Director of Legal and Governance – London, EC1N 8JS
Director of Legal and Governance Location: London or Midlands Salary: Competitive + Benefits Contract Type: Permanent Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) is one of the UKs leading housing associations, supporting over 130,000 residents across London, the South East, East Midlands and East of England. Our purpose is clear: everyone should have a quality home and the chance to live well, guided by our values Care, Dare and Collaborate, and our 2030 Strategy Pride in Every Home, A Future Shaped by You (a copy of the Strategy can be downloaded at the bottom of this page). We are seeking an experienced, valuesled Director of Legal and Governance to join our Senior Leadership Team in a newly elevated, organisationwide role. This is a pivotal appointment, bringing together legal, governance, risk and assurance into a single centre of excellence at the heart of MTVH. The roleReporting into the CEO, the Director of Legal and Governance is accountable for MTVHs corporate governance, legal services and regulatory compliance. You will play a central role in shaping how the organisation governs itself, strengthening endtoend decisionmaking, and providing clear, confident assurance to the Board and Executive. This is a highly influential leadership position with significant visibility across the organisation. You will work closely with senior colleagues, Board members and external stakeholders to ensure robust governance, effective risk management and legally sound decisionmaking that supports MTVHs strategic ambitions. A key focus of the role is embedding a strong governance and assurance framework, enhancing regulatory readiness, and ensuring that legal, risk and compliance considerations are proactively managed in an increasingly complex and regulated environment. Key responsibilitiesProvide strategic leadership across legal, governance, risk and assurance, creating a highperforming centre of excellenceLead MTVHs corporate governance framework, ensuring effective Board and committee operation and compliance with statutory and regulatory requirementsProvide authoritative legal advice to the Executive and Board, supporting robust, confident decisionmakingOversee enterprise risk management and assurance frameworks, ensuring risks are identified, managed and clearly reportedEnsure compliance with all relevant legal, regulatory and policy requirements, including data protection and information governance obligationsLead the company secretariat function, ensuring highquality Board and committee support, reporting and recordkeepingManage legal services, including inhouse teams and external advisors, ensuring value for money and highquality outcomesOversee dispute resolution and litigation management, providing clear oversight of risk exposure and lessons learnedBuild strong internal and external stakeholder relationships, representing MTVH in key governance and regulatory forumsFoster an inclusive, accountable and performancefocused culture, developing leadership capability across the function About youYou will be a credible senior leader with:Significant leadership experience in legal, governance or company secretariat roles within a complex, highly regulated environmentProfessional qualification as a solicitor, barrister or chartered governance professional (CGI), or equivalent experienceA strong track record of developing and embedding governance frameworks and supporting Boards and executive teamsDeep understanding of regulatory environments (social housing or similar), with the ability to interpret and apply requirements pragmaticallyExperience of leading risk management and assurance frameworks at an organisational levelExcellent judgement, influencing and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex issues into clear, actionable adviceA collaborative leadership style, with the ability to build trust, challenge constructively and drive organisationwide improvementStrategic leadership capability, aligning teams to organisational priorities and delivering change at pace This is a unique opportunity to play a defining role in how a large, purposedriven organisation governs itself and delivers for residents. You will help strengthen accountability, improve decisionmaking and support MTVHs longterm success as it delivers its 2030 ambition.To apply and for further information, please visit www.odgers.com/95967 To meet our commitment to providing safe, high-quality services to our customers we will complete a basic background check with the Disclosure and Barring service, once an offer of employment is made….