Trainee Company Secretary

Job description

What you need to do

Corporate Governance 

• Assist with the maintenance of the corporate governance framework.
• Support the Assistant Company Secretary (PLC and Listed Governance) in the preparation and delivery of the AGM. 
• Support the Assistant Company Secretary (PLC and Listed Governance) in the maintenance of the governance sections of the corporate website 
• To assist with ad hoc governance projects as required.
• Keep up to date with development in company law and corporate governance best practice.

Corporate Compliance

• Support the Assistant Company Secretary (PLC and Listed Governance) and Senior Company Secretarial Assistant with the maintenance of statutory registers of J Sainsbury plc and its subsidiary entities, including Companies House filings (as required). 
• Ensure internal databases and registers are up to date.

Board and Committee Support

• Support the Deputy Company Secretary in the organisation and preparation of meetings and forward agendas for the plc Board and Committees and the Operating Board.
• Ensure actions from meetings are communicated and properly actioned.
• Maintenance of Board and Committee calendar, paper schedule and minute log.
• Provide support to the team in ensuring an effective and efficient service to the PLC Board and Committees. 
• Drafting of minutes and resolutions as required. 
• Act as main point of contact for internal stakeholders regarding Board and Committee dates.
• Together with the Company Secretarial Assistant, manage the CoSec diary and associated invites.

Annual Report and Accounts 

• Assist with drafting, review and verification of the Governance sections of the Annual Report and Accounts.

Share Schemes

• Supporting the Assistant Company Secretary (Share Plans and Registration) in the execution of objectives in relation to the Group’s share schemes (all-employee and discretionary).
• Supports the execution of share scheme grants and vestings, including ensuring that the relevant timetables are adhered to.
• Review and amend all Executive share plans in relation to any changes in legislation and business needs with oversight from the Assistant Company Secretary (Share Plans and Registration).
• Ensure the timely reporting of data changes to the share plan administrator e.g., leavers, reinstatements, static details and deceased colleagues.
• Undertake periodical reconciliation of the Employee Benefit Trust transactions.
• Daily monitoring and maintenance of the Shareholder Services inbox and being the first point of contact for queries from colleagues and the share plans and Trust administrators on Executive share plans.
• Identify process issues and seek resolution.
• Maintain and keep under review the intranet site and portals containing share plans information for colleagues.
• Support the Assistant Company Secretary (Share Plans and Registration) in providing training and support from third party advisers to our colleagues. 
• Prepare training videos for colleagues in relation to share plans.

Shareholder Services

• Be an additional point of contact for the share registrar.
• Support the team in ensuring that best practice is followed in the provision of shareholder services. 
• Responsible for the digital mailbox, including ensuring that all correspondence is dealt with in a timely manner.
• To assist with ad hoc shareholder services projects as required.

What you need to know and show

• Studying to be a graduate of the Chartered Governance Institute would be advantageous (but not essential).
• Some listed or large company experience would be advantageous (but not essential).
• Governance or share plans experience would be beneficial (but not essential).
• Good knowledge of Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications.
• Excellent attention to detail and organisational skills.
• Good written and verbal communication skills (clear, concise and professional) and being aware of the need to manage messaging to different stakeholders.
• Ability to keep focussed under pressure, knowing when to move at pace and requesting further guidance when required.
• Ability to think strategically, plan and execute successfully.
• Builds great working relationships with colleagues in the Corporate Services team and with a diverse range of stakeholders across the business.

Directly or indirectly manages

• No direct reports. 

Support we will provide

• Support from Deputy Company Secretary and rest of the Company secretarial team.
• Wider Corporate Services Team and other key internal parties (HR, Finance, IR, Communications, etc.)
• Sainsbury’s Intranet (Our Sainsbury’s and Sainsbury’s my Learning).
• Study support to achieve Graduate status with the CGI
• External training opportunities with external law firms and relevant professional bodies.

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new - whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:
 
 Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 5% of salary, depending on how we perform.  
 
 Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme.
 
 Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave. 
 
 Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).

Please note, due to the volume of applications we receive, our roles may close early.