UK Research and Innovation
Salary: £65,262 per annum (dependent on skills and experience).
Hours: Full time
Contract Type: Open Ended.
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire.
Closing date: 10/11/24
Role Overview for Head of Risk and Assurance
The Head of Risk and Assurance works with the Director of Risk and Assurance and UKRI senior leaders to ensure that UKRI operates best practice throughout its risk management and integrated assurance arrangements. The postholder will work with stakeholders in government and other funders and partners on risk, assurance, and control framework approaches.
The Head of Risk and Assurance will be responsible for UKRI’s risk strategy, ensuring an appropriate focus on the threats and opportunities related to delivering the UKRI strategy and plans at the same time as supporting the entire landscape of risk, assurance, and internal arrangements in place at UKRI. The postholder will support the optimisation of risk taking by UKRI within delegated limits and risk appetite.
This is a new role to bring together the risk, management assurance, funding assurance, counter fraud, and insurance teams to form a joined-up Risk & Assurance function. A critical part of role is to bring about changes and new ways of working, leading the teams and the organisation through changes to ways of working that will reduce siloed working and increase collaboration in how we manage risk across the organisation, with our senior forums, Executive Committee and Board.
As part of the senior leadership team for the Risk and Assurance Directorate, the role will work to support delivery of all the Directorate’s responsibilities.
Success Factors
* Increased engagement with senior leaders, councils and committees on risk and assurance issues.
* Clear line of sight and management of risks that are pervasive throughout UKRI.
* Proactive identification, escalation, and resolution of concerns before they become issues.
* Risk and assurance arrangements that benchmark favourably against best practice and are applied in practice.
* Acceptable level of assurance as evidenced by external stakeholders e.g., internal, and external auditors; UKRI Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.
* Improved efficiency and effectiveness of risk management and assurance processes and elimination of duplication.
* Increased use of team in an advisory capacity.
* Fewer surprises (using risk and assurance management to proactively identify risks at an early stage and before they become issues).
Management and Leadership Role
* Reports to the Director of Risk and Assurance.
* Exercises management responsibility of a team comprising of:
o Risk Management
o Assurance Management
o Insurance
* Be the UKRI Head of Profession for Risk Management and provide professional leadership and support to risk leads and champions operating across UKRI.
* Is a visible leader as part of the UKRI Chief Finance Officer Group and is required to build strong and effective relationships across a diverse group of stakeholders internally (including members of Executive Committee and Operational Leadership Team, Council COOs, and senior leaders across our critical delivery areas) and where required non-executive members of the Board and its sub-committees.
* Ensure that Risk & Assurance activity helps to influence and drive decision making in the organisation at all relevant levels in pursuit of organisational objectives.
* As a senior professional, represent the Head of Risk and Assurance UKRI at a variety of fora, externally, to work closely with external auditors, the HMG Risk Centre of Excellence, and other external organisations, including funded bodies, to build trust and increase the profile and reputation of UKRI.
Financial Responsibilities:
The Head of Risk and Assurance will be a formal budget holder and will be accountable for deployment of resources across the remit of this role, ensuring that the balance of competing priorities and requirements is considered in decision making.
Contract management will be a key area of the role, with responsibility to manage the contract for the risk management system, currently CGR, providing advice to the Direct of Risk & Assurance and contributing to contract management of the Internal Audit Provider (GIAA) and insurance provider, ensuring maximum self-insurance cover.
Responsible for a Staff Budget of circa £1.6m covering a projection of 22.6 FTE from Band C upwards, across three teams providing risk, assurance, and insurance management for the organisation.
Responsible for Non-Staff Budget of £2.6m including contract for CGR and Insurance cover.
Key responsibilities:
Risk Management
* Leading the design and operation of the risk management strategy and framework, supported by a suite of policies and processes, for UKRI that aligns with the organisational vision and strategic objectives.
* Accountable for ensuring these policies and processes are innovative, provide the agility to respond to internal and external changes in environment, are in line with best practice, are delivery focused, are reflective of agreed risk appetite, based on an in-depth understanding of the business requirements of UKRI, compliant with relevant International and Government standards, and demonstrate best practice.
* Using risk analysis to ensure focus on the main threats and opportunities related to delivering the UKRI strategy and plans at the same time as supporting the entire landscape of risk, assurance, and internal control arrangements in place at UKRI.
* Professional support and advice to the Board and Executive Committee Secretariats to ensure the CEO, Chair, Board, and Executive Committee and its sub committees have access to robust advice and hold appropriate risk-based discussions.
* Support the optimisation of risk taking by UKRI to take advantages of opportunities and organisational constraints within delegated limits and risk appetite.
* The Head of Risk and Assurance will be the Head of the Risk Profession providing professional leadership and support to risk leads and champions operating across UKRI.
* Driving a culture of continuous improvement in all areas and champion professional standards and good management practice across all the diverse areas of UKRI business.
Assurance
* Leading the design and operation of an end-to-end assurance framework, supported by a suite of policies and processes, for UKRI that align with the organisational vision and strategic objectives.
* Accountable for ensuring the Assurance Framework and supporting policies and processes are innovative, provide the agility to respond to internal and external changes in environment, are in line with best practice, are delivery focused, take account of agreed risk appetite, based on an in-depth understanding of the business requirements of UKRI, compliant with relevant International and Government standards, and demonstrate best practice.
* Manage the day-to-day relationship with Internal Audit and the delivery of the annual agreed audit programme, maintaining a 3-year planning cycle. Oversee processes and reporting of audit recommendation implementation to the UKRI Operational Leadership Team and the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.
* Lead the delivery of an annual stewardship exercise to receive, challenge and report the assurance from members of the UKRI Executive Committee for reflection in the Governance Statement.
* Lead the delivery of an internal programme of MA (Management Assurance) reviews that are completed in a manner that is consistent with the standards of a professional internal audit team.
* Leadership of a team delivering a programme of reviews of organisations in receipt of £4bn research council funding that aims to provide assurance to the UKRI Accounting Officer that public funds destined for research are properly safeguarded and used for the purposes intended by Parliament. Responsible for ensuring the work of the funding assurance team is completed in line with best practice.
* Responsible for ensuring a proactive approach to assessing, managing, and mitigating risks of fraud and error in line with the Counter Fraud functional standard including ensuring appropriate training, risk assessments and proactive detection activity is in place and is effective.
Insurance
* Lead the Insurance Team and budget which provides UKRI with access to self-insured and commercial insurance guidance, information, and solutions for all parts of UKRI.
* Responsible for ensuring that the insurance arrangements for UKRI adhere with the requirements set out in with Managing Public Money (Annex 4.4 - Insurance) where self-insurance is preferred except where commercial insurance is appropriate, either due to legal or mandatory obligations or the requirement to safeguard public funds in wider market activities.
* Oversee arrangements with insurance brokers, including routine and claims related enquiries, and making sure that UKRI fulfils its obligations to provide the insurance providers with information required in policy terms. Responsible for coordination of the annual renewal process including sign off on renewal terms and costs within budget.
* Responsible for ensuring that UKRI insurance claims are reasonable and in line with policy terms before submission. Support in identifying UKRI learning from its claims experience.
Key Skills
* Excellent people skills, able to influence and build and maintain strong working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders at all levels, both internally and externally.
* Excellent leadership skills with an ability to lead through change, inspire, motivate, and develop capability within a team.
* Enthusiastic, motivated, adaptable, and proactive with the ability to work flexibly in a changing environment and respond to shifting priorities.
* Ability to innovate and challenge established thinking in self and others, and to offer insights and ideas with practical application coupled with the ability to drive change.
* Insightful business awareness with the ability to understand and analyse changing business context and landscape to assess and manage risk, capitalise on emerging opportunities, make sound evidence-based judgements, promote the interests of UKRI and research and innovation.
* Ability to instil confidence within stakeholders at the most senior levels, acting as a trusted advisor.
* Experience of managing budgets and relationships with third party service providers.
* Decision making ability in the context of leading the function.
Additional information
* Understand the linkages and dependencies between the risk and assurance function and other corporate services functions, promoting a culture of teamwork and helping to break down silos if they emerge.
* Build and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders across UKRI and DSIT, to develop a clear understanding of the organisation, to facilitate effective working relationships.
* Manage resource levels and skills to meet fluctuating workloads.
* Function as the point of escalation for complex risk queries ensuring effective and appropriate reporting of complex risk information.
Knowledge
Strong understanding of prevailing governance standards and public sector rules including but not limited to:
* Managing Public Money.
* HM Treasury and Cabinet Office standards and rules, particularly in relation to: Corporate Governance; Risk management; Spending Controls; Regularity and Propriety (conflicts of interest, gifts and hospitality, ethics).
* Internal Audit Standards.
* Audit Committee best practice.
* Orange Book.
* FRC Corporate Governance Code and its public sector equivalent.
* Government Functional Standards.
Experience
* Extensive risk management experience, including developing and implementing effective risk management strategies, policy, and frameworks in an organisation.
* Experience collaborating with executive teams and being a trusted advisor providing expert professional advice to senior management.
* Excellent leadership skills with an ability to lead through change, inspire, motivate, and develop capability within a team to deliver quality outcomes.
* Ability to manage multiple teams, balancing needs and requirements as well as encouraging closer alignment and team working overall.
* Experience of working with Audit Committees.
* Proven record of managing change within a context of organisational transformation.
* Experience of leading high performing teams.
* Experience of working with internal and external Auditors (preferably National Audit Office).
Qualifications
* Member of the Institute of Risk Management
Or
* Audit (CMIAA, QIAL (Qualified in Internal Audit Leadership) or equivalent)
About UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
UKRI launched in April 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
Our organisation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK. Together we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. More information can be found at www.ukri.org.
Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit Benefits of working for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.
How we support EDI in the workforce
At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit How we support EDI in the workforce.
Disability Confident Employer
As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
How to apply
Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the ‘experience’ section of the application.
UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.
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