Council Secretary
Co-op
Manchester
Circa £100,000
One of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives, Co-op has a very different way of doing business and is focused on bringing that difference to life for its members and communities. We have celebrated raising £100 million for local communities, causes and charity partners over the last five years, which includes supporting more than 25,000 Local Community Fund causes across the UK since 2016. We also continue to play our part in addressing the big issues of our time such as diversity and inclusion, access to food and climate change.
The Role
Our size and constitution means that our governance structure is distinctive. This includes a 100-strong elected Members’ Council which holds the Board to account and acts as guardian of Co-op’s Purpose and Values and constitution. Having effective, responsive and well-developed support and advice in place for Council is critical to the organisation’s smooth-running. We are now seeking a new Council Secretary to provide governance and administrative services of the highest quality to the Member Council, Senate and committees, and to manage the Secretariat.
This role occupies a trusted and high-profile position and you will regularly engage with members on a broad range of governance matters. Direct personal experience of advising, influencing and providing high quality services to the most senior members of an organisation is essential. This could include supporting the Chair, Board, Governing Council, Elected Members, Patrons and / or CEO and Executive Board of another substantial organisation. A thorough understanding of governance best practice, gained in a similarly complex Secretariat function, will also be critical for this role.
You will be an experienced and highly regarded leader and professional in your own right with strong people skills, maturity of judgement and emotional intelligence. You will be adept at handling nuances and complexity and bring highly effective skills in communication, relationship-building and diplomacy to the role. Your personal values will align closely with Co-op’s, fostering respect and rapport from the start.
Co-op welcomes applications from everyone.
