Job description

If you’re looking for a career that will unlock new opportunities, join HSBC and experience the possibilities. Whether you want a career that could take you to the top, or simply take you in an exciting new direction, HSBC offers opportunities, support and rewards that will take you further!

The Corporate Governance & Secretariat function (CG&S) serves as principal advisor to boards of directors on corporate governance matters, and leads and implements a world-class corporate governance practice throughout the Group with the provision of end-to-end corporate governance advice. The CG&S function consists of c.240 FTE across 25 countries. It is led globally by the Group Company Secretary & Chief Governance Officer who reports directly to the Group Chairman. 

Reporting into the Holdings CG&S Team, the Governance Trainee is responsible for working flexibly across sub teams to support the provision of world class corporate governance and secretarial services to the Holdings Board, its Committees and executive committees as required. 

We are currently seeking an individual to join the team in the roles of Governance Trainee.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Supporting with boards, committees (including the Holdings Group Executive Committee (GEC)) and associated planning, including working with senior stakeholders to commission papers, drafting and reviewing papers, and ensuring compliance with, best practice governance procedures.
• Ensuring papers are delivered in a timely fashion, are of appropriate quality, and distributed appropriately.
• Supporting the improvement of board and committee materials, including providing guidance on the use of new reporting templates.
• Helping to build Diligent packs for boards and committees, ensuring access rights are appropriately allocated and materials are handled securely.
• Working as part of the personal support team to the Group Company Secretary and Chief Governance Officer support infrastructure to help ensure that she has quality personal briefing notes and papers.
• Supporting drafting of papers and briefing notes for the chairmen of boards and committees.
• Supporting forward planning of the Group Company Secretary and Chief Governance Officer’s deliverables with a strategic meeting view and proactive action tracking

Requirements

To be successful in this role you should meet the following requirements:

• Ideally you will have studied or will be studying Law or Corporate Governance, but this is not essential
• Good understanding of global financial organisations
• Financial services / UK regulatory knowledge is desirable but not essential.
• Understanding of corporate governance principles.
• Lateral thinking/problem solving/creativity.
• Excellent analysis, design and problem solving skills.
• Strong inter-personal, organisational, process management and verbal/ written skills.
• Confidence to work well with all levels of management, handle confidential and sensitive information, work independently and under pressure and prioritise multiple tasks.
• Creative problem solver, with desire to innovate and optimise tasks and processes through the use of technology.
• Ability to look at the bigger picture as well as have a keen eye for detail.

The base location for this role is either London or Edinburgh.

You’ll achieve more when you join HSBC.

At HSBC, we look to enable our employees to better balance their work / life priorities and have the flexibility required to meet challenging needs as they progress through different life stages. Where possible we will consider the following flexible working options: part-time working, job sharing, term-time working, and working from home and staggered hours. If in considering a role with HSBC, you have a need for some flexibility in your working arrangements please discuss this with the recruitment team in the early stages of the application process.

As a business operating in markets all around the world, we believe diversity brings benefits for our customers, our business and our people! This is why HSBC is committed to being an inclusive employer and encourages applications from all suitably qualified applicants irrespective of ethnicity, religion, age, physical or mental disability/long term health condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by local law in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Within the work place you will have access to various employee resource groups which aim to promote and achieve a healthy work / life balance and support our diversity ambitions. HSBC has in place processes in order to avoid nepotism, which means to avoid creating circumstances in which the appearance or possibility of conflicts of interest may exist within the hiring process.

We want everyone to be able to fulfil their potential which is why we provide a range of flexible working arrangements and family friendly policies