Director of Membership and Governance

Welcome to the College community

Since being granted our Royal Charter in 1599, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow has been improving health and healthcare for people around the world. 

Today, we are a professional membership body providing education, assessment and development to more than 15,000 Fellows and Members at all stages of their careers. We are a UK organisation with a global membership.

Our estate in the heart of Glasgow city centre includes modern conferencing and events facilities, a rich and extensive heritage collection with museum status, a library and our multi-award winning events offering, 1599 at the Royal College.

Our purpose is built around delivering:

• Excellent education and outstanding member experience
• New standards through assessment and gold standard qualifications
• Transformative impact on the health and wellbeing of the wider world

Our vision: To build an influential global community that enables our Members to develop the skills, knowledge and influence to improve healthcare standards worldwide.

Our mission: We want to enable our Members to achieve their full potential as healthcare professionals and give them an influential voice in the world.

Our values: The College is not a building or a tradition, but a global community. In all that we do, we’re committed to putting our people first: Fellows and Members, those undertaking our education and assessment, colleagues and partners.  

For us, how we work is as important as what we do, and we aim to live by our values. They embody the essence of the College motto, conjurat amice, meaning ‘together in friendship’. It’s an approach that is as relevant today as it was 425 years ago.

• Community Working together to support one another to succeed; listening to and engaging with partners and people, locally, nationally and globally, to achieve our core purpose.
• Integrity Valuing and learning from our heritage and commitment to excellence; never compromising on our core purpose, our standards and the quality of delivery.
• Innovation Proactively challenging current thinking with a forward-looking agile approach that meets the changing needs of our members and all those who interact with us.
• Inspiration Leading by example through open dialogue, teamwork and engagement to maximise our potential and affect change.
• Inclusivity Demonstrating care, kindness, civility, generosity and mutual respect through the way we welcome, work and interact with people.

The role 

The Director of Membership and Governance is accountable to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the co-development and implementation of the College’s strategic priorities and plans. They have specific responsibility for developing and implementing sustainable UK and international membership strategies, income generation, engagement activities and associated action plans.

The Director of Membership and Governance is also responsible for ensuring that the governance of the College is conducted effectively and in accordance with its regulations and bye-Laws. They will work closely with College Council and Faculty Executive Boards to support good decision-making and robust governance processes.

They will also ensure that all College and Faculty elections are fair, transparent and credible, and that Members are appropriately informed about vacancies, nominations, candidates and voting arrangements.

As the College’s Data Protection Officer, the postholder will have responsibility for data protection and GDPR compliance, and the management of external complaints and related investigations.

As a key member of the College Leadership Team (CLT), the Director of Membership and Governance will work closely with other members of CLT and College trustees.

The Director of Membership and Governance will be responsible for:

• Membership specific income and expenditure of c£4M
• Leadership and management of the Membership and Governance Team of c12 staff
• Ongoing support, development and engagement of 15,000+ members across100 countries worldwide ensuring the College is relevant and adding value to the membership community
• Ongoing leadership and oversight for c15 faculty/boards and committees
• Oversight of c£200K of restricted funds annually, allocated through the Scholarship and Awards Committee.

• This is a full time, permanent role

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Who we're looking for

The post-holder will require the following:

• Strong strategic leadership and management skills.
• Significant senior leadership experience within a membership organisation, professional body, charity, public sector or similarly regulated environment.
• Strong knowledge of corporate governance principles and best practice, including EDI, with experience of advising boards and committees.
• Sound understanding of UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018 and information governance requirements with experience of overseeing associated functions.
• Knowledge of complaints handling, investigations and dispute resolution processes.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively with elected office bearers, trustees, senior leaders and external partners.
• Excellent inter-personal and team working skills.
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen.
• Proven track record of managing the administration and delivery of services ensuring provision of accurate and current management information as required.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to identify trends, risks and opportunities from data and feedback.
• Excellent organisational and project management skills.
• Experience of preparing and presenting high-quality papers, reports and recommendations for boards or committees.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent professional experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to governance, leadership or organisational management.

The full candidate briefing, including job description can be found in the documentation below.

How to apply

Successful candidates will have the requisite ability and experience to meet the specific requirements of the post. If you believe you have the skills to be part of our team then apply by submitting your CV, with a cover letter and Equal Opportunities Monitoring form (available to download above). 

Please note that the College is unable to provide visa sponsorship. Therefore, candidates must already have the right to work in the UK.

Closing Date: Midday on Wednesday 11 November 2026

Interview Schedule: First interviews are anticipated to be held during week commencing 23 November 2026.

If you have any queries, please contact recruitment@rcpsg.ac.uk

Any personal data collected from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us in accordance with our recruitment processes. If unsuccessful in your application, your information will be held by us on our database for a period of 6 months before deletion. If you would like your information removed sooner, please contact recruitment@rcpsg.ac.uk 

Please see the application form below.