Strategic Governance Advisor

Are you a governance expert who values flexible working?

The Education Space is hiring a Strategic Governance Advisor to act as a primary strategic governance professional for Trust Boards, Committees, and Local Governing Bodies.

The role ensures that Trusts operate in strict compliance with legal, regulatory, and financial frameworks including the DfE Academy Trust Governance Guide, Academy Trust Handbook (ATH), KCSIE, Charity and Company Law, and DfE Funding Agreements.

Because you will be advising and clerking meetings held out of standard office hours and on school premises, this role offers genuine flexible working hours to balance your professional and personal life. We expect all our employees to work flexibly to meet the needs of our service users and stakeholders.

What you will do:

• Provide authoritative, expert advice to Trustees and Executive Leaders on statutory duties, education law, and sector best practice.
  
  
• Produce precise, high-level minutes that accurately record strategic discussion and executive challenge.
  
  
• Modernise governance through the safe and ethical use of existing and emerging technologies to streamline workflows.
  
  
• Actively manage board compliance with reference to statutory requirements, the Academy Trust Handbook (ATH) and Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) safeguarding responsibilities.

You will have:

• Proven experience as a Governance Professional or Clerk in an Academy Trust or education setting.
• Expert knowledge of Regulatory Frameworks, demonstrating expert fluency across DfE governance requirements, the Academy Trust Handbook (ATH), funding agreements, Articles of Association, Schemes of Delegation and other key governance documents.
• Exceptional minute-taking capability with the ability to summarize complex debates and capture strategic challenge clearly, meeting professional and inspection standards for capturing strategic challenge and support, holding the executive to account, decision rationales, and statutory declarations compliant with data protection and public inspection standards.
  
  
• A thorough understanding of the role of governance and its statutory responsibilities including safeguarding.
• A keen appetite to lead in the ethical and safe use of existing and emerging technology including Artificial Intelligence with a sound knowledge of data protection and UK GDPR requirements, Acceptable Use policies, and data privacy.
• Integrity, diplomacy, strict confidentiality, and ability to hold senior stakeholders to account.
  
  
• Ability to proactively problem solve with a strategic mindset.
  
  
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with trustees, governors, clerks, chief executive officers, headteachers and other agencies on matters relating to academy and school governance.
  
  
• Ability to organise and prioritise workload to ensure that company and service performance indicators and statutory deadlines are met.
  
  
• Ability to learn and provide advice on company law, education law, statutory requirements and regulations for schools and academies, statutory guidance, bespoke local arrangements, and sector best practice relating to school governance issues.
  
  
• An understanding of the importance of working with an organised and methodical approach and a good eye for detail.
  
  
• Flexibility to attend meetings out of office hours and on school premises.

This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

About NPW

NPW is the ethical partner of choice that keeps the child at the centre of everything we do. We care about our clients and work hard to help them achieve their aspirations. We engage with our clients to help develop our products and services to ensure that what we offer is created for schools by schools.

NPW is a not-for-profit mutual organisation, owned by our school members. We provide a range of operational, transformational and innovative services to schools and colleges so that they can focus on improving the lives of children and young people. Our services are agile, allowing us to offer bespoke packages that meet an individual client’s needs.

Please see here our company brochure:

https://theeducationspace.co.uk/services/services-brochure/

Our team delivers a critical compliance service to a range of clients with different legal status and specific needs. This role is accountable for directly delivering services to clients, acting as first point of contact for clients and managing the client relationship. Working within a small office-based team with an excellent reputation, the postholder will be required to continuously demonstrate the competencies and knowledge that support outstanding service delivery and a strong team ethic.

Application Process

Application for the post is by application form only. No CVs. No agencies need apply please.

If you would like to work in partnership with schools/academy trusts and help to make a positive difference then we look forward to receiving your application.

Closing date: Monday 16 November 2026