Head of Corporate Governance

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Salary: £70,094 up to £93,459 dependent upon experience

Contract Type: Permanent, Full-time

Security Level: BPSS

Visa Restrictions: This position does not offer visa sponsorship.

We are the UK's aviation and aerospace regulator and recognised as a world leader in its field. Our activities are diverse, enabling the aviation industry to meet the highest safety standards, and we pride ourselves on our ability to adapt to the constantly evolving aviation environment.

The Role

The Head of Corporate Governance will play a central role in ensuring the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) operates to the highest standards of accountability, transparency, and integrity.

This role provides strategic and operational leadership across corporate governance functions, including Board Secretariat services, regulatory compliance, ethics, and risk oversight.

The post-holder will act as a key adviser to the Board, Executive Committee (ExCo), and wider governance network, helping maintain and strengthen a trusted and effective governance framework across the CAA and its subsidiaries.

Core Accountabilities

Governance Leadership and Oversight

• The post-holder will be responsible for leading the CAA's corporate governance function, ensuring the organisation operates with transparency, accountability, and in line with applicable governance frameworks and legal obligations.
• Managing the development, maintenance, and implementation of the CAA's corporate governance framework, including regular review of Terms of Reference, governance policies, and the Corporate Governance Statement.
• Providing strategic advice and horizon scanning on corporate governance developments and external best practice to the Board, Executive, and governance professionals across the CAA, CAAi, and ASSI.

Board and Committee Support

• Overseeing governance support to the CAA Board, its committees, and ExCo, including agenda setting, minute taking, tracking decisions and actions, and ensuring high-quality governance records.

Regulatory and Standards Compliance

• Ensuring compliance with key governance obligations, including relevant codes such as the UK Corporate Governance Code and Managing Public Money.

Oversight

• Holding an oversight role for internal whistleblowing and anti-corruption, ensuring appropriate processes, controls, and protections are in place and operating effectively.
• Providing oversight of specialists across the organisation by conducting regular compliance checks to ensure they are fulfilling their responsibilities and meeting both internal standards and external regulatory expectations.
• Recommending improvements to strengthen the effectiveness and consistency of assurance specialists.
• Monitoring legislative, regulatory, and organisational changes to identify future needs for specialist oversight roles and emerging areas requiring additional governance or assurance capacity.

Ethics and Integrity

• Owning and maintaining key ethics-related policies, including those relating to Conflicts of Interest, Gifts & Hospitality, Internal Confidential Reporting, and Anti-Corruption.
• Driving the rollout and embedding of the CAA's ethics framework through mandatory training, internal communications, and advisory support to ensure it is effectively applied in practice.
• Staying abreast of relevant internal and external developments in corporate ethics, bribery, and fraud (horizon scanning) to inform policy and practice.

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)

• Leading on governance components of ESG reporting and ensuring that ethical and governance standards are reflected in organisational disclosures and performance reporting.

About You

Experience

• Proven senior-level experience in governance, compliance, or secretariat roles within a complex or regulated organisation.
• Knowledge and understanding the required expectations of Boards, Committees, and Executive leadership for governance and assurance.
• Experience leading or supporting oversight functions, including whistleblowing and anti-corruption oversight.
• Practical experience in policy development, compliance monitoring, and internal assurance frameworks.
• Involvement in ESG reporting, statutory disclosures, or public sector accountability documents (e.g. Annual Report & Accounts).
• Chartered Governance Qualification from the Chartered Governance Institute (CGIUKI or similar bodies) or equivalent qualifications in risk management or legal experience desirable.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of ethical governance, whistleblowing legislation, anti-bribery/fraud controls, and related regulatory obligations.
• Familiarity with public sector governance requirements including the UK Managing Public Money framework and arms-length body oversight.
• Understanding of UK corporate frameworks, including the UK Corporate Governance Code.
• Understanding of the Three Lines of Defence model and its application within assurance frameworks desirable.
• Awareness of emerging governance and ESG trends and their implications for organisational compliance desirable.

Skills

• Strong leadership, planning and organisational skills to drive a cross-cutting governance agenda.
• Skilled in stakeholder engagement, with the ability to influence and build credibility across senior teams and at all levels of the organisation.
• Clear and confident communicator, able to draft high-quality reports and provide advice at Board/Executive level.
• Analytical thinker with sound judgement and the ability to assess governance risks and gaps.
• High integrity and discretion, with a strong personal commitment to ethics, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Additional Information

For many appointments within the CAA, these roles require access to operationally sensitive infrastructure and/or Nationally Protected information. For these roles the post holders must undergo National Security Vetting and achieve the appropriate level of clearance.

To be vetted you must have the right to work in the UK so that meaningful checks can be undertaken.

If you do not meet these requirements, we may not be able to accept your application.

For more information on BPSS clearance please visit - BPSS clearance

The CAA values high ethical standards and personal integrity among employees. If invited for interview you will be asked to complete a declaration of interest.

Relocation & Property

The CAA will be relocating from Aviation House (Our Gatwick Office) to new premises in a few years' time. Our move is driven by strategic, operational and environmental considerations.

We will be moving to a new local home, up to a 15-mile radius of Aviation House, to minimise disruption for our valued colleagues and customers.

We are now working with colleagues and visitors to understand what we need in our new office, before we start our property search. We will sell Aviation House and land, vacate the site and move to new premises, but we do not expect to move before 2028

Inclusive Recruitment

We are passionate about diversity and ensuring all are included at the CAA. We are an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

As a member of the Disability Confident scheme, applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a role with us will be guaranteed an interview. We use fair and inclusive selection approaches to hire the best person for the job based on merit alone. If you require an adjustment for any reason, please let us know.

Working With Us

We are on a journey towards being increasingly adaptable, where our colleagues collaborate as part of cross-functional teams. This approach ensures we never stop learning together. It also means that you may become involved in activities that take you out of your day-to-day role, providing you with opportunities to develop and grow your career with us.

We have embraced hybrid working and offer flexible working patterns, being open to having a conversation about what works for you. We know where and when we work is important in achieving a work-life balance.

We offer a range of excellent benefits such as flexible working arrangements, free onsite gym at Gatwick, discounted gym membership for London, 28 days annual leave, additional 5 days leave purchase scheme, a generous pension scheme and much more!

Our Values

Do The Right Thing, Never Stop Learning, Build Collaborative Relationships, Respect Everyone - For more information please Click Here

Closing Date: 15th September 2025

Interview Date: w/c 29th September 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

No recruitment agencies please.