Job Title: Governance & Compliance Officer

Job Status: Permanent/Full-time
Location: Rathmines (Hybrid)
Report to: Chief Executive

The Irish Heart Foundation is a community of people who fight to protect the cardiovascular health of everyone in Ireland. Together we are working to eliminate preventable death and disability from heart disease and stroke, and to support and care for those living with these life-changing conditions. We work to achieve this by:

• Caring for and speaking out for people in the community living with heart conditions and stroke, and their families.
• Innovating and leading in health promotion and prevention to change health behaviours and reduce cardiovascular risk.
• Building a nation of lifesavers through CPR training.
• Campaigning and advocating for policies that support people to live healthier lives.
• Information provision.

Our team currently is over 120 employees and over 100 volunteers working towards the Foundation’s vision of a future where no hearts are broken by preventable heart disease. The Role

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, the purpose of the role is to provide support, in specific areas relating to governance and compliance to the Chief Executive, and the Senior Management Team. The post-holder will also act as the Company Secretary to the Irish Heart Foundation.

The Governance and Compliance Officer is responsible for ensuring the organisation operates within all relevant laws and regulations and that robust governance structures are in place. The role involves developing and implementing policies and procedures, overseeing risk management and health and safety, and providing guidance to the Chief Executive and senior management on governance matters.

The proper performance of these duties will require a high degree of liaison and communication with the Chief Executive, the Chairperson and Board, the Director of Finance and Support Services, the Board Secretary, other members of the Senior Management Team (SMT), colleagues throughout the Irish Heart Foundation, and also with external stakeholders in the course of their normal duties and responsibilities. The post-holder will attend Board Sub-Committee meetings, as required.

Applicants should have:

• Previous experience in a compliance role, preferably within the charity/not-for-profit sector.
• The requisite knowledge and ability, including a high standard of suitability, for the proper discharge of the office.
• Strong understanding of regulatory requirements, administrative experience and excellent organisational skills.
• Experience of managing relationships with multiple stakeholders, ensuring clear communication and alignment of priorities across departments.
• A relevant degree (NFQ Level 7, 8 or 9) in law, business administration, public administration, governance, compliance, risk management, management or a related field. Additional diplomas and/or certifications in governance, risk management, or compliance, e.g. Chartered Governance Institute (ICSA) qualifications.
• The ability to work in a fast-paced environment, demonstrate a flexible approach to work and be capable of handling multiple priorities and multi-tasking and work to deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
• Excellent advanced IT skills - Microsoft Office and ICT Systems including CRM systems.
• High degree of confidentiality at all times.
• High intrinsic motivation. 

Principal Responsibilities: 

Governance: 

Ensure governance structures are in place across the organisation and utilised correctly by:

• Monitoring ongoing adherence to the Charities Regulator Governance Code and providing assurance to the Chief Executive and the Board on an annual basis that standards are met and can be evidenced.
• Ensuring that the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) is positioned to retain the Charities Institute Ireland Triple Lock Certification.
• Ensuring key decisions are made in line with approved policies and agreed procedures.
• Attend and provide administrative support to the Board Governance, Nominations & Remuneration Committee and Chairperson of GNRC. 

Data Governance:

• In conjunction with the SMT and DPO, ensure a data governance framework is in place for the organisation
• Ensure GDPR policies and procedures are in place.

Compliance: 

Ensuring that the IHF is compliant with relevant legal, fiscal, procurement and regulatory requirements by:

• Understand the Charities Act and the impact of same for the IHF
• Maintain registers as required (Register of Beneficial Owners, Conflict of Interest etc)
• Ensure all filings with Companies office, Charities Regulator are up to date.
• Support the IHF’s relationship with the regulator.
• Collaborate with and support internal stakeholders to address compliance issues and implement corrective actions.
• Demonstrate policies are living documents by running regular reviews and spot-checks to demonstrate compliance and understanding. 

Risk Management: 

Sponsor and promote the awareness of an appropriate risk culture across the organisation, and

• Maintain the IHF comprehensive risk management framework.
• Maintain the IHF risk register and present at SMT Gov meetings
• Facilitate in-depth review of selected sections of the risk register by the SMT on a quarterly basis. Such sections to be determined by the SMT.
• Track implementation of risk mitigants and risk actions plans.
• Monitor and report on key risk indicators to SMT, the Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) and IHF Board.
• Maintain the incidents records, producing high risk Incident reports as required and ensure incident records are kept up to date and then closed off at the appropriate time, through collaboration with the necessary internal or external stakeholder(s).
• Support each department to manage incident reports as required.
• Ensure mitigation of risk through training and information sharing etc.
• Maintain the Feedback and Complaints register, produce reports as required and ensure that all records are kept up to date and closed off at the appropriate time.
• Conduct Feedback and Complaints training with staff and volunteers on a regular and planned basis.
• Chair the IHF Health & Safety Committee and report on its work to the SMT Gov meeting.
• Ensure that safety, health and welfare requirements are met across all IHF activities.
• Attend and play an active role at the Executive Governance and Risk Management Group meetings.
• Attend and provide administrative support to the Board Quality & Safety Committee and Chairperson of the QSC.

Policy Development: 

Lead the development and review of organisation policies and procedures by:

• Ensuring that policies and procedures are up to date, fit for purpose and accessible and the IHF enjoys quality compliance with relevant approvals from SMT, Board Sub-committees and the Board.
• Ensure that policies are communicated effectively to relevant stakeholders.
• Conduct training sessions on governance and compliance matters as needed. 

Internal Audit:

• Develop and implement an assurance framework to address matters arising from internal audits.
• Collaborate with the SMT to identify solutions where required.
• Agree areas of focus with Chief Executive and SMT (from the internal audit framework) for each year over each rolling three-year period).
• Report internal audit results to the CEO and SMT and report to Audit & Risk Committee as directed.
• Attend Audit & Risk Committee meetings.

The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post, while in office. Job descriptions are reviewed on a regular basis in line with the needs of the Irish Heart Foundation.

Skills, competencies and/or knowledge

Professional Knowledge & Experience

• Governance: Experience working with or serving on boards, committees, or governance bodies.
• Compliance: Demonstrated experience in monitoring and ensuring adherence to regulatory and legislative requirements.
• Risk Management: Practical experience in identifying and managing organisational risks and safety, health and welfare in the workplace.
• Charity or Nonprofit Sector: Prior experience in the charity or voluntary sector is desirable, but not essential.

Team Working

Demonstrate:

• The ability to work as part of a team and to establish a good working relationship with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, in particular the SMT, IHF Councils, Directors, IHF partner organisations.
• The ability to work independently on own initiative and as part of a team.
• The capacity for management responsibility and initiative.

Personal Qualities

The post holder must be able to demonstrate the following personal qualities:

• Analytical and Administrative Skills: Excellent analytical and administrative skills; able to demonstrate compliance with the required standards and ensure sufficient controls and checks are in place.
• Decision Making: Exercises good judgement, makes well informed decisions in a timely manner; consults with others as appropriate before implementing decisions.
• Planning and Organising: Experience of developing accurate paper and electronic record systems, capable of information retrieval, analysis, and dissemination to relevant parties. Excellent attention to detail. Experience of working to multiple deadlines.
• Promotes co-operation and commitment within teams to maintain progress and achieve goals and deliverables.
• Monitoring and follow-up: Proactively tracks and follows up with colleagues to ensure timely completion of governance, compliance, and risk-related tasks.
• Communication and interpersonal skills: Serve as a central point of contact between teams ensuring transparency and effective communication across all levels both internally and externally.

Benefits of working with Irish Heart Foundation:

Flexible working with our hybrid working model, our team enjoy flexibility working from home and our Head office location in Rathmines (2 days per week office based on Mondays and Thursdays) or more if preferred.

We provide benefits to help you protect your health and financial security; and give you peace of mind.

• Pension scheme with employer contributions, from day 1 of service
• Life assurance of 4 times base salary with immediate effect
• Income continuance/disability benefit, at no cost to you from day 1 of service
• Paid Maternity leave
• Company sick pay
• Company health checks
• Generous annual leave policy including additional company days
• Bike to Work Scheme, Travel Saver Tickets, Excellent public transport links
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• A wonderful office we are proud of with excellent working, kitchen and changing facilities
• Events organised by social club and Health and Well-being Committee
• CPR Training for all employees
• Ongoing Training and Development initiatives to help you grow your career with us

Details of Role and Application process

This is a full-time & permanent role, Monday to Friday. The role is based in the Irish Heart Foundation’s offices in Rathmines, Dublin.

Informal Enquiries to Ms. Emma Balmaine, Chief Executive

To apply please provide an up-to-date curriculum vitae and cover letter outlining how you suit the post by email to Ms. Klara O’Malley, HR Manager. Email: hr@irishheart.ie

The closing date for this position is close of business on 18/03/2025

The Irish Heart Foundation is an equal opportunities employer.

The Irish Heart Foundation has a strict no smoking policy.

Please be advised the IHF retains all candidate data for a period of 12 months after which it is deleted. Should you wish to have your details deleted earlier than this please contact HR directly to request us to.