Cairns Hinterland Steiner School Governing Body
Contractor rate: $40 per hour
Hours: Approx. 12 hours per month
Arrangement: Flexible | Remote or Cairns-based (local candidates encouraged)
Cairns Hinterland Steiner School (CHSS) is a not-for-profit, accredited independent school guided by Steiner education principles, providing holistic and creative learning from early years through to Year 8.
The Governing Body is seeking a well-organised and capable Company Secretary (Contractor) to support the Board and Chairperson in maintaining good governance, compliance, and effective board administration.
This flexible, part-time contractor role is ideal for someone who values meaningful contribution and wishes to gain experience in not-for-profit governance and board operations. We are seeking someone who is independent from the school (not a parent/carer or staff member).
About the Role
As an independent contractor, the Company Secretary will provide governance and administrative support to the Board. While prior experience in board administration or governance is desirable, we welcome candidates with strong organisational and administrative skills, confident digital literacy (Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, SharePoint), and an interest in learning governance processes.
Board meetings are held primarily online, so candidates from any location in Australia are encouraged to apply. Local applicants (Cairns region) are highly valued.
Key expectation: The Company Secretary will attend monthly online Board meetings (generally held on a Monday evening) and provide ongoing governance support between meetings.
Key Responsibilities
Administrative Support
- Prepare, distribute, and archive agendas, board papers, reports, and minutes, including AGM documentation via Microsoft SharePoint sites.
- Ensure Members’ and Directors’ meetings are properly called and recorded in line with the Corporations Actand Company Constitution.
- Maintain a complete and well-structured repository of Board papers for all meetings, in accordance with CHSS processes.
- Maintain the members’ register in compliance with legislative requirements.
- Monitor the board email and respond to correspondence as directed.
Governance Support
- Maintain the Register of Ongoing Conflicts of Interest and Register of Company Policies.
- Assist with director induction and training as directed by the Board and Chairperson.
- Oversee governance documentation and advise on review schedules.
- Maintain the Delegations of Authority list.
- Coordinate board governance and effectiveness reviews as required.
Compliance Support
- Support the Board to meet its compliance obligations with ASIC, ACNC, NSSAB and other relevant regulatory bodies.
- Assist the Chair and Board with obligations under the Corporations Actand the Constitution (with external advice where required).
- Assist in coordinating appropriate Directors’ and Officers’ insurance cover.
