At Baxendale Ownership, our work involves all things employee ownership. We specialise in helping our clients achieve their goals in transitioning their business ownership structures, and take them through the process from start to finish.

We are employee owned ourselves.  This means that everyone in our team has a stake in the business (we call ourselves Partners). This allows us to build a participative collegiate culture, where everyone contributes and has a say in how the business is run, and the direction it should take for the future.

We believe the key to a positive culture is when everyone is comfortable voicing their opinion and everyone can deliver their work flexibly, in the way which best suits them and their individual needs.

Job opportunities will be posted on this page as they arise. In the meantime, if you have a consulting and / or legal background, are looking for your next challenge and think you’d be a great fit for the Baxendale team, we’d love to hear from you at contact@baxendale-eo.co.uk.

We are looking for a qualified solicitor with either corporate or commercial experience, a proactive approach to work and strong attention to detail to assist with hands on delivery helping businesses move into employee ownership. The role will primarily be working from home with potential for travel and / or work from office. We’re looking for a full-time member of staff but are very open to part time / flexible hours.

The salary is competitive plus profit share and a range of other benefits.

About us

We’re expert advisers on employee ownership; we have been helping businesses become employee owned for over twenty years. We are employee owned ourselves and operate with a relatively flat and flexible structure. Transparency is key to our culture: most key business decisions are determined collectively involving all employees, everyone knows what everyone earns, and distributable profit is shared proportionately among all employees based on salary. We believe that employees should share in the wealth they create and have a real voice in the organisations they work for.

Your role

Your work will focus on some or all of the following services:

• Supporting business owners and employees to transition their companies into thriving employee-owned enterprises.
• Drafting and advising on the principal legal documents required to implement employee ownership structures.
• Drafting and advising on the ancillary documents required to implement employee ownership structures.
• Assist with completion meetings for our client’s transition to employee ownership.
• Any additional tasks as required by the business to help meet our client needs.

You do not need prior employee ownership legal experience, but we are ideally looking for prior corporate law experience around share sales and governance structures.

Our culture and the way we work is of great importance to us: as mentioned above, we operate with a relatively flat structure and most decisions regarding the business are discussed as a group. It is essential that new employees share in this ethos and are committed to protecting and growing what makes Baxendale Employee Ownership so special.

Interested applicants should apply and provide a copy of your CV and cover letter as to why you are a good fit for this role.

Please email contact@baxendale-eo.co.uk by 1^st December 2023 if interested.

About our organisation

The Baxendale Employee Ownership Trust (the Trust) came into existence in 2022, when a majority of the shares in Baxendale Employee Ownership Limited (BEOL) were transferred into the Trust. Employee ownership stretches back much further as a part of BEOL’s history and DNA however, going all the way back to the Baxi Partnership Trust which was founded by Philip Baxendale in 1983. This unique Baxi Partnership Trust was established under the guidance of Philip Baxendale who sold the family-owned Baxi Boiler business, founded in 1866, to the Trust to secure an independent employee-owned future for Baxi Partnership with a Partnership Culture.

Baxi Partnership founded BEOL to help support the expansion of employee ownership throughout the United Kingdom and beyond – this remains BEOL’s mission. However, Baxi Partnership and BEOL agreed that their ultimate strategies were taking them in different directions and therefore it was no longer appropriate for BEOL to remain a wholly owned subsidiary of Baxi Partnership. Therefore in 2022, the majority of the shares in BEOL were transferred to the Trust, a trust established to reflect the principles of the Baxi Partnership Trust but for the benefit of the BEOL’s employees. This was intended to secure an independent employee-owned future for the Company, but one where Baxi Partnership will remain a material stakeholder for the foreseeable future.

Employee ownership and Partnership Culture lie at the heart of the Trust which will always be the majority shareholder of BEOL. Partnership Culture is outlined in the Deed of Trust, which also specifies that Trustee Directors shall take their decisions in the best interests of current and future Partners (we call employee Partners) by exercising their rights to secure the continuation of BEOL as a successful and independent trading enterprise with a partnership culture.

To us, Partnership Culture is defined as:

• that the widespread ownership of shares in BEOL by or on behalf of the employees is promoted;
• that regard is had to the interests of employees in general;
• that employees are encouraged to assume responsibility for maximising their contribution to BEOL having regard to the interests of future and present employees;
• that employees receive information concerning the major policies and actions of the Company; and

• that opportunities are afforded to employees whether individually or through representatives to influence the major policies of BEOL.

Our Partnership Culture also means that we take decisions collectively. Although we have only one director of BEOL as a trading entity, decision-making on issues which affect the business / employees / partnership culture are made collectively with shared responsibility.

Our core trading activity is advising other companies on their transition to employee ownership. We work with a broad range of clients in various sectors, across the UK. BEOL has helped over 200 clients transition to majority EOT ownership, totalling over £1,000m in turnover and over 12,000 employees who now work in employee owned companies due to our advice and support.

We’re looking for an Independent Trustee Director

As an employee-owned company, the principal value of the business is held in the Trust for the benefit of current and future employees. The Trustee Directors therefore have a critical role in supporting the overall success of the business, holding the BEOL Board, and the employees more broadly, to account in the interests of current and future employees and being champions for excellent organisational governance. As a Trustee Director you need to gain assurance that the BEOL Board are delivering on the role of the Trust particularly in relation to promoting the partnership culture.

The Trust currently consists of two Employee Trustee Directors and one Independent Trustee Director, and enjoys a strong, collaborative and professional relationship with the BEOL Board and employees. We are seeking an additional independent trustee.

Key responsibilities

As an Independent Trustee Director, you will be responsible for working with the other Trustee Directors to:

• Gain assurance that the Board are running the company in line with the Trust objectives.
• Uphold strong organizational governance of an employee-owned business.
• Constructively challenge and support the development of BEOL’s strategy.
• Scrutinize and constructively challenge the performance of the Board.
• Solicit and represent the thoughts and views of employees – ensuring that their voice is effectively heard; and
• Exercise your responsibilities in accordance with the BEOL Deed of Trust, relevant policies and procedures.

The ideal candidate

The key attributes we are seeking are integrity and strength of character.

Essential requirements:

• Experience of the principles of employee ownership.
• Board-level leadership experience.
• Strong commercial acumen.
• Experience of monitoring and evaluating performance against strategy.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement and interpersonal skills – the ability to both support and challenge fellow Trustee Directors and the Board.
• An understanding of good governance and trustee fiduciary duties.
• A set of personal values in line with those of an employee owned business.

Desirable, but not essential requirements:

• Experience in either working or being an Independent Trustee Director for other employee-owned businesses.
• Experience in corporate governance.

Baxendale Employee Ownership is an equal opportunities employer, and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age. Candidate must be eligible to work in the UK.

Fees and expenses

Independent Trustee Directors will be paid a fee of £1,000 per day plus reasonable expenses, with an expectation of around 6 – 8 days of work required per annum. Joining the Trust as an Independent Trustee Director will mean entering into a contract for services, not a contract of employment. Typically, we would expect a term to last 3 years, but there is flexibility here.

To apply:

Please send a cover letter and CV to contact@baxendale-eo.co.uk by the 18^th of December.

If you have any questions about the role or recruitment process, please contact simon.everingham@baxendale-eo.co.uk / ewan.hall@baxendale-eo.co.uk