Company Secretary and Governance Lead

At Alzheimer's Society, we're a team of advisors, supporters, fundraisers, researchers, and advocates - united by one purpose: to make life better for everyone affected by dementia.

We're looking for a Company Secretary and Governance Lead to play an important leadership role in ensuring our charity operates to the highest standards of governance, transparency and integrity.

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer and working closely with the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Chief Executive, Executive Leadership Team and Board Committees, this role will shape and strengthen our governance framework to enable confident, informed decision-making that supports delivery of our strategy and impact. This is an outstanding opportunity for a strategic governance leader who can combine technical expertise with strong relationship management and a genuine passion for driving good governance that supports our mission.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as Company Secretary for Alzheimer's Society and its subsidiaries, ensuring compliance with Charity Commission and Companies House requirements.
• Provide trusted advice to the Chair, Board of Trustees and Executive Leadership Team on their legal, fiduciary and regulatory responsibilities.
• Oversee governance arrangements, ensuring effective information flow and clear decision-making structures across the organisation.
• Develop and lead a team of Governance professionals, promoting a culture of high performance, collaboration, accountability and inclusivity.
• Lead the design and continual improvement of our governance framework, embedding transparency, accountability, and evidence-based decision making.
• Serve as Whistleblowing Officer for the Society, and champion integrity and openness in all governance processes.
• Support the governance team to deliver efficient Board and Committee meetings, forward planning, and statutory reporting.
• Foster strong relationships across teams, embedding governance and compliance as enablers of effective, ethical leadership.

About You

You're a confident, collaborative leader who combines professional rigour with empathy, diplomacy and a values-led approach. You bring the strategic insight to advise senior leaders and the operational focus to ensure governance processes run seamlessly.

We're looking for someone who can:

• Demonstrate a strong track record of advising Boards and senior leaders on governance, compliance and organisational risk.
• Bring excellent knowledge of charity law, company law, and the UK governance landscape.
• Communicate complex information clearly and credibly to a range of audiences.
• Lead with authenticity and integrity, building trusted relationships across all levels.
• Drive continuous improvement — from simplifying processes to fostering a culture of learning and accountability.
• Lead and develop a small team, championing collaboration and professional growth.
• Model Alzheimer's Society's values of Determination, Better Together, Compassion and Trusted Expertise in all that you do.

• The deadline for applications is 23:59 on Sunday 30th November 2025.
• Interview invites will be issued from 8th December. 
• Involvement (lived-experience) Panel will take place on 12th December 2025. 
• Competency Panel interview will take place at our Crutched Friar's London Office on 16th December 2025. 
• Candidates will have the opportunity to meet with our CEO and Chair of the Board of Trustees virtually on 17th December 2025.

Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.

At Alzheimer’s Society, we’re the UK’s leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding groundbreaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.

Together with our supporters, we’re working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.

Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.  

We want everyone we work with, as a colleague, volunteer, supporter, or someone we support, to feel included and that they belong at Alzheimer's Society. 

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee forum and Employee Lived Experience network groups help us promote inclusion and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people. 

Our hiring process

During your recruitment process we want to make sure that you bring your whole self and can be at your best. We are working hard to ensure our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible, so please do inform us of your experience and anything you think we could do better by completing our candidate survey when you apply.  Please also contact Alzheimer’s Society Talent Acquisition Team via [email protected] for application support or any adjustments you might need.

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value it truly adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to showcase them in your own voice.

We try to avoid closing roles early where possible, however if we receive a high volume of applications, we may close earlier than the advertised closing date. Should this occur, we will aim to provide you with at least 48 hours' notice.

We are committed to safer recruitment and ensuring the welfare of those we work with, due to the nature of some of our roles, we might need to carry out a DBS check at the relevant level.

Giving back to you

Our employees work hard every day to make a true difference in people's lives. We are proud to support them with a range of benefits, recognition and many options for working agilely, all contributing to a strong work life balance. We also have various learning programmes to support you in your development and help you grow to realise your potential and shape a career with Alzheimer's Society. 

You can also visit our Working for Us pages, which give you more information about what it’s like to be an employee at the Society.