notification of any dates when you are not available for an interview

At Tile Hill, we are committed to inclusion and accessibility. We champion and support all individuals to ensure everyone feels valued, listened to and motivated to get the very best out of each recruitment process and that processes are designed to meet the needs of individuals. If you have any specific requests and would like a confidential discussion with the Tile Hill team, then please email inclusion@tile-hill.co.uk.