Deputy Company Secretary

Job Description

Are you a dynamic and hands-on professional looking for a new challenge? Do you enjoy developing and leading teams? If so, we are recruiting a Deputy Company Secretary to support AJ Bell plc’s Board and Executive Committee and their sub-committees.

As Deputy Company Secretary, you will play a pivotal role in the development and maturation of our company secretarial function. This is a real opportunity to make a significant impact and drive the delivery of high-quality advice and company secretarial support.

What you'll do

• Support the Company Secretary in all aspects of company secretarial duties.
• Lead and develop the company secretarial team.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the company secretarial team.
• Develop and implement effective company secretarial processes and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with all statutory and regulatory requirements.
• Prepare and manage Board and committee meetings, including minute taking and follow-up actions.
• Oversee the management of the AJ Bell plc AGM, the production of AGM documents and dealing with emerging AGM issues.
• Assist in the preparation of annual reports and other corporate documentation.
• Provide guidance on MAR and listing rules and manage the timely disclosure of information.
• Support the Compliance and HR teams as required to ensure AJ Bell meets its responsibilities under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders, including the internal Legal and Finance teams, regulators, auditors, and legal advisers.
• Support the HR and Finance teams in the administration of group share option and incentive schemes.
• Provide guidance and support to the Board and senior management on governance matters.

What you'll have

• You will be a proactive and enthusiastic professional with a strong background in company secretarial practice.
• Have excellent organisational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work effectively under pressure. 
• Proven experience in a similar role, with similar responsibilities and where you have reported directly to the Company Secretary.
• Qualified Chartered Secretary (ICSA) or equivalent (desirable).
• Experience in a listed company within the financial services sector (desirable).
• Strong knowledge of UK corporate governance, company law and regulatory requirements.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with experience of communicating with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to lead and develop a team.
• Strong organisational and problem-solving abilities, with the ability to think broadly, apply sound judgement and offer pragmatic solutions.
• High level of integrity and professionalism.

About us:

AJ Bell is one of the fastest-growing investment platform businesses in the UK offering an award-winning range of solutions that caters for everyone, from professional financial advisers, to DIY investors with little to no experience. We have over 528,000 customers using our award-winning platform propositions to manage assets totalling more than £83.7 billion. Our customers trust us with their investments, and by continuously striving to make investing easier, we aim to help even more people take control of their financial futures.

Having listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2018, AJ Bell is now a FTSE 250 company.

Headquartered in Manchester with offices in central London and Bristol, we now have over 1,400 employees and have been named one of the UK's 'Best 100 Companies to Work For’ for six consecutive years.

At AJ Bell you can expect a friendly working environment with a strong sense of teamwork, we have a great sense of pride in what we do, and this is reflected in our guiding principles.

Our perks and benefits

• Starting salary up to £120,000 DOE
• Starting holiday entitlement of 28 days, increasing up to 31 days with length of service
• Holiday buy and sell scheme
• A choice of pension schemes with matched contributions up to 8%
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Annual free share awards scheme
• Buy As You Earn (BAYE) Scheme
• Health Cash Plan – provided by Medicash
• Discounted private healthcare scheme and dental plan
• Free gym membership, with an on-site gym providing a wide range of free classes
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Bike loan scheme
• Sick pay+ pledge
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave
• Discounted nursery fees at Kids Planet on Exchange Quay
• Loans for travel season tickets
• Death in service scheme
• Paid time off for volunteer work
• Charitable giving opportunities through salary sacrifice
• Calendar of social events, including monthly payday drinks, annual Christmas party, summer party and much more
• Parking at Exchange Quay
• Personal development programmes built around you and your career goals, including access to personal skills workshops
• Ongoing technical training
• Professional qualification support
• Talent management programmes
• Peer recognition scheme, with rewards including restaurant and shopping vouchers or time off
• Monthly leadership breakfasts and lunches
• Casual dress code
• Access to a range of benefits from our sponsorship deals

Hybrid working

At AJ Bell, our people are the heart of our culture. We believe in building strong connections by working together. That's why we offer a hybrid working model, where you’ll spend a minimum of 50% of your working time per month in the office. For new team members, an initial period will be full-time in the office to help you immerse yourself in our business and build valuable relationships with your colleagues.

While we embrace hybrid working, we aim to have Board and Executive Committee meetings in person where possible. These are typically held in our Manchester office.

AJ Bell is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and all employees are empowered to bring their whole self to work.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, religion, physical and mental disability, marital status and any other characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010. All decisions to hire are based on qualifications, merit and business need.

If you like the sound of the above, or just want to know more about the company and the role, we'd love to speak to you.