Company Secretary

The Role:
Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to build your Board experience and make an important contribution to Society? Are you a professional individual looking for a chance to provide your valuable knowledge and expertise to make a real difference to the people we serve?

Helplink Mental Health (www.helplink.ie) provides a range of accessible counselling, information and educational mental health services.  In addition to offering a comprehensive online counselling service, we provide in-person mental health counselling services via a panel of qualified professional counsellors in Galway & Mayo.  In 2023, we delivered over 7,000 counselling sessions under a variety of headings including couples, youth, addiction, bereavement and general counselling.  As well as play and art therapy.

Helplink is now looking to expand its Board of Directors. The Board roles are voluntary.  Members are required to become Directors of the Company and the commitment is to attend Board meetings throughout the year.

Ideally the candidate would be located in the West of Ireland to facilitate engagement a but we are happy to consider other suitably qualified candidates who are resident in Ireland.  

Responsibilities: 
As a Board Member, you will regularly attend Board meetings – sharing your knowledge and skill.  You will be making a serious commitment to participate actively in committees including initiating and accepting strategic assignments, and will build effective relationships with other Board Members to ensure the successful operation of the Board.

Essential Skills/Experience 

We are seeking candidates for the role of Company Secretary to ensure that relevant rules and regulations of the Companies Act are complied with. 

The duties include:

• Administration and compliance:
  • Maintaining the register of any members / trustees interests;
  • Ensuring that charity trustees file all relevant statutory returns and information with the Charities Regulator (e.g. annual reports, changes to the charity’s details and/or trustees’ details);
  • Ensuring that decisions and actions of the board of charity trustees are accurately recorded and implemented;
  • Tracking progress of the charity’s risk register/ business plan/ strategic plan and making sure any correspondence for the charity trustees is brought to the attention of the board.
• Preparing for board meetings:
  • Agreeing the timetable of board and sub-committee meetings and providing advance notice to Trustees as required,
  • Circulating board papers/packs and agenda's in advance of meetings;
  • Taking the minutes at board meetings and ensuring that minutes are stored safely and are accessible if required.
• Other meetings.
  • Setting up and running any Annual General Meeting (AGM) or Extraordinary General Meetings (EGMs) where required. 

While no formal qualifications are required, some of the following qualities and skills  would be a plus.

• Knowledge of company and charity law
• Understanding the role and responsibilities of the Board
• A commitment to mental health,
• Ability to play a strategic role to successfully effect change and meet objectives of the company
• Experience with Governance in the voluntary & community sector
• Well organised and an eye for detail.

The board is meeting 10 times a year + AGM.  Meeting are a mix of in-person and remote.

Previous board secretary experience is not a requirement but would be an advantage.