Corporate Affairs Lead

Job description

Job responsibilities

Managerial

Line manager for Corporate Affairs Team, responsible for the day to day running of the Corporate Affairs Team.

Line management of staff to include absence management in accordance with Trust policy, recruitment and selection of staff, dealing with HR issues, undertaking appraisals, allocation of work, ensuring staff undertake mandatory and role specific training, authorised signatory for approval of travel expenses.

Provide specialist support and development to the Corporate Affairs Team.

Ensure the implementation of best practice and standardise office systems and processes.

Provide induction, advice and training to new members of staff as required.

To monitor workload and performance against accuracy and timeliness standards across the secretarial team, taking any necessary corrective action to ensure these are met

Membership and Engagement

Responsible for the planning, implementation and support of membership recruitment and engagement activity, informed by the Membership and Engagement Strategy.

Responsible for the planning, implementation and support of the Annual General Meeting.

Administer elections and appointments to the Council of Governors

Administer applications to become/to be removed as, a Member of the Foundation Trust in accordance with Constitutional requirements

Manage, maintain and develop the Trusts membership database

Serve as an ambassador for the Trust, positively representing the organisation as an authoritative key contact, and action point for national and local organisations and individuals.

Responsible for the development and maintenance of the website pages associated with all functions of Corporate Affairs.

Secretariat

Deputise for the Corporate Affairs Manager in respect of the Board, its Committees and membership.

To act independently in planning and co-ordinating, attending and servicing a range of meetings within the Trust; being responsible for the booking of accommodation and refreshments, preparation of agendas, collation and distribution of timely and high quality documentation to attendees, recording of discussions and decisions taken at meetings, the compilation and production of accurate minutes, the composition of letters arising out of meetings and dealing with all follow-up actions. Re-arranging meetings as necessary.

Liaise with internal and external meeting attendees and presenters as part of the process of planning and co-ordinating meetings above. This may include Board members of other organisations and those of equivalent seniority.

Use of highly developed typing skills for the production of timely and accurate meeting documentation.

To provide routine procedural advice on corporate governance issues.

To maintain paper-based and electronic statutory registers and the records management system.

To be the first point of contact in relation to queries regarding committee meetings.

Foundation Trust and Council of Governors

Provide administrative support and advice to the Council of Governors, its Committees and membership within the Trusts legal and regulatory framework.

To provide and arrange training for the Governors in all aspects of their responsibilities: identifying and sourcing appropriate training, arranging training dates, organising slots and overseeing / delivering administration of all aspects of the training day.

Ensure suitable systems and processes are in place for the recording and archiving of records.

Gather, collate and record evidence for Board Members and Governors relating to the Fit and Proper Persons Test.

Promote at all times a positive image of the Corporate Affairs Department and the wider Trust.

Maintain and continuously improve sustainable systems and processes for all of the above activities within the Trust Secretariat / Foundation Trust Office.

Corporate Records and Freedom of Information

Maintain and implement an effective system for recording, controlling and responding to all requests for information received by the Trust under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations.

Manage a caseload of requests received under the FOIA and EIR, ensuring the collation and production of quality responses within the time frame set out by the Act and support colleagues during absence to ensure a consistent provision of service.

To act independently in ensuring that all requests for information are registered to the system and managed in a way that enables the Trust to comply with the requirements of the Act as regards disclosure and response times.

Act as a designated point of contact for applicants under the FOIA and EIR, and where appropriate; liaise with the requesting party over the nature of the request, the provision of additional detail about it and the need for an extension of time for responding.

Provide advice and guidance to managers and teams on the requirements of the FOIA and EIR, and their duties and responsibilities under it.

Responsible for the development and maintenance of the Trusts publication scheme and disclosure log

Escalate issues with FOI and EIR requests and response times, as appropriate to the Corporate Affairs Manager.

Develop and deliver internal training in accordance with the FOI and EIR Training programme.

Maintain current knowledge of the application of the FOIA and EIR and associated case law.

Ensure the maintenance and development of up to date, accurate and complete libraries of policies and procedures, including Patient Information Leaflets in line with the Policy for Policies and Corporate Records Policy, including both electronic and paper libraries and the CDDFT Quality Insights System in line with need; Provide advice, education and communication to Care Groups and corporate directorates to support the implementation of the Policy for Policies and corporate records requirements within their areas.

Support the development, update and dissemination of template documentation to assist Care Groups and corporate directorates in complying with the Policy for Procedural Governance Documents.

Support the development and implementation of a limited programme of audits to monitor compliance with the corporate records policy for internal and external assurance purposes.

Provide support and guidance to Care Groups and document authors in respect of the use of the Procedural Documents function of the CDDFT Quality Insights System, including but not limited to producing monitoring reports, accessing and navigating the system.

General

Communicate business sensitive information; agreement or cooperation from NHS staff at all levels of the organisation is required.

Responsibility for managing the Corporate Affairs filing system.

Proposes changes to Policies and Procedures with regard to changes in national policy and changes in law. Implements Policies and Procedures for own area which impact across the Trust.

Assist patients and members of the public in incidental contacts.

Any other duties relevant to the grade

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level (or equivalent demonstrable experience)
• Minimum 5 GCSE at grades A to C (English Language Essential) or equivalent qualification, or equivalent knowledge gained through work experience
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Desirable

• Specific qualifications and training related to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or policy and records management.
• HNC or first degree in public administration or membership of (or working towards) ICSA qualifications
• Marketing or Public Relations qualification

Special Requirements

Essential

• Present a professional image at all times
• Ability to travel independently across Trust sites and to attend meetings outside of normal office hours as required

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in an administrative role in a complex organisation
• Line Management Experience
• Significant experience in planning and organising complex meetings
• Experience of attending meetings and recording minutes of meetings accurately
• Events planning
• Experience in developing and implementing projects and quality improvement initiatives, managing office systems and developing SOPs.
• Demonstrable understanding of the principles and application of the FOI Act 2000
• Administrative experience in a role requiring adherence to deadlines and KPIs
• Experience in delivering training, coaching and providing advice and guidance.

Desirable

• NHS Experience
• Experience of corporate records management
• Experience of dealing with Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Regulation Requests

Special Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Flexible approach to work and adaptable to change.
• Ability to deal confidently and successfully with conflict
• Able to organise own workload and prioritise competing deadlines and work streams
• Able to delegate and manage a team of staff
• Self-motivated and able to work on own initiative and part of a team.
• Proven track record of professionalism and commitment to quality.
• Excellent general secretarial and office administration skills.
• Excellent communication skills:
• - ability to communicate at all levels, verbally and written with individuals and groups, both internal and external.
• - ability to convey expert knowledge to lay-people
• - ability to communicate business sensitive information
• Ability to work within a confidential environment
• Good organisational skills and ability to meet deadlines
• IT skills - literate in Microsoft packages, including Outlook, Word, Access, Excel and Power point
• Experience in using virtual meeting packages.
• Knowledge of Data Protection and Caldicott Principles and demonstrate understanding of confidentiality and the associated legal and policy requirements

Desirable

• Knowledge of the NHS environment and legislation and guidance relevant to corporate records management in the NHS and Freedom of Information Act

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

Hollyhurst Road

Darlington

County Durham

DL3 6HX

Employer's website

https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)