Head of Governance and Compliance


Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Salary:	£57,515 - £57,515
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Southampton
Job type:	Temporary
Posting date:	17 Aug 2026
Closing date:	27 Aug 2026

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Summary

Do you take pride in effective governance and have a strong attention to detail?

Can you lead the development of effective governance and compliance frameworks that support accountability, transparency and strategic decision-making?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is seeking a Head of Governance and Compliance to lead and strengthen the Agency’s governance and compliance framework. This is a senior leadership role within Corporate Services, providing assurance to the Chief Corporate Officer that statutory, regulatory and central government requirements are met. You will oversee the running of executive and board governance, assurance activity, compliance monitoring, legal reporting and key annual governance products, while helping to embed a culture of good governance, ethical leadership and continuous improvement across the Agency.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday
Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at: MCA Homepage | Civil Service Careers

As Head of Governance and Compliance, you will lead the MCA’s governance and compliance activity, ensuring effective frameworks, systems and reporting are in place to support accountability and informed decision-making. You will oversee key governance meetings and statutory products, and work across the Agency to monitor compliance and drive continuous improvement.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

Leading and developing the Governance and Compliance team, building a high-performing and supportive culture.
Maintaining MCA’s corporate governance framework in line with government standards and organisational requirements.
Overseeing compliance with legal, regulatory and central government requirements, including monitoring and reporting arrangements.
Designing and maintaining governance structures that support accountability, transparency and effective decision-making.
Managing MCA governance meeting cycles, including Executive Committee, MCA Board, Audit and Risk Committee and Sponsorship Board activity.
Leading delivery of key governance products, including the Annual Report and Accounts, Management Assurance exercise and Governance Statement.
Providing expert advice to senior leaders on governance, compliance, statutory obligations and reporting requirements.
Working across the Agency to promote strong governance, ethical leadership, transparency and continuous improvement.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

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