Job Description

About the role

Please note that this advert may close early should sufficient applications be received, so early application is advised. Please include a cover letter with your application, outlining how you feel you meet the requirements of the role.

WithYou are recruiting for a Director of Governance, to join us as a key member of our Finance and Resources directorate. We're looking to hear from collaborative leaders, who can provide strategic leadership and oversight of WithYou's governance functions, ensuring that we operate within legal, ethical and regulatory frameworks.

This is a new role for the organisation, working on a permanent, full time basis. You will work mainly from home, with occasional travel as required.

WithYou is a drug, alcohol and mental health charity employing over 1,600 staff. With over 80 services across England and Scotland, we provide support and advice without judgement to more than 100,000 people a year.

At WithYou, we work with people on their own goals, whether that's staying safe and healthy, making small changes or stopping an unwanted habit altogether. We give people support in a way that's right for them either face to face in their local service, community or online. We use our expertise to improve the help available and raise awareness around drugs, alcohol and mental health so that more people can get support.

The Director of Governance will be responsible for championing best practice in information governance, risk management,corporate compliance and statutory contract management to support effective, accountable, and transparent service delivery. Leading a team of information and corporate governance professionals, you will develop robust frameworks for ensuring governance policies support strategy delivery, meet legal standards and reflect sector best practice.

Other priorities include:

Establishing and maintaining a recognised Data Protection Officer (DPO) structure within WithYou to ensure compliance with data protection regulations

Leading the organisation's risk management strategy

Providing strategic oversight of ISO accreditation processes

Acting as a central point of access for legal support, including the management of statutory contracts

Developing and implementing administrative procedures and policies to enhance organisational efficiency and productivity.

Company Benefits

30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays

An extra day off for your birthday or a special occasion of your choice

Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave

2 days paid volunteer leave per year

Auto-enrollment into We Are With You's pension scheme

Access to a Blue Light Card - giving you great savings on big high-street and online brands

Flexible working opportunities and access to a range of services and resources to support you with your wellbeing

We have an excellent Refer a Friend scheme which offers you a 500 bonus for any recommendations, any role! Our scheme allows you to recommend your friends and family to work with us and earn a 500 bonus payment for every successful referral you make. Please note, the Refer a Friend scheme is only applicable if your recommended friend completes their 6 months probation period

Essential Skills

The most important thing you can bring to this role is clear and inspirational direction, to grow this new role and provide highly technical advice and guidance to the wider organisation, across multiple sites. We are most interested in your drive and ability to create and evolve an impactful Governance function, through a passion for excellence and a desire to join a forward thinking organisation.

You should also have:

Proven experience in a senior administrative role, in a senior managerial capacity

Experience of meeting and maintaining adherence to a range of external standards

Familiarity with legal and regulatory requirements related to administration and business operations and knowledge of organisational policies, procedures, and best practices

Strong understanding of budgeting and financial management principles

Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written

A full job description and person specification is available on request.

Creating an Inclusive Environment

As an organisation, we continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of our staff. We know that representing the communities we serve is key to us meeting our goals of radically improving people's lives. We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring, and we encourage people from underrepresented communities and backgrounds to apply to join our team, including people with lived experience, people with disabilities, people from racialised communities, LGBTQ+ people, people of all ages and armed forces veterans.


As part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, we provide a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates that are veterans and meet all the essential criteria for a role.


WithYou is also a Disability Confident Employer, and we offer a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with a disability and meet all the essential criteria for a role.


If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a medical condition which you believe may affect your performance during any aspect of our selection process, we'll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to perform at your best.