the client is seeking a Chief Governance Officer (Company Secretary) to provide expert, system-level leadership of governance, assurance, and corporate services across a healthcare system operating under a single cluster arrangement ahead of an anticipated future merger. This executive leadership role supports the transition toward a more strategic commissioning and system leadership model by ensuring governance enables change, assures boards and regulators, and underpins safe, transparent, and effective decision-making across the system.
Reporting to the Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer and acting as a formal board participant, the Chief Governance Officer will serve as the principal adviser on governance, assurance, statutory compliance, and risk at the heart of system leadership. Working closely with system partners and senior leaders, the role will help ensure governance arrangements are robust, proportionate, and future-focused, supporting transformation while maintaining public trust, accountability, and statutory assurance. The position also contributes to evolving operating models, shared leadership structures, and future integration.
The client is looking for a qualified senior governance professional with significant experience at board or system level within complex, regulated environments. The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in corporate governance, assurance, risk management, and statutory compliance, ideally within the NHS or wider public sector, and will have the confidence to advise and influence boards with strong political acumen, diplomacy, and communication skills to build trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders. This appointment offers the opportunity to shape future governance arrangements for the cluster and to support governance for collaboration with providers and local authorities.