About the job

Job summary

The Insolvency Service is a leading Government agency which plays a crucial role in providing essential services to the public and to business. The work we do is important to the proper functioning of markets, the economy in general and support for thousands of people each year who are in financial difficulty.

Inclusive and diverse teams are important to us. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups underrepresented in our workforce. The Insolvency Service strives to ensure that the agency is a safe, inclusive and welcoming place for everybody to bring their true self to work and to help the agency to achieve its diversity objectives. We have 10 active employee network groups available to join or become an ally, these include LGBT+, FACES, Disability & Health, Break the Stigma, Women’s, The Shed, Carers, Part Time Workers, No Limits and Grass Roots.

We offer full-time, part-time, job share and flexible ways of working. We value capability, technical skills and experience and we place great emphasis on lifetime development to support our people. We encourage our employees to become more involved in areas they feel strongly about, whether it be for the benefit of the agency, though our Engagement network or in their own local communities via volunteering opportunities.

The Insolvency Service is a great place to work, learn and grow your career.

Our structure

Working closely with the Chief Executive/Accounting Officer, the Corporate Governance Team is responsible for ensuring the agency demonstrates best practice and complies with the standards set for corporate governance across government.

It oversees the whole of the agency’s compliance with policies and regulations, its effective management of risks, its appropriate response to potential fraud and error, and its overall stewardship of public funds.

The Corporate Governance Team leads on the delivery of excellence in Corporate Governance, Risk Management and Counter Fraud across the Insolvency Service. It also provides assurance of the governance activities at individual directorate level.

Locations

Please note that this role is available to be based at one of our 11 regional offices. However, Stratford and Croydon are only available to current employees of the Insolvency Service. Candidates who are successful at being selected for interview, who are found to have applied for these locations will be asked to either choose a new location preference or withdraw their application.

Job description

The post holder will work with a wide variety of teams across the Insolvency Service and will be involved in and lead on the proactive management of strategic risks and challenges directly facing the organisation. This includes ensuring that the risk management framework for identifying, assessing and managing risks is effective. You will work with senior risk and issue owners to develop and report monthly on appropriate smart mitigation plans; and undertaking regular directorate assurance reviews to ensure the assurance map remains a key source for monitoring and identifying any potential issues. In addition, you will be required to conduct high profile complex assurance audits within the Insolvency Service. Establishing good relationships is paramount in this role, which will require internal collaboration with senior leaders, and external engagement with government stakeholders and Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA). other duties of the role include but are not limited to:

• Lead on high profile and complex audit reviews, to a high standard, conducting thorough enquiries and producing clear and focused recommendations and accurate findings in report form and verbally to management and the Executive.
• Undertake deep dives, as directed, and requested by the Executive and ARAC
• Relationship building with members of the executive and their staff who are under their scrutiny.
• Lead on, and work collaboratively (professionally) in, team intensive activities.
• Providing expert advice and guidance on legal aspects of corporate governance and preparing the agency annual governance statement and governance components of the agency’s annual report
• Actively maintain knowledge and awareness of technical and legal developments in public sector governance
• Maintain an understanding, and demonstrate the application, of the investigative approaches to solicit information, probing, inference etc. 
• Contribute to and participate in training and development activities to support the continuing professional development of Corporate Governance Officers and support staff.
• Actively participate in Corporate Governance Team meetings, activities, and development

Person specification

The successful Candidate will show evidence of:

• Excellent demonstrable corporate governance knowledge, including the approach to risk management and assurance processes, and models.
• Excellent presentational, representational, and interpersonal skills
• Excellent investigation, analytical skills, and judgement
• Excellent written skills, particularly report writing and briefing.
• Team worker who can take responsibility for own assignments.
• Recent experience, or at least clear knowledge, of Corporate Governance (Corporate governance in central government departments, HMT Managing Public Money, and Risk Management).
• The ability to demonstrate recent (within the last two years) application of audit methodology and capability.
• Ability to think strategically and deliver results, to prioritise and manage a varied governance workload, working under pressure, independently or collaboratively and meeting critical deadlines.
• Ability to effectively facilitate team and executive meetings.
• An understanding of the investigative approaches to solicit information - probing, inference, etc.

Essential Qualifications

The post holder must have the following qualifications, or be willing to work towards and attain them within 12 months of being in post:

• Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Certificate in Internal Audit and Business Risk
• Institute of Risk Management (IRM) – Risk Management (international or operational certificate) qualified.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,880, Insolvency Service contributes £11,307 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV, 750-word personal statement and statements demonstrating Behaviours. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Your personal statement should explain how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of the person specification.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour: Communicating and Influencing. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

We will assess your behaviours and experience as part of the sift process, if successful you will be invited to a short interview where we will test your behaviours, experience, and strengths. Full details of the selection process will be made available to shortlisted candidates once the sift has been completed.

Expected Timeline (subject to change)

• Sift – w/c 29/01/24
• Interview – w/c 05/02/24
• Location - MS Teams

Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Insolvency from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Transforming Workplaces

The Insolvency Service is currently delivering an exciting five-year transformation project that started in April 2022 which will define our future direction supporting a gradual migration to a Regional Centre model combined with smarter ways of working. As part of this, transforming our estate will align us with the government modernisation programmes making The Insolvency Service a great place to work.  

We are letting you know about our future plans because if you are joining the Insolvency Service and are recruited into an office over the next five years that is not one of the Regional Centres, you will be expected to move to one of the Regional Centres in the future. This move would not attract financial assistance.   

The 11 Regional Centres are : Birmingham, Cardiff, Croydon, Edinburgh, Exeter, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Stratford.

Hybrid Working

Insolvency Service operates a hybrid working policy subject to business need, giving people the flexibility to choose when and where they work and collaborate with others.

Individuals are expected to work from one of the office locations stated in the advert to connect with their colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs. There is flexibility to split the working week, spending a minimum of 60% in the workplace, which includes the office, site visits, court etc.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via insolvencyrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.