Later this month, Central Co-op and the Midcounties Co-operative will come together to create a new Society, and we're looking for a Society Secretary who can support and lead the Board of the new Society through this exciting time.

Our new Society will have over 1 million members and 13,000 colleagues, with a £1.8bn turnover.

As a co-operative, we are founded on our values and principles that co-operatives share throughout the world, and which underpin everything that we do.

In this role you will ensure that these values are upheld through the leadership and culture within our Society.

Working collaboratively, you’ll provide relevant governance advice, support, and guidance to our Board, Executive and Management teams, ensuring that all stakeholders are kept well informed to support effective and informed decision making. 

You’ll also help to make sure that our Annual and Interim meetings and Director elections are conducted in accordance with best governance practice, encouraging high levels of participation from the Society membership.

With our Members, Colleagues and Customers at the heart of everything we do, you’ll play an integral part by overseeing our programme of local membership and community activity in the new Society

Bringing previous experience in a Company Secretarial or Legal role, we are looking for someone who is CGI (formerly ICSA) qualified, or a qualified Solicitor and who can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of corporate governance, business law and finance.  

As a person, you’ll have empathy and engagement with our Co-operative values and principles and be dedicated to the delivery and communication of the values and principles of co-operation on behalf of the Society both internally and externally.

You’ll have a natural ability to work collaboratively with a range of diverse stakeholders. You’ll be confident in both challenging and supporting others.

We’re looking for someone who is adept at handling complexity and who can bring highly effective skills in communication, relationship-building, and diplomacy.

To be successful in this role you’ll need excellent personal organisation skills and attention to detail with demonstratable experience of producing accurate and timely documentation.

In addition to strong leadership skills, you’ll bring a strategic perspective, planning skills and confident in your decision-making capabilities.

A chance to make a difference and help shape our future, we are looking for a passionate and enthusiastic individual.

Everyone is welcome here. We’re happy to make reasonable adjustments so that all our candidates can show us how they’ll perform their role. There is a section in the application form where you can provide any additional information. Please use this section to include any reasonable adjustments you need, and we’ll do our best to support you through our recruitment process

What benefits are available to you?

In addition to our competitive salaries, our colleagues also benefit from:

Reward and Benefits

• Fantastic colleague discount - Reward ££’s and discounts across our Retail and Funeral businesses.
• Retail discounts- our hub offers colleagues access to hundreds of exclusive retail discounts, savings on days out and holiday discounts.
• Colleague Dividend- We pay a share of our profits to eligible colleagues as a thank you for their contribution to our success.
• Colleague recognition- we celebrate our colleague’s achievements both personally and professionally
• Personalised learning and development- with easy access to a wide range of training programmes
• Paid time for volunteering- we encourage our colleagues to spend three days per year taking part in volunteering, fully paid for by us.
• Enhanced family friendly policies- to help you feel fully supported during any significant life events.

  Wellbeing

• Annual health check kit and virtual GP – Finger prick blood test kit, that is sent to Square Healthcare for your personal healthcare report, and access to a virtual GP 7 days a week 8am to 8pm for you and your family.
• Colleague assistance programme – to support you and your family when you need it the most.
• Healthcare Cashplan- your wellbeing is important, so you’ve got the opportunity to contribute into a voluntary plan that helps pay towards a range of healthcare expenses.
• Company sick pay – We offer company sick pay to colleagues so that you can focus on getting better and returning to work in full health.
• Life Assurance- after an initial qualifying period, you’ll get free life assurance cover, that pays your nominated beneficiary if you die while you’re working for us.
• We’ve got you – our colleague wellbeing campaign, making wellbeing benefits and resources accessible and relevant to the role that you do.
• Give as you earn- helping you support charities which mean something to you.

  Financial Wellbeing

• iTrent Financial Wellbeing (Wagestream)- offers something for all our colleagues, whether you want to track your finances, save some money, or access up to 50% of your earned pay flexibly in a way that suits you.
• The Money Co-op – Free access to support all aspects of your financial wellbeing, such as savings and loans at competitive rates.
• Salary Sacrifice schemes:
  • Electric Vehicle scheme – Option to purchase your EV through salary sacrifice
  • Share Incentive Plan (SIP) – option to buy shares within the Society, where they will attract interest and £10 worth of matching shares.
  • Cycle to Work scheme – Option to purchase your bicycle and accessories through salary sacrifice
  • Holiday buy- colleagues can buy up to a week extra of annual leave each year
• Company Pension- you can access a company pension scheme with us as well as access to Pension wellbeing information.
• Nous – smart assistant that can save you money and time on managing your household bills.

To find out more about all of these plus many more reasons to join us, please visit Rewards and benefits - Central Coop (careers.coop)

We’re a Member-owned and Member-led co-operative Society.

And with us, you’re not just a colleague, you’re a Member. You’ll own a share of the business.