Council and Governance Specialist
£45,000-£48,000 plus excellent benefits (Work level 6A)
Manchester city centre – hybrid working with 2 days a week in the office and some evening and weekend work

At Co-op we do things differently. We’re owned by our 5.8m members and exist to create value for them. Our members and their voice are at the heart of the decisions we make. Member-owners shape and influence Co-op directly and by voting for other member-owners to represent their interests on our Board and Council.

Our Council and Democracy team work for member-owners by making sure their voice is heard, enabling them to choose and connect with their elected representatives locally and nationally and supporting Council to represent their interests in the decisions our Co-op makes.

In this role, we’ll look to you to lead, organise, and deliver the governance and scrutiny procedures and processes for our National Members’ Council, Senate and Committees. You will support Council to discharge its formal roles in our Co-op Rules and empower Council Members to influence and shape our Co-op’s policies and decisions on behalf of our member-owners, providing a fantastic opportunity to make a positive impact on everything Co-op stands for.

What you’ll do

•    Interpret, design and deliver systems, procedures and processes to enable Council and Committees to run effectively in accordance with Co-op Group rules and best practice in governance and scrutiny
•    Co-ordinate the activities required before, during and after all meetings, committees and working groups for internal and external attendees  
•    Provide procedural support and advice for Committees on their roles and functions before, during and after Committees, and working groups
•    Make sure that all meetings, committees and working groups are conducted in line with our governance and scrutiny principles and best practice
•    Maintain meeting records so that decisions are captured, actioned and reported on at future meetings and liaise with senior leaders to ensure information and actions are relayed and reported to Committees and Council
•    Work closely with the Policy and Research Manager to develop timely, well managed agendas and work programmes

This role would suit people who have

•    Significant experience of advising and administering committee, scrutiny and governance processes in a high-profile complex environment 
•    Experience of designing and delivering end to end processes and systems to achieve strategic and regulatory objectives
•    Previous experience of working with elected representatives 
•    Excellent organisational skills, efficiency and attention to detail 
•    A talent for building positive relationships up to senior level

Why Co-op?

Here you’ll do work that matters. We’re a commercial organisation with a purpose beyond profit, you’ll have an opportunity to help us build a stronger Co-op and stronger communities. You’ll also get a package that includes:

•    competitive salary
•    coaching, training, and support to help you develop
•    pension with up to 10% employer contributions
•    annual incentive scheme 
•    28 days holiday plus bank holidays (rising to 32 in line with service)
•    discounts on Co-op products and services

Building an inclusive work environment

We’re actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. We want to build inclusive work environments, where our colleagues have equal opportunities to reach their full potential. We celebrate our differences, and recognise the importance of our teams reflecting the communities they serve.

If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.

We'll ask whether you’d like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme when you apply.

If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we’ll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate.

You can find out more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process.

You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme and all our commitments to diversity and inclusion at
jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion-wellbeing

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes between 45-60 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.